Cafe Moby - Torquay - review

Name: Cafe Moby

Address: 41 The Esplanade
Torquay
03 5261 2339

Food: Cafe

Average price: $15

Complimentary:  Water.

We ordered: Triple chocolate muffin/cake

Out of all the impressive looking muffin/cakes I chose this based on the description - triple chocolate. Unfortunately it was only in reference to the extra chocolate drizzled on top as the base was just a standard chocolate cake. It was lovely, but not as rich and decadent as I was hoping.

Vegetarian wrap

 
Lovely mix of veggie antipasti in a fresh wrap. Simple but as expected. I liked that the side salad was also fresh and not the usual wilted afterthought.

BLT with chicken on Turkish bread

Mr.M thought this was nice and a rather generous serve.

Service: Good. Because you have to order and pay at the counter and get your own water I can't say the service is great, but when our food was brought out to us the waiter was really lovely and made us feel extremely welcome. It has a great 'family' vibe.

Atmosphere: Casual and fun for the kids. When I was looking for a place to grab lunch, kid-friendly was a must as I was toting my completely unpredictable 5month old with me. When I heard this place had a playground out back for the young ones I was sold. But don't be put off by the children factor as despite there being a bunch of kids the noise wasn't more than that of a regular cafe.
As others have recommended, leave one person at the table whilst the other lines up to order, or you may find yourself with nowhere to eat your meal.
The location is right opposite the beach so you also have a lovely view when you eat.

Website: None.

Hours: 7am-3pm Monday to Sunday.

Would I return: Yes, now I have a kid I am more prone to eat the the kid-friendly places.

Studley Park Boathouse - Kew - review

Name: Studley Park Boathouse

Address: 1 Boathouse Rd 
Kew, VIC 3101
03 9853 1828

Food: ModOz, European

Average price: Entree: $11-$19, Mains: $26-$35, Dessert: $14-$18.50

Complimentary:  Nothing.

We ordered: 
Main: Boathouse burger with bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce, fries and salad - $24

Mr.M: Not as good as the previous visit.


Housemade gnocchi with eggplant, wild rocket, and feta cheese - $23

Whilst it was OK, it wasn't as great as their previous flavour combination. The gnocchi was still quite well cooked though, but the dish was a little oily.

Salt and Pepper Calamari, with iceberg lettuce, cashews, lime and palm sugar dressing - $24

A thought this was nice.
Service: Not great. The food was slow in coming out, and after waiting 20mins for a slice of cake we cancelled the order. The waiters were also never around and our water was rarely refilled.

Atmosphere: Surrounded by nature. The river, trees and wildlife makes for a truly relaxing atmosphere, on a sunny day up on the balcony it is truly wonderful. Although if a swan squabble arises there will be some noise :). The restaurant itself is done in a neutral minimal decor.

Parking: Ample on site parking. Also nearby street parking.

Website: http://www.studleyparkboathouse.com.au/

Hours: Wed-Fri & Sun noon-3pm, Wed-Sat 6.30pm-10pm (cafe hours: Sat-Sun 9am-11am, daily noon-4pm)

Would I return: Yes, it's still a lovely local spot.