Located in a renovated cottage in the heart of The Basin, The Acorn on Forest is a prime example of…read moreThe Basin's growing popularity as a little hill's hideaway. With the suburb reporting recent booms in property value, and the freeway only 10 minutes away, The Basin has grown from a small village on the way to the more touristy area of the hills to a trendy little town of its own . The Acorn of Forest has more of a 'Wine Bar" feel to it than it's neighbouring 'Good old-fashioned pub' the Oak Tree. With a focus on quality dining and weekend breakfasts, you could say it's the 'bouquet' to the Oak Trees 'bucket'. The menu features dishes such as Quail, Veal and Kangaroo and while you can expect to pay a little more for your meal than at other nearby pubs, the Acorn is all about Quality over affordability. Popular with functions and parties, The Acorn also hosts live music on weekends, usually from a rotating roster of local favourites.

Amazing food, wonderful service and a terrific cosy atmosphere. They have great bands over the…read moreweekend to, which is a real bonus. Can't wait to go back again and again.

This is my local. Nestled in the heart of The Basin, The Oak Tree Tavern is a good old 'English…read moreStyle" pub with an Aussie twist. Wine barrels serve as tables, darts are the game of choice, and on tap you'll notice the staples are Guinness, Kilkenny, and Bulmer's Cider. Nicknamed "Merlotte's" by friends after noticing the resemblance to the bar in the series "True Blood", the vibe here is that of a local community drinking and more often than not, dancing together. With live music 3 nights a week, including Karaoke nights on Fridays, you can expect your share of local talent to come out and shine, more often than not incorporating the whole pub into a sing-along as they wail away. The live music tends to be of the blues persuasion, the area known for its talented Blues musicians hiding in the nearby hills. The menu is standard pub fare, with hearty meals of chicken, steak or vegie options, plus desserts and pub favourites that wont break the bank and keeps plenty of coin in your pocket for drinks. With local laws enforcing last drinks served at 11pm sharp, it has become a local custom to order a table full of drinks at five minutes to eleven, and then happily sip away until the owner has seen enough of you.

The Oak Tree is a cosy little place with an 'up it's own backside' vibe. I think a pub like this…read moreought to be warm and inviting and perhaps to locals who go there all the time it is. It's just that in three visits here I've never felt a level of value as a customer more than at mediocre level. It's a shame because this is precisely the kind of venue I like. I've eaten there two out of three times and it's decent pub grub, it even has an option to cook your own steak. This is what I wish I had done considering my medium rare steak, which took half an hour to come out and was medium well. I was watching a show and didn't want to get up throughout the performance. Plus I'm pregnant and I was so, so hungry, hence I didn't say anything until afterwards. Maybe I should have. There are other things I could complain about but can't be bothered. Go. It's a nice place but don't expect too much.

I only wish they delivered - everything else is superb…read more Whenever we to into Shiraaz, the waiter there always knows what we want to eat and drink even months between visits. It's fun to mess with his head and order something different, then laugh and say we'll have our normal orders. The food here is some of the best. We've always been extremely satisfied with our experience, can't fault it. Except of course that they don't deliver. It's better to eat at the restaurant anyway, it's got a lovely atmosphere. Lighting is just about right, the table setting are nice too. It's got just enough Indian artefacts. Some of the Indian restaurants in the area are very average. We love it here and always look forward to returning.

My husband and I have been coming to Shaaraz since it opened many years ago. The food, service and…read moreambience is very hard to beat. It is a great complement when the staff remember your birthday and your favourite menus. Unfortunately, we have moved to Gippsland and having tried other Indian restaurants we were left disappointed as we kept comparing them to Shiraaz. Instead of being disappointed, we recently ordered 12 different meals and samosas to freeze so we can have our Shiraaz fix. Will definitely be back to replenish our freezer.

This is actually a rather charming tavern, located up in the Mount Dandenong Ranges. In a way it's…read morelocation makes it rather charming, but more than that, the building also is quite lovely as well. Basically it is an English style pub, but it has more charm, and more character, than a lot of others that I visit, namely because they don't go out of their way to make themselves appear to be an English tavern. Like, they have some rather nice beers on tap, and the staff are rather friendly as well. Yeah, this is actually a rather lovely place to be honest.

Really friendly staff and ENORMOUS portions, as I learned from ordering a parma (what else would a…read moreforeigner order in an Australian pub? :-) ). Prices are standard and it doesn't play loud obnoxious music.

A new addition to the variety of restaurants in Boronia, Carlos Cantina is an indie Mexican…read morerestaurant that aims to take on the over franchised cuisine. I popped in for dinner on a Monday, and took advantage of the Monday to Wednesday Half Price Entrees and Mains deal. This was great as when I got what I ordered, it was enough for two, and only cost about $10. My meal was fantastic. After a shared entrée of the Carlos Potachos, which was basically nachos with potato wedges instead of corn chips, I ordered the Fajita Vegetales, and was given a piping hot pan of fresh vegetables cooked in a ranch sauce. Another plate held lettuce, guacamole and rice, and yet another had 4 fajita wraps, plus cheese sour cream and salsa. I proceeded to make my own wraps, and somehow managed to devour the entire thing. Like a Taco Bill, the prices are quite high for what you get. Although the meals are really large, I'm always surprised at how much it costs for a burrito at ANY Mexican restaurant. With the fare quite simple in its preparation and ingredients, I'm one who often make sit at home and avoids paying $20 for a meal that cost under $5 to cook. That said, take advantage of the half price nights, and you're sure to enjoy having someone else cook for you.

This is the yummiest Mexican I've ever had... the vegan baked potato with rice was to die for, I…read morecouldn't stop eating and arguably the best baked potato I've had... so soft on the inside and incredibly crunchy on the outside. Kudos, I couldn't even take a picture of it it smelt too good not to get into!

First time for lunch here .... on friend's recommendation, thank you FM…read more Great to be able to enjoy authentic Malaysian Hawker food in the outer suburb of Melbourne; Bayswater. Say 15 years ago? Impossible .... It's what POSITIVE multiculturalism is all about, enriching the community, not taking it away. A little bit hidden, not on the main drag, plenty of parking, from the signage on the dark glass window suggest a well design establishment. It was, that Post-modern Asian influence interior, old Chinese posters as wall paper, cafe lighting, etc. pleasant on the eyes, great ambiance. On the food itself, my Char Kwee Tiaw has that classic burnt taste, although it was a bit heavy on the Soysauce but those Squids, Prawns, Chinese Sausage and the star of the show Pork Cracklings are all in there working hard plus the Sambal and fresh cut Chilies; Double Happiness to accompany this CKT. Cockle on the CKT perhaps? We'll be back with the troop so I can order more food. WELL DONE and thank you to the Proprietor for the vision in bringing the Malaysian Hawker Food Spirit all the way to Bayswater.

Nice location,good services !especially nice food to eat ,if u really love mild spicy food ,I would…read morehighly recommend is the best place to eat,good experience in these restaurant!

Yeah, this pub really didn't impress me all that much. Then again, it is a railway pub, sort on,…read moreprobably more like a bar that happens to be located in a shopping strip. It isn't particularly big, and the beer selection isn't particularly great either. Mind you, when I was here it was actually pretty crowded, though I did find a seat. However, yeah, I wasn't really impressed with it.

Food servings are large. Be prepared to eat when ordering…read moreup your favorites. I had the parmigiana which was not deep fried, vegetables and mashed potato. Sometimes a simple hearty meal hits the spot!

Great service and amazing food! Is worth the money, not many nice restaurants in the area with food…read moreat this quality! Has a great take away menu as well with gluten free pasta which is great!!

Reasonable food, but definitely overpriced with most mains over $30. I had the crumbed veal filled…read morewith camembert, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic fried gnocchi, roasted pepper glazed baby beets & buttered broccoli. The fried gnocchi was deep-fried in batter, the veal was reasonably tender but not especially so and the accompanying vegetables unremarkable. There was no sign at all of beets, glazed or otherwise. The plate was far too rich as a whole with no acid to cut through it. The lasagne was pleasant, but just a reasonable lasagne, the price again simply not reflecting the quality of the food. The profiterole dessert was the saving grace. They were delicious and completely worth their $12 price tag. The wait staff were pleasant and courteous, and the restaurant interior was inviting. In all, a reasonable but unremarkable restaurant that could do with a little perspective when it comes to price.

Situated in an old fire station, The Firehouse is one of the most upscale dining experiences East…read moreof the city. As the Urban sprawl envelopes the area, it's only logical that the demand for places like The Firehouse would pop up, and from what I've seen, the place is in high demand. Every time I have been here it has been fully booked up, and deservedly so. The food is fantastic, the service is quite good, and the menu boasts dishes you won't find anywhere else in Ringwood. For an experience such as this however, there is a cost. The Firehouse is also one of the most expensive places to eat in the area, with a lunch consisting of one meal, one drink and a coffee chalking up an easy $40. I was there last week, and had the omelette for lunch, with a beer and a coffee. The omelette was sensational, full of Italian cheese and sautéed mushrooms. Not oily or overly salty, it was a good lunch size and left room for me to check out the superb dessert menu. With a group of 8 of us, I must note that the service was great until the desserts came out, and we were given another tables order. This left a couple of us with no dessert, and the staff were forced to come and apologize, then leave those without dessert waiting until well after the rest of us were finished until they received theirs. We were compensated with free coffee though, which was nice.

Heading out of Ringwood to the east and after the major shopping centre business gets pretty sparse…read morein terms of cafes and eateries. The last of the restaurants is the Firehouse, a rather posh looking establishment with vines on the walls and big glass windows to look out to the road. While not the most appealing of sights, it does fill the space with amazing light. I'd recommend this as the special occasion eatery rather than simply a spot to grab a bite. The meals are pricey, so if you're after something small head to the shopping centre. The ambiance and service of the place, however, is amazing, along with after dinner drinks in a lounge area found upstairs. The staff are wonderful and good at recommending dishes and prompt delivery of fabulous feasts.

Well, this was quite a pleasant surprise, particularly since I did happen to have some time to kill…read moreup in Croydon. Well, visiting the local brewery was definitely going to be on the cards, especially since I discovered that it was just a short trip from the railway station. Well, that short trip certainly turned out to be for the best because I have to say that this brewery was awesome. Not only did they happen to have some great staff, but the beers were great. In fact, they went beyond great. Yep, this is definitely a place I would recommend checking out.

Great ambiance with easy parking. Great staff, delicious food and top notch beers. Highly recommend…read morepopping on down with your crew. Gorgeous open fire too