There's a long-standing tradition when we visit my dad and step-mum. A visit to The House with No Steps. Initially it always included my grandparents - the last few visits, unfortunately, did not. This was the first visit, since they died, where all three of my girls, my dad and step-mum, and I were there together. And, as a bonus, my uncle and aunt joined us. When visiting this lovely place, it's important to set aside your expectations regarding restaurant experiences. This place is staffed with a variety of people - including those with disabilities. As such, the pace may move a little slower. But then, this is not such a bad thing. I often think we hurry too much and forget that going out to eat is a social experience. One that should be filled with chatter and laughter. Not impatient waiting. So sit back and enjoy the day. The food - and service - are well worth it! Accept that the food will arrive bit by bit - but each plate will be hot and fresh. Today we sampled quite a few dishes and every single one was tasty. The accompanying salads were fresh and filled with flavour - nicely accentuated by the brown vinegar-based dressing. My one issue was that the visually delightful beetroot strings were not practical for neat and successful eating! The seafood dishes were so good. Between Ellwyn's kid's Fish Bites & Chips, my Beer Battered Flathead, and Lyn's Seafood Platter, there was not one wrong note. My flathead was flaky, dense, and tasty - and the light beer batter did not overpower it. Ellwyn's fish bites were handmade rather than reconstituted and I would have enjoyed them! Lyn's platter had fresh calamari, prawns, and scallops with a lovely light crumb coating and bites of whiting. The twins had a Tandoori Chicken Fillet Burger (Briannah) and a BLT sans T (Erin). Both devoured theirs with only one complaint - not enough tandoori sauce! The rolls used were a rather flat, almost Turkish inspired, bread that were toasted first. Overall, they had a great ratio of bread to ingredients and wet to dry. The uncle and aunt went with the tried and true ham and cheese sandwich - apparently, it was simple, tasty, and perfect. Finally my Dad checked out the Hawaiian Grill - ham, cheese, and pineapple with a tasty cheese grilled on top. Very simple and despite the extra cheese, nicely balanced without the ham and pineapple being overwhelmed. We finished off with coffee and desert. The coffee was brewed, not bitter, and medium in body. More than acceptable for a restaurant. The deserts were beautiful. A personal Pavlova, ice cream with syrup, flourless chocolate cake, and a variety of tarts. All were pretty tasty. The flourless chocolate cake had a puddinglike centre which was rather disconcerting as my prior experience with this cake has been more of a fruit cake density and texture. It was also not as chocolate tasting as it could have been. Slightly disappointing but still delicious. The Chocolate Macadamia Tart and Caramel Tart were both very very good. Both fillings were surprisingly light while still being rich in flavour. The macadamia content was incredibly high and they were fresh. The Lemon Citrus Tart was also very good. A strong lemon flavour and creamy consistency combined with a light pastry shell to create an enjoyable dessert. The pavlova was a bit if a letdown. It lacked the marshmallow centre and crumbling edges found in a full-size pav. Add to that the use if passionfruit syrup rather than actual passionfruit and it read more as a pavlova-inspired meringue. The swirl of whipped cream, slices of kiwi, handful of blueberries, and couple of glazed strawberries were a delight in comparison to the usual 3 berries and a dollop of cream with this sort of dessert! All in all, this was a very satisfying meal. The few 'issues' were not sufficient to detract from the enjoyment. read more

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