This was a nice lunch stop driving through Lorne as part of our Great Ocean Road trip. Quick and…read moreeasy service. Good coffee and toasties.

Popped in real quick for a bite while on a tour of Australia's southern coast. Mostly outdoor…read moreseating and super casual atmosphere. Coffees and sweets inside and crowded with a mix of locals and tourists. Ready to order and leaning towards a big, juicy burger but the manager and waiter both ranted and raved about their special, The wild Atlantic Salmon on a fresh salad. I desperately wanted to give the salmon a 5 Star, but when you enjoy the salad more than the salmon then you know something isn't quite right with the fish. #undercooked. I had to send it back to cook longer. I really was gonna get a burger. A bit disappointed but you can't win em all. Still enjoyed the meal though and service was friendly and they were apologetic.. And that goes a long way with me.

Wow, what a strange culinary weekend it has been, topped in the end by a visit to the best named…read morerestaurant ever; 'Marks Restaurant'. Not 'Dave's restaurant', not 'Rogers', 'Marks'. I would love to have been a fly on the wall during that light bulb moment. "Um...Metallica, Midget.......Mark!! Let's call it 'Marks'". "But what's that got to do with anything, Rog?" "I know, but it just might be crazy enough to work." I was taken aback by the pure joy expressed by the maître dee (whom I can only presume was Roger) when he found out he would be hosting one for dinner. Rog showed me to my table with what felt like a wheel of fortune "ta da", pleading with me to accept the crap vowel he had proffered. It is restaurant law that single dinners should be shunted to the back of the restaurant less their general wrongness upset the worthwhile clientele. Thankfully, a professional waiter took my order, and I lived happily ever after. By the way the pork was meh. The oysters were fresh and to the point but the chocolate mousse was amazing.

Lovely service, good price. Family friendly environment, but...the menu wasn't very good at all!…read moreEverything had cream or cheese or both in it, from starters to deserts, so if you don't want a dairy overload, don't go there. We all came away with an upset stomach and couldn't finish the meals.

winter has come to brae!…read more two foodie friends waxing lyrical about dan da man! i wanted to believe but it's 8hrs by flight for me and another 2hrs from melbourne airport? hmmmm trepidation..... but like what michelle obama just said hope is contagious, hope is making a comeback! and so a birthday treat perhaps? took the plunge and here i am lounging at their humble abbot for the night, after an early memorably delightful degustation. it's the total package akin to total football. the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, here in brae. arriving before check in time of 3pm, met by alex and was given a quick intro to what they try to achieve here. encouraged to take a casual, self guided tour of their property and engage their staff as we go. a slight drizzle ensued and lo & behold out came alex with brollies in hand. check in was a breeze, personal yet informative. thereafter just kicked back and soaked. a rainbow welcome as you peeked out. a comfy, home away from home. retro vinyl & record player, chill indeed. refreshed and recharged, only awaiting refilling. 5pm early bird, attention showered as you stepped in to their dining room. a celebratory blanc de blanc, what's not to like? a melbourne sake? let's do adventurous, no regrets! a warming broth of chicken and thyme simple, simply heartwarming. potato gem and black truffle truffle, enough said, nothing pompous, just pimped pommes de terre! baked custard of rainbow trout and saffron glazed with beetroot the beetroot was the clever gelling touch! sea urchin and serrano honey, romanesco and chickpea crisp umami sans ammonia and textures contrasted. fennel and swede marinated with cultured citrus and biodynamic cream definitely highlighting the produce with a nice nordic touch. cauliflower, lemon and sea plants on fried sourdough so effortlessly moreish! murray cod and crustacean butter, finger lime and rapini probably the healthier protein, the crisp skin, the perfect prawn partnership. brae farm vegetable garden mom will be proud you polished this clean! pork jowl barbecued with smoked eel a stalwart and highlight, leaving you wondering how they rendered it so. aged pekin duck roasted on the bone, pickled radicchio, sweet and sour plums unfortunately, not my favourite protein and least impressive of the gamut. duck liver cream, cocoa and pistachio this lifted the duck dish and would stand tall alone! half-time (choc) orange amazingly they coupled white chocolate with varied textures of orange! caramelised red kuri pumpkin and cultured cocoa nib praline shockingly not bacon, an accomplished pumpkin rendition! parsnip and apple fan of parsnips rejoice! how desserts like these satiate! the finale a trip to the kitchen for a chat and photo op. winter warmth in brae, do seize the day! ;)

Bad food, worse service…read more Not only was the food quality at Brae extremely poor, and the menu--which highlighted greasy fried potato, skewers of pure pork fat, a disgusting savory oyster ice cream, and rubbery fried chicken--completely out of sync with the price tag ($290 pp for lunch), but this was easily the worst service experience I have ever encountered. Just over 24hrs before our meal at Brae, I was contacted by my family to tell me that my grandfather was in the ICU and if his condition worsened, we should be ready to get back to the US. My fiancé immediately emailed the restaurant to notify them of our situation and to ask if we could cancel the reservation--hopeful that they would make an exception to their extreme 7-day cancellation policy given the severity of our circumstance. Their host, Seb, responded with an extremely obnoxious email about how it was within the cancellation period and that we would be charged 100% of the meal price if we cancelled. They then immediately submitted the full meal cost to our credit card without a response. We emailed back asking for them to help us find a replacement and to notify us if they could not. They did not do this; we had to call the next day to confirm. The next day, my family had not contacted us to get on a flight, so we went to the reservation because I couldn't get my mind around wasting $580. Upon our arrival, the person greeting us at the door jokingly asked how if we had had "no tragedies" that day. We were the last table seated for lunch, so there was no ambiguity about who we were. It was very clear there had been no communication about our situation. Even if we wrote the greeter off as ignorant, the man responding to our previous day's emails, Seb, served us during lunch and not once inquired about how we were doing. When these experiences come up in life, there is a certain level of kindness and respect that most people display that was entirely absent here. Given the food and service, I am not at all surprised that Brae was taken off the World's 50 Best list. This is not a world-class restaurant, and I strongly recommend that you spend your time and money elsewhere.

Lord of the Isles has always been a bit hit and miss for me. I think the just try too hard to cater…read morefor everyone in Geelong. A fairly busy gaming room. An impressive looking dinning room and and outside back bar. Whilst independently they may work fine, as a whole ... not so much. I don't play the pokies so I can comment on that area. The 'back bar' as a whole is quite comfortable in both hot and cold weather and tapas style bar food that is mostly good. However if you choose to visit on a Geelong game day, expect noise and a lot of it (that said, most pubs in G'town are the same). For me, the biggest let down is the food. They are expensive. Add about an extra 10-15% to what you'd expect in Melbourne. I don't know why. Coz as I have said, it's very hit and miss. I've had a few great meals Any time I've ordered duck or veal its been great. However, there's been more lows than high. $22 for a chicken ceaser salad with under cooked chicken and a hard poached egg. Really?? If I'm willing to hand over $22 for a salad, it better be perfect! Fish dishes are the same. Sometimes ok, but more often than not below par. I 'd suggest they either lower the prices (and therefore the customers expectations) or get the dishes spot on every time. The service has always been polite, helpful and prompt.

When visiting Geelong, check out Lord of the Isles. Excellent food and friendly staff. A relaxed…read moreand modern Australian restaurant and bar!

After being disappointed by the customer service at our first choice, we decided to give Paul's a…read moretry! SO glad we did! It was fantastic!!! I had the Butterfish and Hubby had the Flake, both battered with chips. The food was hot and absolutely delicious. If we were staying in Geelong for more than one night, we'd go back tomorrow. Friendly service, and wonderful fish & chips. Would thoroughly recommend this restaurant. There are even a few parking spots right outside the door! We had parked behind the restaurant but could have parked out front.

Mel P. and my dining companion both recommended Bottle of Milk, so it was game on for this burger…read moreestablishment during a recent trip to Lorne. I was still a little wary, as certain burger joints have conditioned me to expect disappointing token offerings for the veggos. (I'm looking at you, Huxtaburger.) But Bottle of Milk delivered! Five different vegetarian burger options on the menu. Five! With a variety of different protein bases: lentil, tofu, or mushroom. Don't worry carnivores - there are also plenty of meaty options on the menu, including breakfast burgers with bacon. My friend and I both ordered the mushroom and halloumi. The verdict: delicious and filling. Savoury portobello mushrooms were topped with a generous potion of halloumi. Grilled capsicum, rocket and tomato relish rounded out the flavours. The hot chips were thick, delicious, and crispy. Order these! The outdoor tables were packed, and the indoor seating was full as well. But the back courtyard was wide open on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We left full and happy. Just remember to bring cash so you don't miss out on these yummy burgers and chips.

I do recommend this place…read more Lorne is a great little beach town on the Great Ocean Highway and is a stone's throw from the water. It is a welcoming and inviting place. you come in and order from the counter first. I ordered the chicken burger and plate of chips (Yankees, this means fries). Along with this of course was a delicious and tangeriney tasting lager. The food came relatively quickly to the table. My chicken burger was pretty good, although the bun was oversized compared to the piece of chicken. Otherwise tasty. The fries were super good, as in I'd like to take them back to the US with me. Overall very good. The vibe is beach town. Beer and burgers are good to go.

The sign of a good restaurant is not having to ask for water. From the moment we sat down this…read morerestaurant exceeded our expectations. The salt and pepper calamari was perfect and my roasted kangaroo was magnificent. Could not recommended this restaurant too highly and to top things off the staff were friendly and attentive.

We got takeaway pizza and pasta from here. Good standard of food especially seafood delight pasta…read more It's not going to win any hats but we were so grateful it was open. This is a thriving high volume business. Very well run.