Stopped in for lunch with my two children. It was spookily quiet when we entered- no music, and no staff in sight.
We had a pizza, calamari with chips and salad, milkshake, hot chocolate, and a babycino, the total for which was just under $40.
The food was so average, particularly for the cost. No atmosphere. Thought it might be a nice treat to eat here on our holiday, but was disappointed.
The grounds are lovely. It looks like it would be a beautiful spot to stop on a warmer day, and enjoy a drink outside.

Called in for a pit-stop on a Canberra-Melbourne drive. The service was extremely slow. The coffee was pretty average, and the hot chocolates very milky- next to no flavour.
Good looking cake display.

We decided to do a day trip from Healesville to Marysville, and popped into the Marysville Patisserie for afternoon tea. They look like they cater to the more mature aged market, based on the clientele we saw, but also we were not offered a high chair for our 18 month old, and I did not see any. The cake display was quite fabulous. I shared the tiramisu. It was absolutely delightful, so much so that I ordered a second piece to take away. My hot chocolate was fairly bland and disappointing.
A strawberry milkshake was made with homemade gelato. It made such a difference to the flavour- an authentic, creamy strawberry, and not a horrid neon colour like you would expect to find in the cafes using syrups with artificial colours.
The staff were very business like and did not crack a smile or make conversation, until I asked them about their strawberry milkshake, and which point they proudly started telling me about the ingredients.
When I visit Marysville again, I will return .

Needing a lunch stop while travelling up the Hume, we consulted the ever trusty Urbanspoon and found Albert's Café looked worth a visit.
On entering, we were quickly seated and a staff member strapped a booster seat to a chair for our youngest, and brought out colouring books and crayons for our eldest.
They were very accommodating and made a cucumber and Vegemite sandwich on request. We had the grilled tiger prawns, and focaccia, from the main menu. I enjoyed a loose leaf chai latte.
The food was fresh and delicious.
The courtyard out the back was beautifully maintained and looked like it would be a lovely spot to enjoy a warm sunny day.

We chose thirteen steps based on its Urbanspoon reviews. Arriving on a Monday night, when most of the rest of the town was quiet, we were surprised to find thirteen steps full with no tables available. Roy, the owner, took down my name and number and offered to call us when a table became available. Back we went half an hour after a call. The service was quick and friendly. Staff offered to take our kids orders first as they were very keen to eat. We had the cellar plate, coconut duck, and the kids chicken and chips. The food was stunning. Don't come expecting huge portion sizes though. You'll get food that packs a flavourful punch, in a cozy intimate dining environment. There are plenty of wines to choose from. Roy was very friendly and sociable, and came over and chatted to us a few times. I almost felt like a regular, even though it was my first visit.

Approximate cost: $23

Dined at Moods today for lunch with my 4 and 1 year olds.
We were seated, but then after waiting some time I had to go up and ask to order.
33 minutes after we finished ordering, our food arrived. During that time, a friendly waitress came over and offered to check what the delay was. She said she'd been 'on the kitchen's back' all day, and that our meals were definitely coming. She checked on us 3 times and offered us drinks and I was very happy at her caring and sincere attitude.
When I went to pay, well that was another story.
The waitress asked how everything was, and I said 'the meals were nice when they came out, but waiting just over 30 minutes with 2 kids was not ideal'
She said to me 'Yes, sorry about that. Lunch today is busy'.
To which I replied 'I understand that, and I know it's not your fault the kitchen is busy, but perhaps it would be nice to let customers know when they enter so they can choose to go elsewhere if needed'.
And she said 'Normally the kitchen let us know if there's a delay, so we can let YOU, the consumer know, but today they didn't, so sorry about that' *insert insincere tone*
So which is it- the first waitress had been on the kitchen's back 'all day', but the second waitress claims to have had no knowledge that there was any delay.
I won't be back as
1) her attitude was appalling
2) the kitchen was ridiculously slow

Visited De Clieu's on a busy Easter Monday.
There were no tables available, so our coffee orders were taken while we waited outside; and brought to us out there.
Our name was taken down for a table, and after waiting about 15 minutes, we saw a couple seated that arrived after us! After pointing it out to the wait staff, the couple kindly moved.
No menus were brought to us so we had to grab them ourselves.
It took approximately 25 minutes for the food to arrive. I found the serving sizes to be very small. I ordered the pancakes with figs and coffee marscapone. Since figs are expensive, I thin,, they should substitute for a cheaper fruit, to make the meal more filling. The flavours were all nice, but for me it wasn't worth the price (approx. $16 for 3 small pancakes, a few figs and small dollop of marscapone).
Service was fairly average.
Would return for drinks; probably not for a meal.

Visited Martha Ray's after a trip to the Melbourne Museum. We got the number 85 tram around the corner and arrived a few minutes later.
I had my 4.5 year old and 16 month old sons with me. There were colouring in pencils to keep my eldest occupied. Sadly no highchair for the little one, but then again I don't really find highchairs in hip inner city cafes.
We had the Red Dragon Chai tea, which was lovely. Not an awful oversweet powder like most cafes sell- a proper herbal blend, with a strong hint of star anise.
We also tried a gluten free friend, which was delicious.
Staff were very friendly and engaged with my kids; even topped up my chai mug for me while I was feeding my little one and didn't have the hands to do it myself!
Will be back!

I have to submit a new review for Magpie Café since they have been taken over by new owners.
This used to be our favourite local. We'd be there every weekend.
Not anymore!
We've given them many chances, but our visit 2 weeks ago was the final straw. You used to be able to order delicious sourdough with various toppings, and get 2 thick slices and loads of topping. Now you get one thin slice of sourdough and a meagre amount on top. Nowhere near worth the $10 or so (depending on which variety you choose). Certainly not enough for a meal, more of an afternoon tea.
Drinks (1 coffee, one milkshake, one iced chocolate) and meals (kid size serve of nachos, 2x topped sourdoughs) came to $39.50. We walked out hungry and unsatisfied.
My iced chocolate came out as a chocolate milkshake. I asked for it to be made as ordered, and it came back with a 2cm thin layer of cream on top and a bit of chocolate dusting- that is not an iced chocolate!
They took too long to get everything ready. Did not wipe our table down that had bird poo and food remnants from the last diners.
They have an old school wooden high chair that does not have a harness; so if you have a baby that likes to stand up and climb, it is very unsafe.
We will not be back and instead go to Brew'd in Upper Ferntree Gully, where you can be assured of good quality food and service at an excellent price.

I've been here twice to pick berries now. The first time raspberries were growing in abundance, and they were absolutely delicious.
The second time, sadly, there were only blackberries and sour cherries available, although we never did manage to find the sour cherries. Strawberries could be found if you looked hard enough, but they weren't great quality.
We struggled to find 1 kilo each of blackberries when we went a few days ago. Service was pretty subpar. I waited 5 minutes because a gentleman was purchasing over $100 worth of prepicked berries. Another staff member came over to serve, and then started assisting a group of 3 men behind me who arrived well after I did. Very annoying.
On the way out, they had one person weighing the berries, so again, an extended wait. I think they should consider having more staff members working.