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16 Feb 2013
This year we decided to skip the Valentine's night out but decided we would have a post Valentine's lunch at "The Balcony" Swill & Grill Belmont. It was the first time we had been here and I have to say I was very impressed.
At first we were a little confused about where we were going as we went through the side entrance via the car pack through the Gunyah hotel, but one we found our way in we were greeted by friendly staff who showed us to our seats and offered us a menu and explained the service since we had not been here before. We sat down had a look over our menu though we had a fair idea of what we were going to order since we had looked at the menu on the website previous.
I have to say with that menu, your very spoilt for choice. We decided we would have an entree and a main, as we were planing for a small dinner.
There was a short wait for our entree, when we were finished our table was cleared and again the wait till our main was severed was only short. We arrived about 12 and business was about moderate not overly busy but not slow either.
My husband opted for an entree of "Seafood Crepes" and I had "Oysters Kilpatrick" for main we both had the "Admiral's Feast". We were very happy with our meals. The portions were a good size. The food tastes very fresh, it is well presented. It was definitely one of the best Oyster Kirkpatrick I have ever tried. My only complaint would be consistency some of the oysters didn't have much sauce while others had a lot and some of the bacon was burnt but it still tasted amazing. The admiral's feast is something like a fisherman's basket giving you a selection of fish, prawns and calamari with a beautiful side seafood salad. All cooked to perfection. The "prawn twisters" are really really nice! Something I've never seen anywhere else, a real nice surprise.
Quality: We were more than impressed with the quality of the food served here. This is far better than just "pub grub" it is a really nice dinning experience. It's fresh, the menu as a lot to chose from and we were more than happy with the flavor and size and quality of our meals.
Service: We found the staff to be very friendly. We did have a slight issue when I ordered a cocktail from the bar, I was asked if I could ordered it from the main bar as she didn't have the ingredients down there and would have to go get them... On my way back to the table another waitress told me that the bar lady was going to make it so I went back to the bar. I was a little confused by this since they have "cocktail menus" on the table so wasn't sure why they couldn't serve it but it was sorted out and I got my cocktail.
Value: It definitely a WOW! The meals are a great size, you won't be left feeling hungry! I've had similar menus else where where the meals cost the same but are half size. If your local, keep an eye out for the 1/2 price meal deal on your "shopper dockets". Makes the value even better.
Overall: The atmosphere is very casual. If anything the restaurant is only let down by the decor and the view. There are no less than 3 different chair/table combos which don't flatter and are actually a little uncomfortable and the view while over the lake is obscured by building and yacht club but come here solely for the food and I think you will be happy with what you find.
We will definitely be making this a regular on our dine out list. All in all a very enjoyable experience. One I would definitely recommend!
Approximate cost:
$25