TL;DR: When it comes down to it, this is pretty much one of the gems within the area that is very much in reach of perfection. Most places that are this good may or may not make it to a five year mark, but with Ashton and Old they have definitely being doing something right during all that time since it is still here and standing. And that is from a good design, a menu which is inventive and shows the love of cooking, and a generally pleasant atmosphere.
Coming around to the weekend again, it was time to do some catching up with errands and whatnot - the usual groceries and breakfast were the main goes. With it being a bit on the short notice schedule - and with a bit of a schedule as well for the day - having this one on back-up was a blessing in disguise. From being commonly around the area, and noting new places while going to ones prior plans are made mentally for where to go and making mud maps of the next lot of outings - as was here. Of course, knowing about it was the first step and after reading about it, in coming here - it was on.
The whole look of the place is spacious and under-stated. Pretty much the way it goes is having a few tables around with a simple design, already set up for incoming diners, and they add in even more seating by having a booth going around the perimeter. Right at the cusp of the door is the kitchen, and there is an old rustic touch with the aesthetic having blackboards out the front showing off the menu. One last good aspect with the design is the picture gallery they have showing the old photos of the area - that is something which can add history to a place which will indefinitely become part of the lore of the nearby area.
With the service, this may well have been a case where the whole experience was close to being at the cusp of perfection ... but like with many instances, there was that one aspect which was off-center that sort of prevented it from being really in the pantheon of the great and memorable dining experiences. For here, it was the service but in one mere instance. Lady luck is what it was up to, and the first waitress that interacted with the two of us was not up to scratch with the rest of the team. Granted she may have been new and a bit green with the whole process, but it definitely would not have killed for her to put some customer service skills into practice.
It didn't go too bad at first, leading the two of us to a bench and getting the menus following up by the coffee orders. However, from there there was not much indication about situational awareness - deciding what looked good to order was quicker than normal, but regardless of that the right amount of time had elapsed to come back to the table and check on the orders. Even with a few small signals, it seemed to fall on blind eyes. Though with all that is being said and done there, one other young lady appeared to know the cues and ticks and went straight ahead and took the orders, all with some good grace to her demeanour.
So overall, the service was not awful or the worst; what is apparent is some need to train the young lady up a bit, get some general customer service cues and tricks, but aside from all of that, it was not too bad with the customer service. Pretty much what has come to be expected from the world of customer service. And before moving on, the payment is done at the counter but the rest of the meal is table service which is always about an inch of an edge in my book.
Getting onto the menu that they have, at least as far as the breakfast menu goes this is what I am talking about! While there are a few light ones to start off the selection for those with a more healthy conscious in mind, it does not take long for the creative juices to truly kick in, and taking twists on old favourites only becomes the beginning. It is enough of a cliche that I say it a lot, but this time around it was really hard knowing what to order and I could have easily stopped at the first one that piqued my interest without further advancing. Meat is pretty commonplace here, with the main source being the wonderful magical animal. By default, none of the items go above $20 which is a relief and a-steal. Last but not least with the morning meal, they have the "build your own" option which starts from the eggs on toast.
Getting onto the lunch-time meals, some of the items from breakfast hold over to then. Aside from that, they more or less keep it to some of the simple staples - think burger, pasta, salad et al; possibly a little bit of a step down from the mainstay of breakfast but nowhere near as much as it is often the case with brunch places. Finishing it all off, in the cabinet For drinks, it is a range of beers and wines, plus tea and coffee, juices, frappes, milkshakes, smoothies, and the general range of sodas.
So getting onto the meal, it went the usual route - that was to start with some coffees. As per the normal ordering, I went and got a doppio. And were we in for a treat or what with the coffee, since just seeing that the beans were from "Veneziano" is enough reason to become optimistic. In other words, Veneziano is one of the best blends that you can get in town. Once and again, the coffee here proved that the aforementioned sentence is still the case. The flavour was rich, the surge in strength was definitely noticeable and it went down a treat due to its smooth texture, decent temperature that was not too hot, and its aroma.
Well, it took quite a few candidates to narrow down what food I was going to have, which ended up being the cheese and chorizo croquettes. These came with two poached eggs - as per usual, they were requested soft with the runny yolk - maple prosciutto, some green pea puree and beetroot relish. It was really delicious, every component of it. The croquettes were cooked perfectly, complete with a good crunchy batter around the filling, where there was actual chopped up bits of sausage in the middle that were spicy and meaty. As well as that, the eggs were delicious and creamy with the yolks bleeding everywhere - though a little on the small side - plus the mixture of puree and relish added colour onto the plate, and created an interesting combination of flavours from the two ingredients. Add onto that the finish of prosciutto, and this well could have been a dish at a fancy restaurant.
My dining buddy went a route he often does, and got the breakfast burger. The signature take here was with pulled beef brisket, sauteed capsicum, fried egg, coleslaw, beetroot relish, Japanese mayonnaise and jack cheese. I had a bite of it, and it was pretty good. The meat was delicious and tender, seeping with a whole lot of flavour, and the range of vegetables on top benefited from being slightly sauteed, making a smokey aroma to the whole concoction. With the additions of the Japanese mayonnaise and jack cheese, it made a sharp and distinct after taste that really did it well. So this is another good meal here.
While going up to pay for my part of the meal, by pure impulse I saw the muffins right there on the counter and it was a different enough flavour to give it a go - a mixture of cranberry and strawberry. It was well baked and good quality, but honestly ended up being a bit on the sweet end for my taste - these were the dried sort of cranberries I am assuming, which really stole any taste from the strawberries that were in the mixture. So, while I will appreciate the quality of the ingredients used, overall the taste was just not for me.
It took a bit of a while to get here, but the rumors and hype more or less were met upon arriving. The atmosphere of the place is relaxed and leisurely, there is definitely a charm to it all with the aesthetics having a modern touch, but one that is going consistently look so without getting all dated in the end. Better yet, the menu is one that is from the mind of someone who knows how to make a good meal out for breakfast, getting all sorts of different approaches and beefing them up both quantity-wise and in quality and presentation as well. This is almost at the level of perfection, is one more worthy addition to the Camp Hill area.
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