Tiffany's Cafe product reviews

Having heard good things about this place, I was expecting something extremely acceptable. As it turned out, dining at this place was a lot like watching that race at the start of the movie 'Cool Runnings' - it's all going brilliantly until...

My dining partner and I wandered up to the counter and started browsing the ample menu... plenty to choose from, though the prices looked a little steep, until you see the portions, then they start to look more reasonable. My dining partner and I eventually settled on our selections, and sat back to await their arrival. I orderded the 'Mixed Grill' - rib eye fillet, bacon & sausage, served with salad, fries and tomato sauce. This is where things started to fall over...

The rib eye was unevenly cooked, raw in places and very bloody at one end, with an un-bled artery in it. This was second-grade meat at best. The bacon wasn't very nice - it was overly salty and somewhat chewy in places. The sausage was quite good and the salad was nice - with assorted leaves, sliced capsicum and coleslaw - but a little bitter without when you run out of the nice oil dressing. Chips were well cooked and the meal priced in at a fairly reasonable $25.00.

My dining partner ordered the 'The Ham' - hamsteak with pineapple. Served with tomato and plum sauces. Steak was good portion - 20mm thick and cooked well, if a little dry. The coleslaw was a little bland. Presentation was good, 3 small pineapple rings with cherries in the centre of each. Plum sauce was nice, unusual and tangy. This weighed in at a fair $20.00.

Where things REALLY went pear-shaped was when I took my food back to the server, and quietly showed him the meat. He called in the cook, who took a look at it, shrugged and gave a apology that basically came across as "OK, sorry. So what do you want me to do about it?" - This was then echoed by the gentleman at the serving counter. I waited, hoping that customer service would prevail and I would be offered a partial refund or replacement meal (since I could NOT eat a sizeable chunk of the one paid for) but shockingly, NO! Instead, I was given blank stares and had my plate taken off me, despite still having some of my edible meal remaining. Basically, I paid $25.00 and was only able to eat around $11.00 worth at best. Unfortunately, this utterly spoiled my experience.

The portions were fair for the price, even if the quality wasn't. The staff were friendly and unobtrusive and the meals were served quickly. The music they were playing was a little eclectic - heard everything from traditional Maori to 70's pop-rock. It was mostly pleasant, if a little distracting when the styles changed suddenly. The menu was varied, with a good range of meats and seafood, incl vegetarian choices. They had a kids play area and supplied highchairs show they are family friendly. There was also free water on the self-serve counter. Parking is fairly reasonable, though it's across the street due to the venue being on a main road through town, which also happens to be State Highway 3.

Overall, all things considered, this was a failed meal for me. Despite everything else, the point of an eatery is the food, and this time they fell flat. I won't be eating there again.