Second Home — Restaurant in Melbourne

I really wish I could give this place a much higher rating- the ambience/space of the venue is beautiful and the staff seemed to be very friendly. We booked online to sit in the Knox dining room and provided notice of allergies in advance- I was impressed initially by the booking system which seemed to indicate various types of allergies/intolerances could be accommodated. We were seated quickly upon arrival. However when it came to taking our orders we were told by the waitress 5-10minutes after being seated that the kitchen had a backlog and we could not put in our orders for at least 10-15 min, with likely another wait of receiving our food for at least 15 min following the initial order. Given this, we had no choice but to wait to put in our toddler orders- there was a lengthy wait and we had to correct our order (given 1 egg instead of 2, second egg was not well cooked). However the biggest issue which is a health and safety risk was that despite being told in advance of my toddler's food allergies (one of which is dairy) and advising staff of this multiple times during the order process, my toddler was served a piece of toast with butter scraped over the top of it. I realise that as I was cutting the toast that it smelled like butter which was confirmed with a taste test- we reported this to the waiter who apologised on behalf of the chef then came back bearing plain toast. This really isn't good enough and very dangerous- this could have proven fatal to someone with an anaphylactic allergy had it not been picked up by us as parents. I understand kitchens are busy but clearly more training/awareness of food safety needs to be in place with regards to allergies as the current practice and knowledge is unsafe for restaurant patrons who have allergies. Otherwise we enjoyed our drinks and...

My daughter had been here before and said it had great healthy food. I remember when it was an art gallery many years before. Arriving at midday we were quickly shown to a table they set up for the three of us, with menus, water and glasses. The place was busy but not over busy. Staff were awesome. Very attentive, checking in and out every now and again but not intrusive. I had the gnocchi which was one of the most different styles of gnocchi that I'd had before. The raw egg was a different touch but the waiter told me to mix it in quicky along with the ricotta - very, very tasty and fresh. My daughter had a burger with fries which she split with her brother who ordered something from the menu that was smaller than what he thought. They said it tasted 'unusualy' and weren't that happy with it but there are plenty of other things on the menu to try. Freshly squeezed orange juice - superb. Vietnamese coffee - superb. There is a variety of seating options - inside / outside / couch / booths / long benches. The rustic / retro style is certainly appealing an despite the warehouse feel to it, the acoustics are good. Went to the toilets and they are just superb - clean, plenty of everything you might need. There is also for sale some lovely bottles of wine, water, chutneys and jams. There is parking on site but also on the street. Can be a bit tight on those busy days. I would highly recommend this little gem in Eltham and explore the menu to find those little tasty treats. PS - good place...

I’ve been coming to Second Home since it opened. I love the space and the food & staff are generally good. So I booked it for a special lunch today with family - 7 of us including my elderly aunt and mum. The table was great, mains were good but when it came to dessert/cake/coffee we were advised that many of the cakes weren’t available as the kitchen was too busy, then while we were waiting for our coffee we were advised our time was up - that we could have the drinks takeaway. So I cancelled the drinks and meanwhile part of our table was pulled away to prepare for another sitting, leaving my mum & aunt sitting there without a table in front of them & wondering what was going on. It was very embarrassing - particularly as my aunt was paying for this special occasion lunch as a treat. I’d told them what a great place it was… well it was not great today. I feel like SH has become too popular and over capacity. The maitre d’ /owner looks like she needs a holiday. The staff were trying their best but were rushed off their feet. Really disappointing. Sadly I doubt I’ll be returning again. Definitely would not recommend it for a...