Other Side Of The Moon — Restaurant in Western Australia

I was truly transcended to the other side of the moon as I set foot in this establishment. Perfect. Just perfect. Everything down to the last minute detail was considered and addressed: a roaring fireplace stoked often, perfect atmospheric lighting. A waitress, Adelaide, was quick to show us to our table and was very friendly and conversational. I was pleased to hear complimentary sparkling or still water was available for the evening. I reluctantly scanned the menu, and chose the 'Beef Cheek Bourguignon'. 15 minutes later the entree's came. This was it. I seized the 'Gnocchi Alla Norma' from another member of my party, took a bite, and was amazed. I had a moment of catharsis as all the doubts flowed from me, of small portions and of underwhelming tastes. It was phenomenal. As I was relishing the Italian delicacy, a movement caught my gaze. Another waitress delivering bread to our table. Complimentary, I learned as I buttered and oiled the bread in balsamic vinegar glaze. Yet, this belief that I was free to eat seemed to be my hamartia. For the mains were already coming as I was savouring the bread. The table turned into a puzzle as we arranged all the pieces into perfection on the beautiful wooden table. At last I was free. Knowing the food was going to be delicious, I took a bite into the 'Beef Cheek Bourguignon'. My heart stopped. Never had I had such a tender piece of meat for $40 in today's economical climate. Stupendously tender; it melted in my mouth while my taste buds danced, basking in the wonderful flavours of beef and love. I tried the 'Margaret River Venison' as well from a party member and was too, astounded by the taste of the meat. The sides came promptly after, and I had a moment of denouement as the bill arrived and we departed.

Authorial Notes: McDonalds. Home of the Big Mac. French fries. Broken ice cream machines. And, great value, right? Wrong. Wrong since 2004 when this establishment opened. Wonderfully valued meals, and delicious too. Albeit, McDonalds still receives the fastness award. Fastness at getting you to the can to spit...

Food was fantastic. Unfortunately the service really let the whole experience down. Completely ignored by the wait staff upon arrival. Made me think we were in the wrong place. We were slightly early for our reservation so we were given a drinks menu and shown to the bar area but again no one approached us to take a drinks order. When we did get to our table we had to wait for the floor to be cleaned from the previous diners who had had high chair aged children. No issue with that except it should have been done before we were shown to the table. Still no drinks order taken. When a waitress did attend to us she asked were we ready to order. No explanation of the soup of the day or fish of the day until we asked. We did manage to order some drinks at this point but not food. One cocktail arrived promptly but we had to ask for the bottle of champagne we ordered. When the starters came the red wine we ordered was put on the table unopened and left. Desert was great but no coffee or port was offered. Had to ask several times for the bill. Food was fabulous! Service disappointing. It made our wedding anniversary comical and one...

We recently visited The Over the Moon restaurant during our holiday in Bunker Bay, and unfortunately, our experience left much to be desired. • Gnocchi à la Sorrentina: The gnocchi had a very strange lumpy texture and a brownish color, which was unusual. The sauce was overwhelmingly acidic, making it hard to enjoy. • Beef Cheek: This dish was inedible. The fat had not been properly rendered, resulting in a slimy, unpleasant mouthful of fat, making the dish unappetizing. • Greek Dessert (Galaktoboureko): The layers of filo pastry and custard was terrible. The custard was rubbery and hard, not at all soft as it should be. The pastry seemed stale and lacked the syrupy freshness that’s expected, with no hint of the usual lemon-cinnamon flavor.

The only redeeming factor was the Yallingup Bakery bread, which was excellent. We ended up ordering an extra serve just to fill up, as we barely touched the other dishes and had to send back the beef cheek.

Given the high expectations for a restaurant that should showcase fresh South Western Australian produce, this experience was a letdown. Sadly, we will not be returning to...