The UWA club is one of mixed identities. As if it’s still trying to work out what it is.

Take the cafe. The grounds are lovely, overlooking the lawns and Matilda Bay shore. But as a cafe, there are still quite a number of things to work on.

Breakfast service. Crowded. New buffet. But it’s a mash of scrambled eggs, soft bacon, tinned baked beans and generic hash browns on soggy toast. With a muesli and fruit buffet. And don’t even get me started about the mushrooms in a bath of cream sauce that look like it has barely been touched. Think of food at the Airport lounges. The coffee is still yet to arrive after 30 minutes and you can tell the staff are under pressure, given the length of the queue to even order your breakfast. The cashier even had to be prompted to give me a plate.

Dinner. Has a pub vibe. Themed buffets are usually acceptable but again, the menu ideally should modernise in creativity and execution.

The patronage is also mixed. In the restaurant, it tends to be the older, reserved crowd. Noisy dinner conversations and phones are (understandably) not condoned. It has that air of pretence. The staff have been there a while and know the members. The food, is reliable and ‘safe’. One of their strengths is you can almost always get a booking. The wine list has gradually crept up in price ; as has the meal pricing. So be aware that it approaches fine dining pricing. YMMV.

Then there are functions. And here, the UWA club can shine. Central location. Ample parking. A communicative functions team. And facilities to hold every function from a large conference to a simple dinner.

So I’m not sure what the UWA club is. Or who their target patrons are. It seems like it is trying to appeal to all but still has some way to go.