The Overview…
Food: Pan fried squid, Parmesan Crumbed Chicken Tenderloin, Duo of Duck, Grass Fed Eye Fillet, Lemon and Lime Tart, Chocolate Mousse Gateau
Ratings:
Food: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Service:5/5
Value: 4.5/5
The details…
I must have driven past Busby’s on my way home from work about 400 times, and always dismissed it as a “hotel bar” – i.e. that place you are forced to eat because you are staying in the hotel and arrive too late to find anywhere else – but boy was I wrong.
It still doesn’t quite manage to shake that “hotel restaurant” feel – it feels a little corporate when you arrive and does lack a little personality, but it’s a really clean, upmarket and pleasant environment that is very relaxing, and it also offers an outdoor area to best enjoy those summer evenings. It’s well soundproofed and you don’t even notice how close the Nepean Highway is.
What the restaurant lacks in the first impression “personality” is more than overcompensated for by the excellent staff. There were many regular customers arriving – who weren’t guests of the hotel – and the staff were greeting them like old friends. We were regularly checked upon during our meal, and the service was sheer perfection – down to water glasses being filled up the minute you set them down. We felt that staff took a genuine interest in us, and had a lot of pride in what they do.
We both had three courses – at the insistence of staff that “we must try dessert”. The portions are a good size – starters were light and enjoyable, with mains being much heartier portions and finished off with perfectly proportioned desserts. We began with the squid – well cooked and teamed excellently with some chunky spicy chorizo – it was such a tasty way to start our meal. We also had the Parmesan crumbed chicken tenders, which while enjoyable were nothing special on their own – but really came to life when combined with the beautiful mandarin salad to give a fresh burst of flavour and textures.
For mains we had the eye fillet and the duo of duck. Both were cooked perfectly – I was particularly impressed with the duck (M.B. likes his steak burnt so that’s not too hard to achieve) – the breast was so consistent and the confit fell off the bone and was full of flavour. It’s such a generous portion, and is served with fresh, julienne veggies to complement it. The steak comes with your usual extras and chefs selection of condiments. It made the plating a little more exciting which I liked and I thought it was quite fun to try the different options.
Finally we had the lemon and lime tart and chocolate mousse gateau for dessert. While the chocolate mousse looked amazing, I definitely felt my lemon and lemon tart was the better option with a nice balance of flavours, a smooth filling and accompanied by shards of meringue. The chocolate mousse gateau was still an enjoyable dessert, but it was just a little too sweet, and didn’t quite wow as much as the lemon tart. Overall, Busby’s gave us a relaxing, wonderful evening and it’s very easy to see why they have so much return custom. Don’t be an idiot like me and drive past for two years without popping in! You’ll have a great time.
Everything else…
Website: http://www.thebusbys.com.au/
Address: 1130 Nepean Highway, Highett VIC
Opening Times:
Mon 6:30am to 9:30am then 6:00pm to 9:30pm
Tue 6:30am to 9:30am then 6:00pm to 9:30pm
Wed 6:30am to 9:30am then 6:00pm to 9:30pm
Thu 6:30am to 9:30am then 6:00pm to 9:30pm
Fri 6:30am to 9:30am then 6:00pm to 9:30pm
Sat 7am to 10am then 6:00pm to 9:30pm
Sun 7am to 10am then 6:00pm to 9:30pm
Parking: We couldn’t figure out if the parking when you first drive in is for guests only, but head down past this and there is another car park which had plenty of space.
Getting here on PT: Your best option would be to get a Frankston line train to Highett, and it’s about 5 minutes walk from the train station.
Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Busby’s Restaurant and Bar. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a restaurant won’t change (including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting)