Five of us visited the Furnace Restaurant on Wednesday evening. The staff were friendly and helpful. Two of us ordered garlic bread – buttery and hot – yummy! All of our mains were average.

Two people had the crispy chicken salad, one had the stuffed bell peppers and I had the stuffed lamb rump. We were surprised to learn that the seasonal vegetables were a veggie bake that night – potatoes etc, no greens. The crispy chicken salad seemed to be quite a hit although there was a comment that the ratio of chicken to greenery was a little on the light side. My lamb rump was tender enough however the stuffing was in fact a very tough fritter made of a bread mixture and herbs. Not overly pleasant.

Our 5th guest joined us for dessert. She ordered the Baileys cheesecake along with one other in our party and I ordered the Creme Brulee. Disappointing all round! The cheesecake was stodgy and had loads of cream cheese in it and not even a hint of the Baileys. As for the Creme Brulee – the toffee pane was burnt and didn’t even cover the whole custard. I had to remove it to the side of the plate because the burnt taste overpowered the whole dessert.

I’m not sure that we will be rushing back there anytime soon.

Had a lovely pizza lunch at the Furnace. Quiet and friendly with great food.

Great meals for the price – while basic bacon and eggs cost upwards of $14 at other cafes – it’s only about $7 here!

I always find the staff to be attentive, but not intrusive.

Lovely quiet atmosphere in the restaurant – and then a great party bar next door.