So recently, the family and I went out for dinner. This time to the local Thai in Moama. Eating out in a restaurant is not something we often do, and now the boys are a little less maniacal, it is something we enjoy. However, despite the meal being a solid 6/10, the price tag was, frankly, outrageous. Best part of $250, which included two kid's meals, and no booze. Yeah, I know prices these days are high, but to me that's just too much. Still, one needs to pay a price for the privilege to eat in a nice restaurant. Or does one? We have also eaten at the club bistro's in Moama, and have always enjoyed the food just as much, if not more than the Thai, and for about half the price. Anyway, the reason for this post is that I am trying to figure out a decent place to take my team of direct reports from work (six of them, plus me) out for dinner for a pre-Christmas opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and enjoy. The issue is though, in Echuca/Moama, despite there being many, many offerings, I am not sure there are that many places I want to go. So I figured I'd hit the web, and see what others thought. Immediately upon doing so, TripAdvisor popped up. I have used this site many times over the years, and have over 200 reviews of my own on there. So it's reputable to me. Let's see what they have to say:
TripAdvisor Top10 Echuca/Moama
1 Sunago - as the top-rated resto in Echuca, I am tempted. It is a similar style of offering to Opa though (see below), and to be honest, I would like something different. So now I know it does Greek seafood plates, I can see me going here before too long, but it's not first choice for this meal, not right now anyway.
2 Roma Pizza - no thanks, no pizza resto's for this kind of meal.
3 American Hotel - this has always been a Mawsons go-to, and it is a fine establishment. Great ambience, wonderful drinks selection, and decent menu. My experience with the food here is mixed though, and it is bloody expensive. To top it off, the response I got when I answered my waiter's question as to why I didn't eat my tough steak was not positive. So this is not on my list, and frankly never will be again.
4 Taranto's Pizza - ditto with Roma's.
5 Monkee & Co - we have been to this place many times over our five years here. Most of those visits, we left well satisfied. The last time though, I felt they had lost their edge. It was like a second-string cook was doing the dishes, perhaps they have lost their main chef? With Nico Nico opening only two doors up though, anytime we want good Asian food, that's where we go. But it's not for this group, not this time at least. I do wonder why it has not yet made it onto TripAdvisor's list though.
6 Port 53 - this one looked interesting at face value. It claimed to be French and Cajun inspired. However, upon close examination of the menu, it would be far more logical to call it American-inspired, with a dash of Cajun. I bore of these kinds of restaurants to be honest, so this one will be a hard pass.
7 1895 The Royal - I have eaten here, for lunch one day when I was over for my interview in 2019. It was fine higher-end pub grub. Not what I'm looking for on this occasion though.
8 The Mill - I have parked outside this joint 100 times or more, and wondered about it. But having not been to Fools at night, I have never seen it in action. Looking at the website, it offers a private room, tapas (small plates), and a tasting menu. I am liking the sound of it, so this one makes the shortlist!
9 Opa - our last team dinner was here. It was a good night, with good food, although I couldn't help but feel it was all a bit one-dimensional. I enjoyed it, but am unlikely to want to hurry back, and besides, we want a different experience this time.
10 Curry Club - this place is ok, although to be frank, it is just plain old Aussie-fied Indian food. Yes that can be enjoyable, but I am not sure about the palates of all my team, so a miss on this one.
Ok, so after looking at this listing, we have only one restaurant on our short-list. I think I'll see if there are any other lists of note on the web, and see if we can add to it. It looks like there are two - the Good Food Guide, and OpenTable's fine dining listing. Starting with the GFG:
1 The Mill - this one had our current short-lister on top, which is a good sign!
2 Opa - in previous list, enjoyed, but eliminated.
3 Perricoota Station - this is more of a wedding or function venue, looking to accommodate much larger groups than our seven. So we won't look any further, although the venue looks grand!
4 Antonio's - a proper Italian resto by the looks of it, with a number of dishes I recognise from my fine dining days in Perth. I like the look of this joint, but it's not really what I'm after at this time, so we won't short-list it.
5 Morrison's Winery - looks super, but it's only open for lunch! So a no-go for us.
6 American Hotel - eliminated in previous list.
7 1895 The Royal - eliminated in previous list.
8 Double Dragon - Aussie Chinese. The picture has a bamboo steamer on it, which does raise an eyebrow, so I'll go have a look at the website. Hmm, menu is on FB only, which I don't have right now, so can't look. In all honesty, it is 95% likely to just be an Aussie joint, and without being able to investigate, we'll discount it as an option.
9 Top Of The Town - a fish & chip joint, so not what we're looking for.
10 Blue Pacific - also a F&C joint, so no thanks this time.
Rightio, so after two lists, we still have only one contender goddamit. Looking at the third list, it has only two entries:
1 Junction Moama - wow, this looks sophisticated. I think it is likely the high-end place I have been craving! At the Bowlo, which is a super venue. They have tasting menus, and a nice variety too. A step up in price is the only concern for a work function. Definitely in the list though.
2 Morrison's Winery - eliminated in previous list.
Right, so we have spent a good deal of time looking, and ended up with only two contenders. Yes it looks like I have been swayed on both counts by the presence of a tasting menu. Both venues look good, although the Mill has a private room option. It is also clearly significantly cheaper. Those two plus points make it the winner for me, so once I have been able to lock in a day with my team, I'll book it. I'll leave a comment at a later date to let you know how it went!
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