The Beach House - Sandy Bay

Every second Monday, A and I meet with our 'little people' and catch up over morning tea at a cafe we haven't tried before. Today we went to the Beach House. I had forgotten it was there, hidden behind a thick hedge, the ground floor of a block of elegant apartments overlooking the water in Sandy Bay. We arrived at 10am, and while it was only 7C outside, the sky was blue and the sun was warm. Two diners had decided to brave the outdoor tables, sheilded from the carpark by the afore mentioned hedge. This will be a lovely place in summer, but we went inside, not brave enough to endure the cold with little kids.

Walking into a large carpeted interior, empty except for a coffee drinker in the far corner, we decided on the wide lounge chairs by the built in artificial but stylish gas fire. It wasn't on, but one could imagine how cosy it would feel at night.

After deciding on a second breakfast I ordered at the counter. The only hiccup in an otherwise pleasant experience was the lack of smiles and the difficulty in getting a baby hot chocolate, rather than a baby chino. Once that was sorted and the kids entertained with toys, everyone was happy. The drinks arrived quickly as did the food. The latte was thick and delicious and the little people loved their drinks: a babychino served with sprinkles on top and a baby hot chocolate with a big marshmallow.

Danish Raisin Toast. This was advertised as thickly cut, and contained nuts as well as fruit. It looked great but was suprisingly bland.

The Ricotta Buttermilk Hot Cakes were served with a banana and caramel sauce. There were 3 hot cakes the size of typical pikelets, they were fluffy and delicious covered in the caramel sauce.

The Hash Brown was the best of our selection by far. Possibly reheated in the deep fryer, that didn't matter. It was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and full of flavour. We could have eaten many more of these.

Also on the menu was Vanilla Scented Yoghurt with a Stewed Fruit Compote, Eggs Benedict, and a mushroom dish served with goat's cheese and truffle oil.

I didn't get a chance to have a look at the lunch and dinner menu as between two active kids and meals that arrived very promptly we didn't have time to fill.

I'm glad there is a stylish cafe open all day close to a park where we often take the kids, this will be a nice way to round out a weekend afternoon.

The Beach House
Open breakfast, lunch and dinner
646 Sandy Bay Rd, Sandy Bay.