Stella's Dromana Hotel

The table was sticky all over, the beer wasn’t very cold, and the line didn’t taste clean. There was also a big curly white hair in my meal. I popped in for lunch today, and it was the worst fish and chips I can remember having. The menu said flake, but the fish I got was oily and slimy, with blue skin, and nothing like flake. The chips were soggy, and the tartare sauce tasted cheap, with fake mayonnaise. I’ll never eat here again.

We’ve eaten at Stella's quite often before and always enjoyed it, but the standard has fallen and we won’t be back. It’s a shame, because the front bar has a great atmosphere and the service there is good. We went to our 'local' bistro on sunday evening, and all four meals were terrible. The duck was overcooked, dry, and shrivelled. The chicken parma was dry and lukewarm in the middle, possibly reheated. The mushroom risotto was mushy and tasteless. The steak pie had half-cooked pastry on top and nearly cold vegetables. I took the small jug of gravy back to the servery to be reheated. They said they’d bring it to the table, but I’m still waiting.

The service was friendly and nice, but the food was poor. My $32 steak was about the size of my fist, and the ‘medium rare’ I asked for came grey and charred. The guy next to me ordered the same steak and got one twice the size. This joint needs new kitchen staff.

For the quality, it felt a bit pricey, and I wouldn’t stay again. My double room had cute furnishings, but the old fridge was very noisy. There was dust and dirt under the furniture, and the mattress had a strong stale-smoke smell. It was hard and not very comfortable. It’s a huge facility, with pokies, a bistro, restaurant, cafe, and bars, so I can see that the overheads are high.