SQUAWK! Grants on Sherbrooke may not be known for its cafe but it is definitely known for its cocky and resplendent neighbours. Feeding and watching this colony (crackle, chattering... what is the collective noun for cockatoos?) of cockatoos is a wonderful experience. We went into the bird feeding area twice as it was that enjoyable. These are big birds who love their food. The moment we stepped through, a massive cockatoo swooped and landed on the Lawyer's shoulder. It was hilarious (as I was unscathed!) and amazing at the same time.
I love that smiling cockatoo on the left!
Having spent some time feeding the cockatoos (more info on this below), it was time feed ourselves. The cafe is spacious, order-at-the-counter type of place. I suspect the menu is deliberately generic and geared towards the regular tour buses that come by. Fairly reasonably priced (for a captive market), the types of dishes on offer included pasta, burgers, pies and deep fried stuff.
For the four of us plus Boy Chick, we ordered four dishes to share and some drinks. We ordered two serves of the fisherman's basket - a big deep fried basket of goodies. Each basket came with fillets of fish, fish bites, something that was fashioned into scallops, calamari rings and these long spring rolls on a bed of chips.
Hi, gorgeous!
We also got a hefty beef burger that came with sliced beetroot, onions, cheese and salad.
Gourmet seed mix for the cockatoos
The honey-soy chicken wings came with salad and chips.
Cockatoos flying off
For drinks, Boy Chick got his obligatory iced chocolate.
The Lawyer went for a soy-milk iced coffee sans whipped cream. While the rest of us opted for pots of loose leaf chai and green teas.
There's quite a selection of sweet stuff on offer and I really liked the fact that you could also get them as a takeaway option.
Following his deliberations, Boy Chick chose a happy face biscuit.
Being touted as their famous vanilla slice, I just had to try one for myself. I took this home and it was delicious! It was quite a generous serve - tall and hefty in size. The texture of the vanilla custard-cream was my absolutely favourite part. It was light and mousse-y in texture (rather than the wobbly gelatinous texture of other vanilla slices). It was a wee bit sweet for my liking to eat on its own, so it went perfectly with a cup of tea. I'd definitely go back to Grants and get this again.
The view from the outdoor dining area
Verdict
Overall
Grants on Sherbrooke is a lovely place for a day out in nature. The cockatoos are definitely a draw card. Tickets to feed the birds are quite reasonable - it's $4 for up to three people and that includes a tray of bird seed. Having said that, you don't have to purchase a ticket to see the birds - the birds are flying everywhere around Grants and there's full visibility of the feeding area from the pavement (tickets are only needed if you want to feed the birds).The cafe is reasonable in terms of quality and price. If you don't want to dine-in, they also offer a range of takeaway options. In addition, as there are picnic grounds right on the site, you can BYO.
Special mention is needed for the absolutely friendliness of the staff. From when we called up to reserve our table, to feeding the birds, to dining and also shopping around in the gift shop, all the staff were so happy to help.
The Eat and Be Merry Crew dined at Grants on Sherbrooke as guests of the Australian Good Food Guide.
Find it at
Grants on Sherbrooke70 Monbulk Road
Kallista VIC 3791
Phone: (03) 9755 2888
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