Wheelers Hill Hotel Bistro, Wheelers Hill by Bureaucrat

The Wheelers Hill Hotel Bistro is one of those places that sort of blurs into the background.  Situated on the downward slope near the intersection of busy Ferntree Gully and Jells Roads, I've never given the place much attention.  However, a birthday dinner for my grandpa gave us the opportunity to check it out as it ticked many of boxes for us - in particular, it's close to home and wheelchair accessible.

250gm scotch steak with chips and salad

The Wheelers Hill Hotel complex has something for everyone - and it is certainly popular among the locals.  There's obviously the bistro (with a big indoor playground for kids), bar and TAB facilities.  We had a booking for a 6.30pm dinner and the bistro was almost at capacity - teeming with families with young kids and golden oldies.  Although the bistro is quite big and spacious it was nonetheless quite loud with all the goings-on.  

There's plenty of staff ready to seat you or take your order at the counter.  It was certainly noticeable how friendly and eager to help they all were.  There's quite an extensive menu - fairly typical pub dishes.  Of interest to the golden oldies on our table was the fact that senior citizens get roughly a 20 per cent discount on many of the main dishes - a real crowd pleaser, this was!  

Some of our golden oldies ordered the roast of the day. It was roast turkey served with steamed veg and gravy.  It looked okay for $15 ($20 for non-golden oldies).  While I didn't hear how it tasted - the turkey looked a bit dry to me and the veggies seemed thrown together from the bain marie.

A few of us, including myself, went for the 250gm scotch fillet - see first pic.  This was okay.  It wasn't the tenderest piece of steak I've had but it wasn't the worst.  It was a bit sinewy for something that's meant to be a fillet steak.  However, it had good flavour from the char grill.


Another popular senior citizens meal was the fisherman's basket ($17).  As with the other dishes, this looked okay but seemed to be comprised of frozen seafood.


We also got some garlic bread for the table.

Verdict

We liked it.

Mid value.

Overall

While the quality of the food is average, it comes out quite quickly, which is a definitely plus for those with young kids or have extra needs.  It's definitely good value if you're able to order from the seniors' menu - for everyone else, I'd say it's a wee pricey for the quality of food.

Other things to note is that the Bistro has many theme dinners/lunches and various specials throughout the week.  And depending on what you order, you even get drinks vouchers to use on the day of your visit.  I'd say it's best to make a booking to ensure you've get a table.  Other pluses about the Bistro is that it has online booking and also online pre-ordering.  Service is also excellent - friendly and responsive, which is a very good thing given how big and busy the place can be.

Find it at

Wheelers Hill Hotel Bistro
871-881 Ferntree Gully Road
Wheelers Hill VIC 3150
Phone: (03) 9560 8922