Rina's - LEMON TREE PASSAGE

I have been getting my hair cut by Ian for some time now, but always at a different location. I was excited to finally visit his salon and see his home base.

This place initially looked promising, and I really don't like complaining, but I had one of my worst dining experiences ever here. There was no table service and the staff simply had no idea what they should be doing. It was late lunchtime and the place was less than half empty but we had to wait ages for the food. In fact we had to go and find staff three times to remind them about our coffee and food, which was always "just coming" (with a vacant look), and we suspect the chef had no idea how to do Eggs Benedict as they came out awash in BBQ sauce - YUCK!! The Thai Beef Salad was marginally better, but we were both appalled by the lack of anything that resembled service, and the poor construction of the meals.I'm sorry but I simply cannot find anything nice to say about this establishment and would recommend that you save your hard earned cash and don't spend it here, or at least wait until the cafe eventually get their act together.

Service: not professional but compensated with friendliness☺ Menu: good selection for brekkie, lunch + snacks. Platter available for Easter music and jam on foreshore. Rina's across the road from a lovely, peaceful location that becomes lively and popular especially with families on Sunday.

The food was left out in the sun at the same table where we were seated. Out of the 15 people in our group, 5 got very sick that night. We did not all eat the same dishes. As a result, we have not returned to that restaurant.

We went to Lemon Tree Passage in search of oysters but found that most of the restaurants and cafes were closed since it was a Monday. The only options available were Rina's and a fish and chip shop. Not wanting fried fish and chips, we decided to try the small cafe. Luckily, we managed to grab the last available seat. The cafe was bustling, with the family-run business also managing take away orders and having their children help out during school holidays. While a bit unorganized with order taking and time management, we didn't mind the wait as we were not in a rush. However, a large table of tourists was unhappy with the wait. I ordered the corn fritters, which were delicious and well worth the wait. Despite the lack of organization, the cafe showed great potential with a constant flow of customers dining in and taking away. With a bit of organization and a cohesive decor theme (mix of Indonesian and French), the cafe has the potential to flourish over time. I would definitely visit again if I return to Lemon Tree Passage in the future.