Innocent Bystanders/ Giant Steps

In my previous post, on Winery hopping in Yarra Valley I briefly mentioned about Innocent Bystanders. For foodies out there, this post is an elaborated version of my afterthoughts on this restaurant.

Unlike the quirky and vintage-ish setups of most Melbourne cafes, the interior of Innocent Bystanders is modern and chic with an industrial like exterior with metal panels. Instead of hilly ranges and plantations, the ‘Giant Steps’ winery was situated behind the enormous glass walls adjacent to the restaurant.

Upon entering the building, I stood in awe of the sophisticated décor while my friends took their seats at a communal table. Right beside the entrance, there is a display of their various mouth-watering pastries including canele, polish doughnut, fruit danish, escargot, muffins and tarts. We received our copy of the menu and on first glance I struggled with my options. I was expecting something like poached eggs with bacon, salmon served with avocados or sauté mushrooms with sourdough,  instead we had to choose from a limited selection of yoghurt, sourdough toast, pastries and more pastries. Hence my friends and I settled with the big breakfast calzone, Portugese tart and Savoury muffin.

Big Breakfast Calzone from the wood oven $19

Once food was served, I immediately stuck the table knife into the calzone and sliced that bad boy into half, uncovering the layers of ham, mushroom, woodside goats curd and friend egg. Good cracking sound as I ran my knife through it, however the crust on the outside was slightly burnt. Somehow the combination of those ingredients enveloped in goats curd just didn't blend well on my pallet. Interesting but weird, good but not delicious.

Portuguese Tart and Savoury Muffin $4.5

The Portuguese tart, well…I had better ones. The sweetness of the soft custard was well balanced with the un-flaky base. Savoury muffin on the other hand had a very appealing exterior. The instant when I laid eyes on the perfectly caramelized cheese on the surface, I immediately placed an order without even considering the contents. It was spongy but a tinge bit too dense for my liking. The bacon and herbs inside actually tasted unusually good.

Despite the positive reviews I was not at all impressed by the food. Yes, great ambiance but food was a tad over priced and I doubt I'll go back for breakfast again. Perhaps we missed out on lunch as the high ratings (everyone has been raving over the pizzas) must be indicative of something good.  

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Contact: 336 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville, Melbourne.

Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 9:00am – 10:00pm. (03) 5963 6111