Tavern 540

It’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised by an eating experience! Went expecting bog standard greasy pub fare (with a name like Tavern 540 and pokies room what else would you expect?). Instead, I had a light healthy grilled swordfish with afresh Mediterranean salsa and a side of deliciously dressed broccoli and cauliflower. partner’s pasta dish (penne con pollo) was al dente and delicious (plus fresh quality ingredients). They have a healthy kids menu option too. They still have ye olde schnitty etc if that floats your boat, but it’s really refreshing to know that the slightly pricier and healthier specials are if high quality and presented beautifully. Also the staff were helpful and friendly, with one waitress bringing our tetchy, restless toddler pencils, coloring in sheet and a free bowl of fries… Beyond impressed and nice to be proven wrong on a first impression. It was only let down by the ever tacky presence of poker machines — but since the restaurant is actually run by a separate business to the bar and pokies, I’m willing to forgive because the food was top notch.