Gardener's Lodge Cafe - Camperdown

A friend mentioned this place to me for a while and was happy to experience it firsthand a week ago. The boss was very friendly and very attentive. We sat outside on a nice cool night and we enjoyed a mixed meze plate, chicken salad... and fantastic Turkish coffee. Located in a very comfortable location and mostly beautiful at night. Even romantic. We hope to visit again. This place is highly recommended.

Last Sunday we had a booking for 25 people (a 70th birthday). On Saturday afternoon we went to advance payment for all foods. After we had a drink we waited for 20 minutes to go inside to make the payment. To our total unbelief, the manager has canceled the booking and went on to make excuses, why it was our fault that he didn't want to? us. We were accused of being rude, said we could not trust and he denied previous communications about the agreements. He was looking for an apology to not host the function. The reality was that he could not trust and he was the one who was rude. I wonder what the owner of the restaurant would think about $1000 business turned away.

This has obviously changed hands as it was a vegan only restaurant, and it is now Turkish, led by some beautiful people, with excellent food and good service. I've been there at least a dozen times in the last few months. They seem to be... open autumn day, and offer an outdoor terrace overlooking Victoria Park, Broadway and indoor kitchen. I had very satisfying vegetarian lunch there as well as dinner with ubiquitous who are thrilled in traditional Turkish smoked meat dishes, they have their own smoker next to the terrace (and no, it does not burn smoke over the diners). Whether you're staying for a full party or just coffee and cake, it's worth it, especially if it's nice enough to sit outside. And whatever you do, try the smoked, roasted spuds served with orange roasted mayonnaise: d i v i n e!!

What happened to this place? Once a beautiful, peaceful, conscious paradise and now full of death everywhere. Body that is lifeless, odor of death and management completely ignorant of the disease they offer.

I believe this restaurant has new ownership since the previous reviews. My friends and I had a wonderful night at Gardeners Grill celebrating my birthday. It is situated in a lovely park setting and we were able to dine outside of the charming old sandstone building that houses the restaurant. For starters, we had mezze followed by smoked meats and salads for our main course. Everything was freshly prepared on-site thanks to the restaurant's smoker. Even my vegetarian friends were happy with the options available to them. The owner and staff were very attentive and the bill at the end of the evening, including wine, was quite reasonable.