Dine Divine Sassafras - Emerald

Three of us thought we were in for a treat, but the meal was very ordinary. A good description would be "pub food". However the cakes after our main course, were delicious, but were not enough to entice us to visit again.

Our small group of three was looking forward to a late lunch at Dine Divine based on all the previous reviews but we were very disappointed with our meal.We were seated at a table right by the fire which was lovely. We ordered our meals and drinks whereby the young waiter asked if we wanted our drinks to come out with our meal - very strange question. I ordered a Southern Comfort with dry ginger ale and what a circus it was to get that. The waiter had no idea what I had asked for, came back to ask again and finally a lovely lady came out to check what I wanted. When the drink arrived, the ginger ale was flat, there were 3 small ice cubes floating on top and the price charged was $9.50. Not impressed! Needless to say, that was the only alcoholic drink at our lunch table!Our entree to share of home-made dips ($16) arrived after a short wait and it was delicious. The plentiful beetroot, hummus & tzatziki dips were served in small dishes on a board with thinly sliced Turkish bread. The dips really were home-made - full of flavour and very tasty but there wasn't enough bread served to finish off the dips. Our mains were a mixed bag. The serve of chicken parmigiana ($25) looked so good and was greatly enjoyed - the verdict being that it was one of the best ever eaten. The main of Guinness & Beef Pot Pie was a big let down. It had no flavour, very little gravy, and no taste of guinness in the pie which was served in a large ramekin with a pastry lid. Lifting the lid, the meat mixture only half filled the dish. The accompanying bowl of chips were so heavily seasoned they were inedible. And this was $28! No queries were made by the waiter when our plates were removed as to why this meal had hardly been eaten. The third meal was an entree sized serve of salt & pepper calamari. The calamari was tender but the dusting of salt & pepper was not even browned off so the dish of pale rings and strips looked quite unappealing. The accompanying salad, however, was lovely. Very fresh salad greens topped with a delicious caper lime dressing. We didn't bother with dessert or coffee which was a relief when we found the bill came to $101.50 for the three of us. There are better places to eat in the area than this one.

My favourite restaurant in the Dandenong Ranges. The food is consistently good, the staff friendly and welcoming and the service is timely. A lovely experience

Lovely place to bump into on a Sunday afternoon drive, great service, lovely atmosphere, great position, must try and then go for a walk along the street and visit some very lovely shops for a browse and try some new treats. very welcoming place

Ended up here after an aborted attempt for a coffee and cake elsewhere in the afternoon and so pleased we ended up here.We only stopped for a tea and scones and the scones were probably the best in a long time. Will definitely be back and after reading other reviews will probably head here for lunch next time we are in the area.