Mt Nelson Signal Station

..for lunch today - taken there by my son, and his suggestion for the lunch venue.

I was iffy, but he was determined he wanted to try it.

So - in the sleet and squalls we ventured up to Mt Nelson, and were shown to a table with that beautiful view we all go there for.

Unfortunately the food didn't match the view. It was mediocre. Not good, not horrible. Ordinary. I always feel bad saying that, because when waitperson asks you if you enjoyed it, or if it was alright, and you say yes, it seems dishonest to then go away and say it was mediocre. But that's how I feel.

Perhaps if the question was phrased by the waitperson differently (and if they really cared what my response might be) then I would answer more honestly and literally.

I had their soup of the day, which today was Minestrone. It was a good sized bowl accompanied by 4 slices of French stick for $8.50. I suggested to waiter when he bought out the soup, that maybe some parmesan would be a nice accompaniment, which he agreed with and went off to get it. It WAS a bonus but still couldn't disguise the fact that the soup didn't have any 'grunt' or 'guts' like a Minestrone should. I tasted it, then commented to son that it tasted like a can of diced tomatoes with some beans added. He tasted it, and said it tasted like a can of diced tomatoes.

Too ordinary. No garlic. No robust flavour, especially for a day like today - cold, wet, windy, snow on mountain.

The biggest detractor though, was the fact that our waiter had THE most overpowering aftershave on, I could taste it in my soup! Don't get me wrong. I'm all for aftershave, and wish more guys would use it, but please could they be more sparing with it, especially in a food scenario?

I read a booklet recently for employees of Wrest Point directing them on how to dress to work there. The instructions were quite specific, leaving absolutely nothing to chance. Their instruction about aftershave or perfume was that you could wear it but only sparingly, with the instruction that the way to apply it was to spray it into the air, then walk into the spray.

If our waiter today had done that, I wouldn't be still smelling that lingering effect as I write now!

So - Mt Nelson Signal Station - gorgeous place to take your interstate visitors, probably great for a cuppa and cake (we'll never know because we did request the dessert menu but it never arrived...so we forewent dessert and coffee), but still as unprepossessing as it always has been, as far as I'm concerned.