Immerse - 17-19 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda

On the way back from Miss Marples we decided to drop into Immerse and grab a coffee. The reception was cool as always; we waited at the 'Please Wait to be Seated' sign for almost 10mins without anyone even acknowledging our existence, before finally managing to grab the fleeting attention of a passing waitress and were given the nod to join the rest of the dining community. After we seated ourselves on the bar stools next to the window (despite numerous encouragements from the waitress that we could sit at the tables too if we really wanted to), we ordered a skim and a chai latte.

In between ordering the coffee and it arriving, we also decided that we should get something to nibble on. The waitress, hearing this as she dispatched our coffees, asked if we would also like to see the menu, in which we responded very much favourably to. After briefly scanning the 2 page menu, we agreed that the only thing worth our attentions was the 'Zucchini & corn fritter topped with a salad of rocket, avocado & smoked salmon dressed with horseradish mayonnaise, beetroot relish and drizzled with lemon oil'. As we weren't having much success in the service category the order was placed via a trip to the counters.

When our order arrived, we had to literally plough through the salad leaves and salmon pieces to locate the poor excuse of a fritter sitting sorrily beneath. It looked more like a pancake of the more lifeless variety than any fritters I've encountered, it was less than 5mms thick and probably equated to the size of my fist (and I have really small hands).

Maybe it was the nice blend of rocket, lemon oil and mayonnaise, maybe it was the fresh smoked salmon, maybe it was the fact that expectations were so low upon witnessing what was presented to us as the dish we had a totally different image of, the taste wasn't all that bad. Sure, the texture was probably a little dense for a fritter and it was difficult to locate any corn kernals; sure, there were even no detectable traces of zucchini; but the overal taste was actually not that bad.

As we were lining up to pay, the waitress who served us even stopped and took a second to ask us how the meal went. Perhaps next time they could pay more attention to the customers waiting than the customers who've finished waiting?

Food: despite its measely existence, our order actually tasted quite good - 6.5/10

Coffee: Average, lacking density, lacking aroma, lacking taste, but at least it wasn't the brown muddle of liquid at Mart 130 - a drinkable 4.5/10

Service: it's actually not too bad when you have the attention of your waitress, but getting that attention is an achievement in itself - 4/10

Value: my 5mm fist-sized fritter came to $16.95, not exactly value for money - 4/10
Ambiance: relaxed and laid-back - 7/10

Overall: 26/50

Encore: this is our third time back, it's quite a nice little place to just sit and nibble for the afternoon (the waitresses leave you alone)