Lodge, Lane Cove

Nestled perfectly in the centre of Lane Cove village, open to (often perfect) elements, a great view of neighbouring shops, passersby and children laughing on the green, this restaurant has so much potential that whenever I walk past it I always want to line up to take a seat. But I’m afraid that’s where the appeal ends.

I suppose it says a lot about the atmosphere of a place if, despite more than one average experience, you’re still drawn to it, and perhaps if I were dining alone I would give in to these urges more often. However, being as often chaperoned by my partner in crime (and life) as I am, he is generally present to remind me of the last time, and the time before that…. and the time before that.

In fairness, the first dining experience we had at Lodge was actually not too bad. It was a buzzing sunny day, the service was friendly, and the food we ordered sounded so promising. Being useless as I was back then (read: last year) I ordered a margherita pizza with truffle oil, thinking it an odd yet simple combo, and feeling convinced that truffle oil is always a delicacy.

Turns out, I don’t much like truffle oil, or at least, not in puddles on my pizza. It simply didn’t go, the flavour of the oil was too overpowering,  too much was used (read: wasted) on this dish, and not even the beloved cheese and bread combo could compensate. In truth I’ve not been able to enjoy truffle oil ever since.

Though the quality of the pizza itself was passable, the over-truffling (yes this is an expression, don’t look it up, just trust me) sadly rendered it an unpleasant experience. At the time, my partner had very excitedly ordered fish of the day (orange roughy,) but despite his initial enthusiasm, he didn’t finish the it off, shrugging off the meal as okay, saying “well it’s a hard fish to cook well” - and I consider that a waste of a life.

We left feeling uninspired, and decided it was probably our picky natures that were to blame. Which is why we decided to go a second time. On this occasion, quite keen for a good meal due to my grumbling stomach, I ordered two of their tapas options – the zucchini fries with aioli, and the bruschetta. I was drooling at the thought of the bruschetta, some nice lightly toasted bread, chopped onion and tomato, maybe even some fresh herbs, lightly spritzed with vinegar and oil. My stomach dropped as they brought me what was essentially a poorly chopped, over dressed salad of tomato, onion and croutons. Oh, did I mention I LOATHE croutons? Oh the chagrin.

Personal feelings about pointless high-calorie five-day old bread cubes aside, this was not bruschetta. Again the fault may have been with me; perhaps in my haste I didn’t notice the word “croutons” in the menu. However, as a pretty solid staple, one doesn’t tend to have to read the description, and I was deeply disappointed with whatever you’d call this modification. The zucchini fries were my only solace, but weren’t cut particularly small and so were awkward to handle and somewhat over-seasoned. I felt ill from maybe half the serving, and yet my hunger subsisted, and I spent the rest of the time there mumbling profanities.

My partner ate what was probably a generic sandwich I then stole the rest of in hangry desperation. The fries were at least a decent serving size, so you get some bang for your buck, but when you don’t really want that many, perhaps less bang, and even less buck would’ve been better. As such, I would recommend this as a share plate, rather than flying solo.

The third and last time we visited Lodge, which was a considerable time after the second visit as the gaping bruschetta-inspired wound took time to heal (with only a sensible sprinkling of melodrama) I had a relatively okay experience, but my partner was now the chosen one. Knowing not to expect too much, I kept it simple and ordered a grilled vegetable panini with pesto - a fairly simple and standard dish. The vegetables were a little rich and in too great a number but hey, better too much than too little, so I ate most of it without issue, satisfied at last.

My partner, however, decided to order the margherita pizza (yes we eat way too much pizza). This time it wasn’t offered with truffle oil, and I mentioned the pizza quality was pretty good, and without truffle oil even better. I was sadly incorrect in this assumption. I honestly couldn’t describe what was served to him as anything even remotely worth spending hard earned money on. It was a disgrace to pizza, for which my love is deep and real.  I have in fact tasted pizza bases pre-made by Woolworths that were far better quality. This was some sad thin bread; with perhaps a modicum of bland sauce spread beneath what was flavourless cheese that the menu had promised was fior di latte. If it was anything other than home brand mozzarella, I’ll eat my hat.

Despite these experiences, I still flirt with the idea of dragging my partner down to Lodge on a weeknight to sample their special Mexican Night offerings, to entertain my other deep love for Latin American Cuisine. The restaurant itself is just too inviting, too among the bustle, and too alluring a menu to not be so magnetic. Yet everyone I know that’s been there has agreed that the food is mediocre. Perhaps that’s why the ingredients haven’t quite picked up – it never had to. Who cares when you have such a prime environment to work in?

Having only visited for lunch, I do sometimes wonder if their breakfast or dinner offerings would be an improvement, with pictures on the website undoubtedly alluring. If heading over for an afternoon feed though, don't go out of your way to avoid the pleasant location, but do go prepared. Order only snack foods that can’t be messed with, like wedges or a melt, or simply enjoy a wine or coffee with a book as the world passes you by.