Henry & Rose

When you're making long-haul trips across this great land, and you stop at one of these 'half-way-there' towns, you usually have two eating options: 1) The greasy spoon cafe 2) The greasy spoon cafe, attached to a service station That is, unless, you stop at Keith and visit Henry & Rose. Cafe, gift-shop and florist (although flowers appear to be lacking on a Sunday) all rolled into one. From the outside it looks like a quaint, cottage style tea-room. Inside however, is a vast space decorated with a cosmopolitan decor which would look right at home in an inner Melbourne suburb. Tables and couches offer a place to rest. There is also a peaceful outdoor area, with a well manicured garden and plenty of room for the kiddies to stretch their legs. Although the menu was of the more abridged variety on a Sunday, it still offered up a selection of fresh alternatives to the usual hot chips and pies/pasty/sausage roll combinations. There are luscious T Bar teas, and of course that Limestone/Coonawarra favourite, Mahalia Coffee! My only suggestion would be to the young gentleman who served me… it may be Sunday, and you may have to work but it doesn’t hurt to SMILE and maybe even enjoy working in such a relaxing establishment! (And I’ve worked in customer service for the past 15 years, so I feel I’m well qualified to give such advice!) The gift shop grabs you as you walk through as well. We found ourselves walking away with a bag full of goodies to take home. Definitely swing by Henry & Rose, and ‘discover the hidden gem on the highway’! (And besides, who can say no to an establishment which is represented by a Fresian Cow and a Rooster?)