Giant Steps—Innocent Bystander
| Where | 336 Maroondah Highway, Healesville, 3777—View map |
Contact | 03 5962 6111 |
Website | — |
Open | Breakfast Monday to Sunday 08.00am to 11.30am |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, Cash |
Diet | Check with venue |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Welcome |
Giant Steps—Innocent Bystander
Kate Jones
One exterior wall bears the sign Giant Steps, while another reads Innocent Bystander. Don't be mistaken, this fabulous Healesville eatery is one and the same place.
Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander is home to a winery, bistro, bakery and cheese room. The twin name derives from the two wine labels made here: Giant Steps, which is sourced from local Yarra Valley vineyards, and Innocent Bystander, which is made from local and interstate vineyards.
And if brekkie is anything to go by, the wines must be great. The menu is packed with flavour, from the marinated feta in the big breakfast calzone, to the 70 per cent dark chocolate in the hot chocolate.
The breakfast menu reads like no other. Where else would you find a baked haloumi tart or air dried chorizo? For the sweet tooths there are croissants with chocolate dipping sauce, and for the traditionalists, house-made Bircher muesli with poached fruit and Brancourts yoghurt.
I couldn't go past the fried Turkish eggs on toast with tomato pickle, dukkah and spinach. If you're like me and you like to combine a little of everything, this is the dish to sample. The zingy taste of the pickle worked wonders with the nutty warmth of the dukkah and the fresh eggs.
The woodfired big breakfast calzone with marinated feta, ham, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and a fried egg got the thumbs up from my husband who almost inhaled the whole meal within seconds. Perhaps a larger serving would have done the trick.
But it was the house-roasted coffee and the free wireless Internet that really had my husband in a spin. Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander sources its coffee beans from a wealth of countries including Columbia, Brazil and Indonesia. The smell of this wonderful coffee fills the entire barn-like winery and it's a very large, airy space.
The free Internet is terrific for the geeks who love to read their morning papers online. A waitress told us some people had parked their cars outside to use the free connection. There's no need. Venture indoors, and at the very least, buy a coffee. But be warned, you'll want to sample more.