I'm a sucker for a quirky cafe. I've been meaning to go to Torquay"s 'Bowlz' for some time. I imagine it's a bit of a play on the Bells Beach 'bowl", a very specific part of the break there. Starving after a surf, and needing some nourishment for my nervous system, I decided against a vego pastie and thought I'd have a nutritious bowl of food instead.

The cafe was very lovely as soon as I walked in. Green velvet couches with large knit yellow throws, leather seats and sofas - clearly they'd gone to some expense on the decor. There were also colourful Morocconn style plant pots and ottomans, and textured cushions - very boho gypsy style.

I'm also a sucker for a good chai. None of that sugary powdered stuff please. It's actually really hard to find, but I sure enjoyed this one.

For lunch, a Buddha bowl. I'm not sure you have these where you are, but they are generally a bowl of healthy food from grains and noodles to avocado, pickled vegetables, salad and so on. At $22 it felt pricey but I definitely needed something to nourish me. I didn't fancy anything fruity but they did have a good selection of smoothie bowls which sounded nice.

When the waiter brought it out, she plonked it down with very little ceremony and didn't bother taking away my empty chai cup. I'd read that the serving staff were lovely but she wasn't very friendly or smiley at all. Perhaps she was having a bad day, but it started putting me off the place a little.

The bowl was a coconut bowl, which was cute - but you can't fit a lot of food in a coconut bowl for $22, and it can be awkward to eat from without spilling things over the side. Hmm. It did look nice though.

The bowl I chose had smoked salmon, vermicelli, pear, edamame beans, avocado, roast peppers, cucumber, and red onion. It was nice enough I suppose. The peppers were clearly out of a jar and over marinated, and the dressing was overwhelming. The noodles were a bit undercooked for my liking. I started feeling I was being fussy and grumpy but when you pay money for a meal you expect it to be above and beyond, which this wasn't. It lacked subtlety, a theme, or sense. There was a lot of soggy lettuce in the bottom making up the size of the bowl. Impressed I was not, but hungry I was, so I did finish the entire bowl, bar the soggy bits at the end. The dressing was over done and too acidic, but I enjoyed the avo, pear and edamame.

Would I go back again? Unlikely, unless someone invited me or I really fancied a smoothie bowl and decided to give them a second chance. I think if it was a little friendlier I might be more willing. It's not too hard to smile, even for a hospitality wage - I've been there, done that, and even on my worst day I'd make someone feel welcome with a smile.

Saying that, this could just have been a bad day, and maybe I chose the wrong meal for me. The reviews online seemed to love it, but I don't trust online reviews so much, unless they're on HIVE.