Lotus Living - (first review!)

I wasn't sure where to start for my first review - a big bang, fancy pants, special occasion restaurant? An old favourite? Somewhere brand new? So instead of letting the pressure of it all paralyse me forever, and since I have to start somewhere, I'll start with a Thursday lunch when I really needed to be out of the office and found myself at a restaurant that is also a day spa and also sells homewares.

Where: Lotus Living, 189 Moorabool Street, Geelong
Meal: Lunch
Day: Thursday
Drinks: Licensed

I ended up there (not that I need a reason) because I had walked past a few days earlier and the food looked fabulous, then, coincidentally, a colleague spontaneously recommended it. It's a bit of a strange set-up (with the day spa), but not unpleasant, although we were seated right in front of the door on an icy day.
Begin with the good? Ok. Firstly, the menu is great In fact, I am keen to go back to try out more items, the menu was a genuine step above average lunch stuff. I love a hot lunch, and there were lots of really nice options, ranging from pretty light to very hearty, with a good mix of veggie, healthy and gluten free thrown in to the mix.
The food we ordered lived up to expectations. A roasted vegetable tagine with quinoa met my need for something hearty enough to counter the hunger I had worked up after my luch date made me wait until nearly 2pm but also light and healthy enough to ensure I still felt weekday-virtuous. Tasty, hot, a bit different. I don't think we see quinoa on menus often enough here. I have been expecting it to take off for a couple of years, and it never seems to get there.
My lunch date, also hungry, but not feeling virtuous, ordered the steak sandwich. Big, well put together, accompanied by very nice fat chips (of which I obviously stole a few) and reportedly very tasty. He was, however, looking forward to eating with his hands - note it is only nominally an open sandwich - it's a steak and trimmings resting on one giant piece of bread. Also the bacon was burnt. Disappointing. 
The bad though, was service. Don't get me wrong, the staff were very nice (to our faces anyhow), pretty efficient, and seemed to be having a very fun time, but it is just never - never - good form to mock, criticise, or really, even talk about, your customers within earshot of other customers - and it happened repeatedly through our meal. I don't get it and it was really off-putting. Also a warning that the plate of my tagine was burning hot would also have been handy.
Can't report on drinks. My day at the office hadn't yet reached such a nadir as to warrant taking advantage of their liquor licence, and it turned out there was not time for coffee.
Oh yeah, and the prices were quite good I thought. Maybe a result of location?
I'll go back, but I'll be looking for a quieter table - and keeping my eye on the waiting staff when they turn their backs...