Wednesday evening and time for a mid week pick me up and girly chat time. I meet Charlotte at the new and refurbished Blue Train Cafe. The place is reasonably busy, enough to give it a bit of a buzz but plenty of tables available.
It's bright, it's breezy, the sun beams through the windows and it's all very pleasant. We sit next to the window and enjoy the view of the Yarra and we take a look at the wide and diverse menu.
It's bright, it's breezy, the sun beams through the windows and it's all very pleasant. We sit next to the window and enjoy the view of the Yarra and we take a look at the wide and diverse menu.
The waiter is very friendly and we're torn between different food items and he helps us decide on the B.T Porky B’s - steamed buns filled with braised pork belly, cucumber, spring onion and hoisin sauce over the pea and halloumi fritters. And we also plump for the pulled roast duck, water chestnut and wood ear mushroom spring rolls with a ginger chilli soy sauce.
I've got to say when the buns arrived Iene was a little disappointed as they were so small and buried beneath a whole heap of greenery. They were tasty enough but I thought they'd be bigger, meatier, punchier...On the flip side the spring rolls were a more generous than I expected so I guess it's evens all round.
Flavour wise the filling in the spring rolls was probably on the bland side but the dipping sauce helped. On the texture side, they were golden and crispy and so non greasy that they were deceptively healthy! So not healthy but couldn't taste that bad grease.
I've got to say when the buns arrived Iene was a little disappointed as they were so small and buried beneath a whole heap of greenery. They were tasty enough but I thought they'd be bigger, meatier, punchier...On the flip side the spring rolls were a more generous than I expected so I guess it's evens all round.
Flavour wise the filling in the spring rolls was probably on the bland side but the dipping sauce helped. On the texture side, they were golden and crispy and so non greasy that they were deceptively healthy! So not healthy but couldn't taste that bad grease.
Charlotte had the honey leg ham, taleggio, artichokes and chives pizza which hit the spot. The topping looked generous, the pizza base thin. I don't think it was the best pizza in the world but it was good enough and it's a satisfying crowd pleaser.
I was torn between a pasta dish and the peri peri basted ½ chicken with coleslaw and charred corn on the cob. The waiter convinced me with the tender way he referred to the chicken dish. He definitely had love for the chicken. It's a generous chicken and covered in sauce; almost drenched and I can see why some people would have preferred it to be less saucy. I always though peri peri chicken would be more marinated and roasted rather than covered in sauce. I guess authenticity isn't really the main point here; it's all about taste.
I did really enjoy the chicken with the sauce and the slightly creamy coleslaw that just mellowed out some of the spice in the sauce. I'd have loved some chips to soak up the sauce though - just a few!
I enjoyed our evening at the Blue Train. It has a wide enough menu to appeal to all ages and tastes and plenty of crowd pleasers. It's not gourmet but its location, fit out and pricing will appeal to all the tourists that frequent Southbank. I thought that the pizza for under $20 was value for money. I wouldn't recommend Blue Train for being at the forefront of flavour and food but I would recommend it for groups and get togethers whereby it's about meeting up, having a chat in a pleasant environment and being in that location.
I was torn between a pasta dish and the peri peri basted ½ chicken with coleslaw and charred corn on the cob. The waiter convinced me with the tender way he referred to the chicken dish. He definitely had love for the chicken. It's a generous chicken and covered in sauce; almost drenched and I can see why some people would have preferred it to be less saucy. I always though peri peri chicken would be more marinated and roasted rather than covered in sauce. I guess authenticity isn't really the main point here; it's all about taste.
I did really enjoy the chicken with the sauce and the slightly creamy coleslaw that just mellowed out some of the spice in the sauce. I'd have loved some chips to soak up the sauce though - just a few!
I enjoyed our evening at the Blue Train. It has a wide enough menu to appeal to all ages and tastes and plenty of crowd pleasers. It's not gourmet but its location, fit out and pricing will appeal to all the tourists that frequent Southbank. I thought that the pizza for under $20 was value for money. I wouldn't recommend Blue Train for being at the forefront of flavour and food but I would recommend it for groups and get togethers whereby it's about meeting up, having a chat in a pleasant environment and being in that location.
RSS Feed