Station Hotel (Footscray)
59 Napier Street, Footscray
03 9810 0085
Pub Food, Steak
$$$$
Food
- Rump Cap 250gm
- Pork Schnitzel
The Good
The Rump Cap was simple perfection. Cooked to a medium rare, the outer was beautifully charred that offered up a slight crisp and plenty of beefy, sizzling aroma. The still-pink protein itself was incredibly plump and juicy, so succulent with a slight chewiness that brought with it an amazing beef flavour. The peppercorn sauce offered up a hint of spice and a pleasant peppery sensation, leaving a tingle in your mouth which added to the beautiful beef flavour. In contrast, the bernaise sauce was rich and creamy, perhaps overly so, and we felt that it definitely overwhelmed the taste of the meat itself.
The Mediocre
The chips and salad served alongside the steak were perfectly serviceable, though markedly unremarkable. The chips offered a pleasant crunch, while the salad was fresh and lightly dressed.
The Bad
The Pork Schnitzel was sorely disappointing to put it bluntly. It was pretty much akin to a glorified chicken Parma, but within the crumbing, it was filled with chewy, tough pork that lacked flavour. The outer breading also failed to hold onto the meat itself, easily falling off and created a sloppy mess. The sourness of the vinegarette, which was liberally applied across the dish, simply failed to work, and at one point even prompted us to question whether the meat has gone off.
The Verdict
It’s definitely hard to rate this meal, as the Rump Cap in and of itself was definitely one of the best we’ve come across in Melbourne, as it should given Station Hotel’s renowned reputation for cooking up amazing steaks.
Unfortunately, all else failed to impress the way the beef did, and if we’d sampled anything else but the steak, it would’ve been a sorely disappointing meal.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Only for the steak, because everything else served here is certainly not worth your while.