Brooklyn Depot
Shop 4, 399 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
03 9600 0488
American, Bar Food
$$$
Food
- Chicken N’ Waffles
- French Toast Grilled Cheese
- Chicken Meatballs
- MacLovin Balls
- Beef Chilli Cheese Fries
- Eat, Pie, Love
- Yo Mama Milkshake
- Cookie Monster Milkshake
The Good
It proved to be a pleasant start with the milkshakes, both at a rather impressive size. The Cookie Monster was definitely our favourite, topped with giant chunks of choc chip cookie, the exceptionally thick, creamy shake was full-bodied and had a great milky flavour. The upper layer of whipped cream offered up a slight airiness, while we found a hint of sweet blueberry flavour throughout.
The Chicken N’ Waffles was the signature dish that we simply couldn’t refuse. Bright pink in appearance, these pillowy soft red velvet bubble waffles were fresh off the press and cooked just right. With a good balance of spongy and airiness, the rich maple cream syrup offered up plenty of sweetness as well as depth in flavour. This was well accompanied by two pieces of crunchy and well seasoned fried chicken, both suitably tender and succulent.
We also enjoyed the Chicken Meatballs. The giant meatballs were a sight to behold, and they were served with a generous helping of creamy ricotta that offered up plenty of flavour, which was accompanied by a fragrant and creamy mushroom sauce puree. The meatballs themselves were suitably tender and juicy, with a slight bouncy feedback with each bite. However a tad more seasoning with the mince would’ve definitely elevated this dish to the next level.
Another highlight of our meal was undoubtedly the Chilli Cheese Fries. Topped with a bold and flavoursome beef chilli that had just the right amount of spices that left a tingle in your mouth, we found the fries underneath fried to a perfect crisp. The bold, gooey mixture of the beef chilli, coupled with plenty of liquid cheese, ensured every mouthful was a satisfying flavour explosion.
We ended our meal with the Eat, Pie, Love, Brooklyn Depot’s take on the Apple Tart. Freshly baked, the crusty and butter outer was simply divine. Held within it were cubes of apple that were prepared just so, neither too crunchy nor mushy. The sweetness was further complemented by a generous scoop of simple vanilla ice cream, made more excitable by a drizzle of salted caramel sauce that brought contrast to this amazing dessert.
The Mediocre
The MacLovin Balls didn’t quite hit the spot for us today. Despite the perfectly fried outer and impeccable presentation, the inner Mac and cheese was unexpectedly bland and lacked spice. Dipping each ball into the Depot Special Sauce certainly helped the cause and made it much more palatable though.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Verdict
While traditional American diner-style food often gets a bad rapt, Brooklyn Depot adopts a much more refined approach and dished out some rather impressive Brooklyn-inspired dishes.
The amazing Chicken N Waffles certainly won our hearts, both in presentation and it taste, as did that stunning Apple Tart, which shall remain one of the very best we’ve come across for a long while.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Most definitely. There’s still so many items we’d love to try on their huge menu, and you can count on us to be back for more of this delicious American grub!
Penguineats would like to thank Brooklyn Depot for inviting us to their new Melbourne venue.