Whilst out and about on a solo ride, I stopped in at the Bellevue Hotel in Coominya and decided to bring Sharon back for dinner one night. Being a pleasant night, we decided to take Scooter along for the ride (or should that be she took us for a ride?). Either way, we ended up at the Rail Trail Bistro for dinner.
With the hotel under new management as of December, we had a chat to the owner Corey and he filled us in on some of the improvements he has made and his plans for the future. One of the things we found interesting was an individual hut styled area set up out the back with the pool table, chairs and tables. Fabulous idea and there may even be another in the works. With spaces for camping and even a specific area to tie up your horses, the hotel is well on its way to catering to locals and rail trail visitors alike.
Now, on to the food. It was good to see mentioned on the menu that the ingredients are locally sourced. Supporting local is a great thing for these smaller communities. With a Melbourne chef on board in the kitchen and a promise of home-made desserts, you’d think we might have picked slightly less for starters but ….. here’s what we had:
Salt & Pepper Squid (6) with housemade coleslaw and sweet chilli sauce $ 9
Prawn Twisters (5) with housemade tartare sauce $10
Jalapeno Poppers (5) with sweet chilli sauce $ 9
Crumbed Thigh Chicken Schnitzel served with chips and slaw $18
300gm Scotch Fillet served with chips and salad $32
Bailey’s Panacotta with icecream (made in house) $12
Passionfruit Cheesecake and icecream (made in house) $12
With the “Starters” plates settled nicely onto the middle of the table, it was on for young and old (okay, so maybe more old than young – but we’re not telling). First swoop was an in house made Jalapeno Popper, dipped, loaded and down the hatch. Crispy coating, creamy ricotta filling, these little fellas hit the spot straight away. Prawn Twisters and Salt & Pepper Squid (the lightly coated type) soon followed until they all miraculously disappeared (funny how that happens with good food). We usually don’t choose a schnitzel when we’re out and about, but seeing one head out to another patron, Sharon thought she’d give it a go, especially as it specified thigh fillet, not breast (I’m the breast man in this relationship). Deliciously crunchy coating over, dare I say, a moist fillet, she was very happy with her choice. The steak was a great cut of meat (which I believe came from my mates at M & K Butcher Brothers) and was perfectly cooked to my liking. The salad was fresh and well dressed and the mushroom sauce added nicely to the flavours. My only slight criticism of my meal was that the steak was served on the chips (one of my personal dislikes), but this didn’t spoil a good meal.
Meal servings are quite substantial but there was no way Sharon was going home without dessert so back she headed to the counter. From the menu we had picked Lime Panacotta and Sticky Date pudding, but wait, there’s a special’s board, so Cheesecake and Bailey’s Panacotta it was. Absolutely delicious all around and a great way to end the meal. All in all the Rail Trail Bistro is well worth a visit folks. Get on out there!
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