"Aussie fusion" @ Bluetrain, Melbourne (Australia)

If you were to ask me to describe "Australian cuisine", I would first draw a blank. Not because there is a lack of cuisine there, but because Australia is so diversely multicultural, that you can get almost any kind of cuisine in the city. Then after some thought, I would probably list out sausage rolls, meat pies, anything on the 'barbie' (i.e. barbecue), fish and chips, damper, and Vegemite. And then after more thought, the awesome 'bush tucker' would come to mind. If you were to walk into a cafe like Bluetrain that serves modern Aussie food, you most probably won't find the above-mentioned food on the menu. Instead, expect to find more contemporary and creative dishes that fuses with other food cultures around. When we were in Melbourne a few months ago, we met up with a friend who I'd met five years ago in Tokyo. She was my Lifegroup leader of the mums' group that I started attending shortly after my son was born, and that weekly group meeting was my lifeline as a young mother living in a foreign city. I drew a lot of help, encouragement and support from this mixed group of both Japanese and expatriate mothers, and was greatly saddened when Coral and her family relocated back to Melbourne. It really was lovely to meet up with Coral and her children again after almost four years over dinner at Bluetrain, and I was glad to see the kids get along very well (my son was but a baby when they left Tokyo).

Modern decor with lots of sunlight:

And a lovely view of the Yarra River:

Bluetrain has a prime location on the upper level of the Southgate Complex overlooking the Yarra River. The restaurant was quite busy that Monday evening, so I suppose it is quite popular with the locals and tourists alike. Bluetrain is family-friendly dining, and the kids were given coloured pencils and the kids menu which had a fun illustration that could be coloured in. The service was friendly, but my son's order for chocolate milkshake got forgotten. This was quickly rectified when we enquired about it, but the milkshake was only so-so - the flavour was pretty flat, and could do with a lot more chocolate syrup. The food was quite good, and together with the floor-to-ceiling window views of the river, I can see why Bluetrain is a popular choice.

Pizza, from the kids' menu - simple cheese and tomato paste topping:

Hubby's Lamb Backstrap, which was delicious with a sweet balsamic sauce:

Pumpkin Salad with chicken, sunflower seeds, marinated feta, zucchini ribbons, walnuts, olive oil and sumac dressing. I really liked this salad for the texture and flavours :

The cake display opposite the entrance to Bluetrain:

This lemon meringue pie was picked out by my friend's son. It looked so good, I asked to take a photo of it:

Hubby chose Jaffa Cake - chocolate and orange are always a winning combination, though this one was a little stale like it had been sitting in the display case all day:

We had a good time at Bluetrain, enjoying great company over delicious food.

Bluetrain
Shop UR3, Upper Level
Southgate Complex
Southbank VIC 3006
Australia
Tel +61 3 9696 0111