*we received a complimentary meal from Destination 1850 in return for an honest review*
I’m a regular at central station thanks to my monthly trips down to the sunshine coast and as far as train stations go, it’s always been one of a favourite of mine. I could be biased of course, but the grand foyer and original architecture by John Dobson (off of John Dobson street) always struck me and quite grand and welcoming.
Destination 1850 (named after the year the station was built) is the newest outlet to open in the recently refurbished glass foyer and is a welcome addition in my opinion. It’s stylish décor and subtle colour schemes fit well with the existing look of the building and there’s loads of options whether you’re in a dash of have some time to kill.
You know what I love? An all day brunch. Because it’s not often I’m out of bed in time on Sunday morning to get my egg fix before most places stop serving at 11am. We ate at Destination 1850 at about 2pm and I was so excited to see my faves Eggs Benedict on the menu. There’s also pizza by the slice, hot wraps and freshly made sandwiches so whatever your mood there should be something to suit your pallet.
We sat down at the back of the take away counter, which made us feel away from the hustle and bustle of the station, and the fact that they have installed heated seats really is an inspired decision. I love it when people have actually thought about what their customers want and/or need and as we all know train stations tend to be colder than the artic,to have a toasty warm bot was very very welcome. Our host Magda (who was brilliant btw) also offered us an extra fan heater so even if you’re there in the deepest darkest depths of January, they’ve got you covered!
I ordered my eggs benny and Dave had the Mexican burrito wrap and service was efficient without being suspiciously quick. Airports and train stations need to get the balance right with service – more often that not people have somewhere to be so you don’t want to be waiting hours to get served. Destination have got this spot on.
Food wise they couldn’t be faulted; my eggs were perfectly poached and Dave loved that the burrito was made fresh with plenty of spices and packed with flavour. Price wise, I’ll be perfectly honest it’s not the cheapest. However I do think it’s reasonable for a train station (which, like airports often capitalise of having a captive audience) and it’s certainly nicer than having a pre packed sandwich from Sainsburys.
It’s the perfect place as a special treat; if you’re off on a stag or hen do or a birthday weekend away, or if you have some time in between trains and need some actual proper food, not something out of single use plastic packaging.
As a take away option they have loads of freshly made sandwiches, cakes and pastries so even if you’re on the move and unable to stop, you have pick up something a little more nutritious for the journey.
In fact, while I was sipping on my ice cold pinot grigio on Sunday afternoon I had an eye on the take away coffee prices and they’re actually cheaper than Cafe Nero which is about 10 steps away, so definitely going to swing by there for my train coffee in future. Which incidentally is Wednesday morning, hopefully as you’re reading this!
Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/destination1850/
