Arrow Foodie: Review - Airstream Cafe

5 February 2012

Airstream Cafe
287 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley
Cuisine: Australian, Italian, Asian

I have eaten here several times over the years. Some meals have been good, others were just passable.

We went for an early Sunday evening dinner and had no trouble getting a table without a booking. The place was about 1/3 full. We were given a table along the main aisle, right next to a table occupied by two ladies, one of whom was talking really loudly, right next to my ear. Too close for comfort - I didn't want to partake of someone else's conversation. I also preferred to sit where we would not be brushed by hurrying waiters and ambling diners. So I asked to swap tables. There was no problem with doing that - the staff were quite obliging.

We ordered Eye Fillet Medallions, Moroccan Grilled Salmon, Lamb Fillets and Beef Lasagne. Tonight's meals were mostly very nice.

The Eye Fillet came in the form of two very tender medallions which I had ordered medium to well done. It came with a nice peppercorn sauce. The mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables were just okay but I really enjoyed the tender medallions.

The Moroccan Grilled Salmon was Tasmanian salmon in a creamy spiced sauce. The sauce was not bad but it was a touch salty. It would also have been better not to smother the fish in all that sauce - so you can tell if the fish is fresh ;) Seriously, why have good tasting fish when you can't actually taste it. The fish was accompanied by a red pepper Caponata sauce which typically is a side dish for fish, except in this case it was sitting on top of the fish, which in turn was sitting on scalloped potatoes.

The Lamb Fillets came in a little mountain of lamb strips, sitting on top of baby spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and ... scalloped potatos. That seems to be the fate of scalloped potatos here - to be sat on by the main dish! There was a drizzle of bell pepper tapenade. According to the menu, the lamb was marinated in herbed honey but there was no overly sweet taste, otherwise it would have spoilt the dish. The spinach gave it a nice touch. I always like green leafy vegetables.

The beef lasagne I didn't taste. But I'm told it was not bad.

When ordering, I had spotted soft shell crab on the specials board and debated whether I should order this. In the end, I did some profiling and decided the soft shell crab was best left to an Asian restaurant and I opted for the Eye Fillet. As it turned out, I was quite happy with my choice.

Overall, if you are after a Modern Australian meal in a large noisy cafe with dim lighting, where the food may or may not be the highlight of your day, this would be a good place.

Taste Rating: 7/10 Value Rating: 6.5/10