GOOD FOOD GOOD MOOD: Station Hotel

Fine dining will always be my favourite eating experience. I love the ambience, the service, the exquisite menu options and the presentation of the food. I don't, however, like the damage that it causes to my wallet but you get exactly what you pay for and it makes me happy :)

My best friend took me to a renowned steak place in the Western suburbs (Footscray) that looks like your everyday pub from the outside, but surprisingly serves amazing steak. Looks can be deceiving though.

The dining area of Station Hotel was very fancy schmancy which I was a bit taken aback by. Before I had arrived, I had heard mixed reviews about the place. Some people really enjoyed it and some people thought it was pretty average. I personally enjoyed my steak. Please ignore the poor iPhone 4s image quality because I forgot my camera but I still wanted to share my experience with you all.

Complimentary bread. Very addictive.

FRESHLY SHUCKED OYSTERS! $3.50 each

These oysters were tiny which was a shame. We really should have ordered more because the dressing in the middle complimented the oysters so well. I never used to eat fresh oysters when I was younger but I've grown to like them, a lot.

Duckfish sashimi with tempura oyster, mushrooms, soy and mirin dressing - $18

We also ordered the sashimi for entree and wow, the sauce was SO SALTY. The sashimi was drenched in the dressing so I had to drain it before I ate it. As for the Chinese mushrooms, they tasted a bit better than the ones in Shincup two minute noodles. I probably wouldn't recommend this dish for an entree.

My beautiful steak. 120 day grain fed Black Angus scotch fillet - $38

120 day grain fed? I hope the poor animal was also massaged on a regular basis and fed some wine considering it had that patience. My scotch fillet was cooked to perfection for medium rare. I find that sometimes steak places end up toooooo bloody when you cut into it which I don't like. I was a bit nervous that I couldn't finish 300g but in the end I swapped with Sarah because she couldn't eat her bloody (excuse the pun) Wagyu steak.

The massive hot chips that are served with the steak are hand cut. Usually I'm a bit skeptical about hand cut chips because they don't have the same great taste but these ones did. The salad (at the time) needed a bit more dressing.

Sarah's undercooked 450 day grain fed Wagyu X Holstein rostbiff - $36

How cute are the little saucers that the mushroom and peppercorn sauce come in? Sarah's steak was a big blob and was not cooked properly inside, leaving it red and too bloody for Sarah to eat so in the end we had to swap.

ANOTHER CLOSE UP OF MY DELICIOUS SCOTCH FILLET + TRYING OUT BOTH OF THE DELICIOUS SAUCES. I wish it had more mushrooms in it.

I have been to many steakhouses in my time but I would definitely recommend the Station Hotel, especially if you live around the area. My experience on the night was superb, and it was also due to the fact that the waiters were friendly. I have mentioned this so many times in my previous posts - service is everything, especially when fine dining. If you don't smile at me, I will endeavour to give you a hard time. Overall two thumbs up for me. Just be careful when finding parking around the restaurant as some areas are permit zones and we watched cars being fined as we were walking out.

Station Hotel

Address: 59 Napier Street Footscray 3011

Contact: 96872913

Hours: Everyday 11am - late

Price: $$$$

Website: http://www.thestationhotel.com.au/