The Station café is a busy eatery in Wahroonga. I have been there early in the morning and at lunchtime and it is almost always full. The place bustles with activity, almost at a point of chaos, but somehow it works. There is a buzz about the place that you don’t find often. The food is fresh and the staff are friendly.
Today, I had made a booking for two just a couple of hours earlier. There was no problem reserving a table and when we arrived we were quickly seated. I would recommend booking if you are heading there at the end of the week, as the place is always full but tables do turnover quickly, so if you do have to wait, it won’t be for too long. Inside there is the ubiquitous barista behind the high counter making coffees and serving drinks, three people frantically working in the open kitchen and four or five staff attending to customers. I like the level of service; they get to you before you start looking for them. Always a good sign of things to come. And despite this place being very fashionable at the moment, the staff have remained very grounded, which along with the quality of the food, keeps the punters coming back.
The menus at The Station are extensive with several choices for dairy free and/or gluten free, but the good stuff is further down the menu. There are steak sandwiches and pulled pork sliders, a quesadilla of pulled duck and even crab, but I decided on the spicy moroccan meatballs with toasted sourdough and my dining partner had the quinoa & organic chicken with almonds, avocado & baby spinach. Meals arrived promptly and we were well presented in high-sided dishes. The meatballs had a good flavour, yet were light in texture surrounded by a strong tomato and garlic moraccan sauce. The quinoa and chicken salad was tender, fresh and light to eat, although quite a large portion. We accompanied our meals with a glass of wine and a soft drink, again from a decent list.
Main courses were readily dispatched and we moved on to desert: A salted caramel tart. We elected to share the tart as the mains had been large. A shared desert caused no issue and it arrived quickly with two spoons at its side. Washed down with a decent coffee, this was a good meal on a busy Friday lunchtime.
If you were in a hurry, you could readily have a good two course lunch here in under an hour. Prices were moderate with most mains around the $18 – $22 mark.
The appeal to me is the uniqueness of the menu for a suburban café, delivered by friendly, attentive staff.
