Once a month we join our friends Nighthawk & Xaria on their “Cafescapade” – their challenging goal to experience (and review) every café in the wider Dunedin area.
Name: Blackstone Café & Bar
Address: 134 Gordon Road, Mosgiel 9024
Website: https://www.blackstonecafe.co.nz
This month they suggested that we write the review, so here goes. Today’s chosen venue was Blackstone Café in Mosgiel. Liane and I arrived fashionably late (as always), to find a very busy café indeed – all tables occupied. Always a good sign, popularity has a reason.
Nighthawk and Xaria were already there, and had nabbed us a high table with stools in corner. Not my favourite seating position, it doesn’t suit my rather short legs, but beggars can’t be choosers.
The venue was very nice, very light and bright and clean. Being close to the ground, my eyes are usually drawn to the carpet, noted to be quite clean with very few food stains.
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After a quick read of the menu, all four of us decided to choose from the display cabinets. For Xaria cheese scone and cheese roll, Liane had a toasty sandwich and cheese roll, and Nighthawk and I had a sausage roll and cheese roll.
The coffees arrived first, but not too early (that’s my pet hate, drink your hot coffee before the food, or save the cold coffee for consumption with food). The food was generally okay, but we all had disappointments. Paula’s scone was more of a muffin. Liane’s toasty wasn’t particularly appetising, and Nighthawk and I thought the sausage rolls were bulk supplied rather than fresh.
We were all a little disappointed with the cheese rolls, a bit under-cooked, barely warm on arrival, and served with rock-hard butter which defied spreading. My bright idea – stack two rolls with butter between and leave for a minute or so – that did the trick.
So would I go back again? I think so, but I would try something different to eat.
So this week we looked on our "Google Calendar' to see where we were going and it said Blackstone café Mosgiel. We have been here before, but again like the many other cafés it was before our official Cafescapade. This time we were meeting our friends there for a catch up and chin wag. We do this once a month, and we already have our next café meet up chosen.
The café was pretty busy when we arrived so we grab basically the only available table in the corner with stools rather than chairs... apparently not Kens favourite seating position (Sorry that was all that was available at the time 
). As I mentioned before a busy café can sometimes be a double edge blade, it is a sign that it is popular, but can also mean things can take a bit longer and sometimes not getting the good seats.
Our friends arrived and we had a quick glance over the menu, but in the end all deciding that just get something from the cabinet/display what we are calling serve over food. Sausage roll and cheese roll for Ken and I, and cheese scone and cheese roll for Xaria. Liane got a toasty sandwich and cheese roll. Plus our standard coffee's.
The coffees arrived first and pretty quickly under the circumstances of being pretty busy, however I do prefer it when the food arrives first and your while your are eating you get your coffee. It means coffee doesn't go too cold while your eating.
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Xaira's cheese scone we all thought was more of a muffin, which is fine, but just call it a muffin not a scone. Even I know the difference and I am not that intelligent we it comes to these types of thing (actually I am not that intelligent at all but that is another story.) The sausage roll I am pretty sure was mass produced and bulk bought in, we don't think they were freshly made in house, (I could be wrong... but...) It was okay, it wasn't bad, however I did personally think the relish was pretty good, but to be honest, it was a pretty bulk standard sausage roll.
The cheese rolls came with pretty hard butter (barely defrosted) and least microwave the butter a bit? It was barely spreadable. And why is it that places barely heat them up, I am starting to say this more and more often, most of the time the scones and cheese rolls etc need just that extra minute... Now I am not 100% sure on Liane's toasty but she didn't eat it all.
The coffee's were ok, but as above, do prefer the food first then coffee's.
Now Blackstones Café does feel and does have that atmosphere of café, but after today I am not really in a hurry to return or go back as I was not overly impressed this time round. That being said I am not saying I will never go back.
