Blueys Aussie Steakhouse, Alfreton
Published On Sunday 30 Jun 2013 by Sticky Beak
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It's always a good sign when you walk into a bar/restaurant and you're met with a happy, smiley face and a friendly "Hello". Not only are the staff welcoming at Blueys Bar & Steakhouse, but the range of beers, wines and spirits is excellent and the food is fantastic too. Whether it's a fried breakfast, burger at lunch or a more exotic meat for dinner you can be sure it will be superbly cooked and presented.
On this occasion we were celebrating the other halfs birthday, so we decided to go the whole hog and have starters, mains and dessert.Birthday boy had kangaroo skewers to start, and I had the sticky BBQ pork ribs. The skewers were very nicely presented with salad garnish, and the chunks of meat were indeed chunks ( not just measley bits of meat hidden among the vegetables ). My pork ribs were also very meaty and the sauce was nicely flavoursome, not just hot and spicy for the sake of it - nicely spiced to compliment the ribs.I particularly liked the fact that the sauce was presented in a separate little bowl, so you could put as much or as little on as you wanted. A lot of establishments just douse the ribs with far too much sauce ( usually to cover up a sub-standard meat in my experience); although I do have to confess that I like a rather liberal covering of sauce myself !
We decided to make the most of the fact that we were dining just as a couple, sans child, and had booked a taxi to take us home. On the basis of that fact, we thought it would’ve been rather rude not to make the most of Bluey’s wine list; and seeing as he likes white and I prefer red wines, we had a bottle of each !! The boy wonder had a very nice Chardonnay ( Mornington Peninsula) and I had a very cheeky Cabernet Sauvignon ( Hundred Line). Not the cheapest bottles on offer but it was a special occasion, and they were both well worth the money.
For my main course I had the swordfish steak, with homemade chunky chips, coleslaw and steak garnish, with an additional side salad. The man had waygu beef with the chips and steak garnish. Because I am such a considerate wifey I let hubster have my onion rings. My man is many things, but verbosity is not a quality you would associate with him; however such was the impact of the beef on him he uttered the line “ rarely has something been such a pleasure to eat “. Now, I blame the wine totally for this verbal outpouring you understand, but I was so shocked at such a profound statement issuing from his lips that I wrote it down. I will say at this point, that I had to try a morsel of Waygu for myself ( just for research purposes obviously), and can confirm that it was indeed blooming delicious.
For dessert Blueys had several tempting options, but at this point myself and the man turned into predictable creatures, and ordered the Chocolate Mousse. Quite simply, it is the best mousse I have ever eaten. In fact, no, let me elaborate further - it is the best dessert I have ever eaten ( and I have eaten rather a few in my time ). The only other dessert to even come close ( again chocolate), was a trio of homemade chocolate desserts I had the pleasure of eating at The Dog Inn in Pentrich a few years ago.
Blueys is an authentic representation of its Aussie roots, right here in Blighty. The eating area is light & airy, not fancy pants, faux-posh pretentiousness. If you love good food and beverages supplied by people who actually know about the products they serve, this'll be bob on for you.
In summary, the food was superbly cooked, and well presented; the staff and service was very friendly and professional; the alcohol menu was extensive and extremely enjoyable. Recommended whole-heartedly by this bird and her mate.xx