Easeys, Collingwood: lunch on a train in the sky

When the a cafe in a train on top of a building in Collingwood were pointed out to me I immediately said I would be back some day to eat there.  So it was that we found ourselves there a few weeks ago, learning the hard way that bookings for the carriage are essential.  The next weekend we were there again with a booking to enjoy a great meal with a panoramic view from the a hipster inner city burger joint.

It is quite amazing to look up and see the trains on the 5 story End to End building in Collingwood.  Wow those trains really ran off the tracks!  It is like Tootle's best day ever.  Actually they were placed there by crane as part of the architect's vision for the new building in 2013.  The trains are from the Hitachi fleet that cruised the rails of Melbourne from 1972 until they were all retired in 2014.  They were Melbourne's first suburban trains with power closing doors and heated carriages.  Most gobsmacking is that they were the last suburban trains not to have air conditioning!  In 2014!  There is so much we take for granted about our trains these days.

Entering on the ground floor is a small cafe with old train seats at tables that are printed to look like a train ticket.  We were offered seats here when the carriage was booked out on our last visit.  We were also given an option of outdoor seats beside the train but the perspex barrier at the end was so grotty we could not see the view.  I preferred to wait until we could eat in a carriage.  After all, there are plenty of other great cafes in Collingwood.
 

While there is a lift, it had a note that it is only for those who really need it.  So we trudged up the few flights of stairs.  They have done a great job with all the graffiti in the stairwell to immerse you in inner city railway culture.  It makes the walk up more enjoyable.
 

When we arrive in the train carriage we see past the tartan seats to the views and then down the carriage to the bar.  Of course they offer beers to wash down those burgers and perhaps to calm the nerves of those who do not like heights.  There is even an Easey's Lager.  We sat between a couple of young Asian women who could well have been instagrammers and a group of older Collingwood footy fans who were enjoying the beers.

I loved the view over Collingwood.  Five stories close enough to the ground to look around to see the people on the pavements and the street art on the walls.  Across the tops of warehouses we see an old industrial chimney and in the other direction I can see the old Collingwood Town Hall where many of my dad's family worked.  I had expected a view of the city but the trains are not quite oriented for this.

It was a cold winter's day so I ordered a mulled cider.  It was served in a branded tin mug.  I was quite happy to sit with my hands warming on the mug, sipping the warm spiced drink and surveying the world spread beneath me.

 

The menu is quite inclusive with notes of vegan and gluten free options upon request.  As vegetarians, we had a few options of burgers and sides.  I was impressed with the options going beyond just your regular burger and chips.

There were chips for all sorts of tastes: regular fries for the regular folk, tater tots for the nostalgic and sweet potato fries for the more health conscious.  This was not a place that I expect to return to so we indulged in Tater tot loaded with super cheesy macaroni & five cheese ($15).  These were excellent but very filling.

We also shared a serve of Corn ribs: seasoned with Easey's secret mix of herbs and spices ($8.50).  This was a fun side for us as vegetarians.  I am not really interested in the faux meat ribs that are on offer at other places but it worked really well with corn and the seasoning was really tasty.  

Four of the nine burgers had vegetarian options.  Sadly there were no meat-free hotdogs so we could not try the dog loaded with mac and cheese.  

Sylvia had the Cheeseburger with the Impossible vegan patty, American cheddar, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion & burger sauce ($19.50).  You can see it wrapped in "Impossible" paper at the top of the above photo collage.  She had not had the Impossible patty before and was impressed with it, though it was much better in a burger than by itself.

I was happy to have a meat-free burger option that did not involve mock meat.  I had "Your mate": potato & zucchini rosti, American cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions & burger sauce ($18.50).  It was messier than Sylvia's as you can see in the bottom photos of the above photo collage.  I didn't mind.  It tasted so good.   

We had so much food that we finished up taking some of our sides home.  But not before we wandered around the carriage and checked out the seats by the drivers controls.  I can imagine that this would be lots of fun for trainspotters and little kids.

Other trains on the roof are a recording studio and a hip hop store.  Given that I am unlikely to go to these places, I am very glad that Easeys gives a broad range of the public an opportunity to sit on a train on a rooftop with a fine view of Collingwood.

Easeys
3/48 Easey St, Collingwood
Open M-Th: 11am-10pm, Fr-Sun: 11am-11pm 
www.easeys.com.au