Guest review by Ally Hadden

The Bridgeview Station

Riverside Drive

Dundee

DD1 4DB

Website

The Bridgeview Station was originally a small train station and has been everything from a truck stop to a greasy spoon. Fortunately for the natives of Dundee and many others it is now a contemporary cafe/restaurant offering a wide range of quality food, locally sourced and of course breakfast. 

Upon entering - The eating area itself is very clean and crisp. Dark wood with slate tablemats with some original features, since my last visit it now hosts a few contemporary paintings adding to the feel. As three sides of the main restaurant are glass it’s light and airy and not to foreboding considering the dark wood tables and flooring. You are met by cheery waiting staff who then escort you to a table, we pre-booked as it is a popular haunt, especially as it overlooks the famous old Tay Bridge. Lots of walkers, cyclist etc. pop in for morning coffee and food. 8 out of 10

Service
I’ve visited the Bridgeview many times whilst visiting the homeland and you are always met with a smile, the waitresses are friendly and polite, and more often than not the owner is there making sure you receive a warm welcome. The atmosphere is relaxed and you never feel as if you are being rushed or harassed to finish up and move on. They are very accommodating towards young children and there is plenty of choice for the “wee ones” 10 out of 10 (because of the way they welcome children)

Contents
Breakfast offer a good range from bacon, sausage on a roll, scrambled eggs, poached eggs and a range of cooked food, including the full cooked breakfast. The full breakfast consists of 2 slices of bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, fried egg, tomatoes, “tattie scone”, thick butchers sausage and two slices of thick toast, accompanied by a pot of tea. 9 out of 10

Presentation
The plates are well presented and spread over the plate, nothing is piled on top of each other although in Scotland they don’t seem to have cottoned on to serving the beans in a little pot, still this is something I can live with. There were 5 adults and 3 children in our party and all 5 full breakfasts were identical. 9 out of 10

The food
I would have to say the food was faultless in terms of quality. A proper butchers beef sausage and thick rinds of bacon with very little fat, the black pudding was moist and the “tattie scone” which is like a flatbread but made from potatoes and flour was thin, crispy and not too heavy. The egg was gooey when cut which is how I like it. Thick slices of toast ideal for mopping up the bean juice and egg. My only gripe was there could have been a few more mushrooms. 9 out of 10

Value for money
A full was £5-95 or was it £5-75 (sorry forgot to take a pic of the menu) but I consider this to be excellent value for money, especially as the bacon, sausage, black pudding and eggs are all locally sourced. There is plenty enough on the plate to set you up for the day. The kids had bacon and sausage on rolls and my eldest had a huge portion of scrambled egg on toast again very good value. 10 out of 10

Overall
Taking into consideration the decor, the location, service and price I have to say this is a must if you ever visit Dundee. It has a very good reputation (I’ve had an evening meal there and it was very good and excellent value for money). It’s a popular place and you can see why. A little gem on the banks of the Tay River. 9 out of 10 (few more mushrooms please)