The Station

Alness

The Station is located on Alness High Street and offers the ‘Mega Sunday Breakfast’ between 9am and 12pm. The order was taken quickly and the breakfast was served within 10 minutes. During the wait a large pot of tea and a large cafetier was placed on the table but no sugar or milk was placed on the table. A small jug of milk and sugars on the table would have been nice – instead you have to venture to the table with the cereal on it. The toast (brown or white) was also served immediately, about 10 minutes before the actual breakfast, but no side plates were served to place the toast on. It would be better if the toast was served when the breakfast came out.

The ‘Mega Sunday Breakfast’ also includes cereal and chilled juice and these were displayed on a small table – but it wasn’t obvious that these were for the customer or just waiting to be put away. The Station also advertises that vegetarian substitutes are available. The cooked breakfast was amazing and it is cooked to order with your choice of poached, fried or scrambled eggs – and you get two eggs. The breakfast appeared to be grilled and there was nothing to criticise about it. Served on a large plate it contained two tasty sausages, a lovely black pudding, bacon, tattie scone, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans and 2 eggs. The breakfast was certainly filling but if you are not completely full you can order more items for free, although this was quite hard to do as the staff never once came over and asked if more food or drink was required. In fact the staff either hid in the back of the restaurant or elsewhere in the hotel, so extra coffee was never received.

This breakfast was really good and has scored 4 out of 5 stars. It missed out on the Ultimate Full Scottish Breakfast 5 star mark due to it missing haggis and a lorne sausage. On the hunt for the Ultimate Full Scottish Breakfast marks are awarded only for the quality of the cooked breakfast and not the service provided, otherwise the points would have been lower. It’s important to focus on the food and not the service as sometimes the staff has bad days – they’re only human after all and it might be better next time.

Overall this was an excellent breakfast which is both filling and good value for money. The inclusion of chilled juice, cereals and refills on the cooked breakfast makes this establishment a cut above the rest in the area and our highest scoring breakfast so far.

Recommendations for the Owner to achieve Full Scottish Breakfast Greatness:
(In order of priority)

1. Include Haggis and Lorne Sausage.




Breakfast served at times
9am-12pm Sunday
Breakfast advertised as
Mega Sunday Breakfast
Price
£7.95
Breakfast contents
Unlimited refills of any items
Vegetarian options available
Choice of 2 poached, 2 fried or scrambled eggs
2 Sausages
2 Rashers of bacon
Black Pudding
1 Tomato – halved
Tattie scone
Beans
Mushrooms
Toast – choice of brown or white
Cereals also included
Tea/Coffee Included
Yes
Chilled juices also included
How cooked
Grilled
Service Time Queuing
Quick but one of the first few customers
Service Time Waiting for Order
10 minutes
Star Score
4/5
Points deducted for

Website
Missing lorne sausage and haggis
http://www.stationbarhotel.co.uk







UPDATE

After another visit to The Station in Alness, we had a slightly different experience. The first point to mention is that the breakfast now includes a hash brown! We love a bonus item. The second point to note is that we were given the choice of what and how many items were put on the plate. Now I’m not sure if you get refills anymore, like we were told the first time, or if you just order as much as you can greedily manage? The third and final point is that the service was excellent, much better than the first time. The cereals and juice were laid out nicely, milk for the tea was brought out, side plates for the toast were given and the waitress (different one from the last time) was extremely helpful and attentive.
Updated Menu

Breakfast served at times
9am-12pm Sunday
Breakfast advertised as
Mega Sunday Breakfast
Price
£7.95
Breakfast contents
Unlimited amount of any item
Vegetarian options available
Choice of poached, fried or scrambled eggs
Sausages
Rashers of bacon
Black pudding
Tomato
Tattie scone
Beans
Mushrooms
Hash brown
Toast – choice of brown or white
Cereals also included
Tea/Coffee Included
Yes
Chilled juices also included
How cooked
Grilled
Service Time Queuing
Quick but one of the first few customers
Service Time Waiting for Order
10 minutes
Star Score
4/5
Points deducted for
Website
Missing lorne sausage and haggis
http://www.stationbarhotel.co.uk



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