Albion Charles Hotel

I have been to this place a few times since being quite close to the railway station means that I can stop off here and grab a drink while waiting for the train to come (it’s only a two minute walk). However, despite it being so close to the railway station doesn’t necessarily make it any good. In fact it stands out from many of the other pubs in the area in that it is your typical suburban pub with a gaming lounge and a sports bar (as well as a burger joint, but I’m not sure if it is actually part of the pub or just leasing one of the rooms). Okay, they do have specials, but the selection really isn’t all that great. There are actually much better pubs in the local area.

As far as pubs go in the area the Albion is nothing special. It’s a pokie & betting pub that I’d always sneered at on my way to more reputable places, until today.
This afternoon I awoke to weather altogether too hot for my wine induced hangover in desperate need of something greasy. This is when I found myself staring at a barren kitchen and very little desire to actually leave my house.
So the closeness of the Albion magically made it a very appealing location.
Well. Surprise, surprise!
I was pretty stocked to see a Saturday $ 10.90 parma & pot special when I arrived (alas I now see that price has increased). I wasted no time in ordering it, not caring how poor the quality was likely to be.
And then came this marvelous existence of a parma. An amazingly good sized piece of meat, especially for the price. Crumbed and cooked to perfection. Smothered in cheese, real tomatos and ham with shallots sprinkled on top. A very healthy supply of chips as well as a small garden salad to the side.
Now, I know my hungover state could mislead you as to the true quality of this meal but believe me when I say it was one of the best darn parma’s I have ever had! And it’s so refreshing to find a pub that still has a cheap parma & pot deal with a parma that is actually delicious.
And I have to mention that the staff are awesome. I don’t know if it’s just they were so excited to see someone who wasn’t addicted to gambling that they were especially nice but they were fantastic. Friendly, joking, easy with a smile.
I will be back. Often. And I suggest you all go and try it for yourselves. Revel in the rarity of cheap delicious food.

As Gabriel P. has observed, the Albion Charles Hotel’s only real saving grace is its $ 8 pot and parma deal on a Saturday. There I was, cycling back from a festival at organic, fair trade Mecca CERES when a familiar feeling struck: junk food craving. I needed a parma now.
So I sat there expecting some diminutive parma that just by dint of being a parma gave all parmas a bad name with its soggy diminution. How wrong I was. For the Albion Charles Hotel’s parma was as good as any I’ve had at a Fitzroy gastropub, as good as any I’ve had anywhere. This is a bona fide awesome deal.
Ok, there’s a predominance of gambling machines and pokies and men who look like they’re addicted to booze and women who look like they haven’t seen the light of day because of a reliance on pokies, but there’s also the parma deal. And a warning sign in the carpark that the Albion’s patrons must stop leaving their children in their cars while they go inside for what I can only presume is a parma.

This pokie and betting orientated pub certainly isn’t the crème da la crème of Melbourne taverns. In fact the sign in the car park that warns parents not to leave their children locked in the car (presumably so they can go inside to gamble) probably says it all really.
But the Albion Charles Hotel does have one saving grace. $ 8 pot and parma on Saturday. As Bear Grills would say «that is more protein pound for pound than beef» excuse the pun.
So if the loan sharks are knocking on the door and you need to save a penny or two you can’t go past a quite delicious and cheap parma. Just make sure you don’t have a gambling habit, because you will not come out on top is the case.