Luna Park Cafe

I'm a huge history buff, especially when it comes to the World Wars.  So imagine my disappointment when we had to leave the Museum of Flight (last year) just as we were entering the displays on WWI and WWII.  You see, the kiddies were hungry and we had already spent over 3 hours at the museum.  Determined to visit it again, we made our way to there this time around and headed straight to the part I wanted to see.  We met up with our friends Lola and Scout who had free passes.  Score!  Afterwards, after another 3 hours, the kids were ready to leave once again.  We ended up heading to Luna Park Cafe, which sits on the site of a former amusement park.  Hence, the decor in the cafe has all sorts of memorabilia.  In essence, the place is a diner complete with a long counter and jukebox. As such, I got into the diner mood by ordering a Creamsicle Shake.  As clearly shown in the picture, the shake was melting over the sides while a nearly full tin essentially doubled-up the order.  It was creamy, not crazy sweet and yes, very creamsicle-ish.  I liked how it was thick, yet at the same time, easy to process through a straw at the same time.

For my main, I had the Gut Bomb, which sounded really large in theory, but ended up to be a decent-sized burger with ham, cheese and a fried egg.  Nothing particularly amazing nor disappointing with it - a capable burger that filled my tummy.  The ham was moist while the patty was dry and slightly chewy. The bottom half of the bun was a bit wet as well. The side of fries looked amply fried and starch-coated, thus being really crispy.  Viv went for Jackie's Favorite which was a turkey melt with green chilies.  The turkey was dry while the green chilies added a nice tartness and slight kick. It was kissed by the flat-top with a nearly burnt (but not) exterior which added crunch and butteriness.  She had it with a side of Clam Chowder which was super rich with a heavy dosage of bacon.  Hence, there was no shortage of salty-smoky flavour to go with the creaminess and clammy broth.  This was good, but a cup was all one could take.

Scout had The Grinder which resembled a Philly cheese steak, but not.  It was pretty good with lots of ingredients prepared on a flat top, but what was the star of the plate was the thick crunchy onion rings.  I generally like the breaded version more, but this one was coated pretty thick and was super crunchy - hence very good. Lola went for the 1/2 Veggie Sandwich with a side of Chili.  The grilled veggies were vibrant with a slight char.  Despite the high moisture content, the bread did get wet which was a pleasant surprise.  The chili had a good kick although it was predominantly beans.

As for the kiddies, my son had the *yawn* Grilled Cheese.  Does he ever want anything else?  Anyways, it was made with real cheddar and toasted a golden brown.  However, there shredded cheese in the middle was not completely melted.  My daughter had the Kid's Burger and it was plenty big for her.  She wasn't particularly impressed with the chewiness of the patty though.  As you can see, the food here ain't gonna pioneer any culinary revolution.  It's a diner after all!  So if expectations are reasonable, Luna Park Cafe is a neat place to grab a meal.

The Good:
- Cool retro, eclectic digs
- Wonderful service
- Good milkshakes

The Bad:
- Food is so-so
- Long lineups (good for them)
- Lack of parking