Hi Fellow Forum Members,
I recently made purchase of a new outdoor bbq kitchen set-up. The reason I write this review is that I found the process more difficult than I thought, with conflicting views from many people who feel aligned to specific brands, not to mention the plethora of credible alternatives out there!
In the end I landed on the Blue Tongue Chefmaster Galley Series and have been delighted with the choice.
I spent considerable time researching most of the major brands, comparing and contrasting the features and value for money. In my opinion, the latest range of Blue Tongues presented a great product, at very reasonable prices. We have now had our unit operational for about 6 weeks and could not be happier.
We opted for the 6+2 burner BBQ (basically a 6 burner BBQ, plus wok burner, plus rotisserie burner), outdoor twin fridge unit and sink unit. It looks superb as a set-up and has attracted many compliments from our family and mates.
All constructed out of 304 stainless (almost every last element, bar the enamel cast iron hot plate - which is preferable to stainless anyway). It is a very well built, sturdy unit and finished with precision - not flimsy in the slightest. Admittedly, yes, the unit is constructed in China, but quite clearly under very rigorous quality assurance standards. Frankly, I was willing to swallow the fact that it is produced offshore, as a comparable Australian made unit was approximately three times the cost. Fine if you have the money and inclination, I guess. But don't be fooled here, it is possible to have quality product produced offshore. Most of the stainless used in the Australian produced units is probably sourced offshore. So it just comes down to ensuring you have sharp fabrication and assembly processes, which Blue Tongue clearly does.
We have already produced some stellar cooking results on it - BBQ roast lamb is to die for. Have used the rotisserie to do a roast beef, and have recently experimented with the smoker box. I can see this becoming a real hobby. Still haven't tried Noel's pork roast, but it is next cab off the rank.
The customer service I received from Noel ("Bluey") was exceptional. Very friendly, happy to take several calls and answer any questions I had. Nice to deal with the owner of the company, who has been refining and selling these units successfully for a number of years now.
Now to view the units in the flesh, I did need to venture out to Blacktown (for the Sydney-siders amongst us), as the display units are located at a logistics depot. But it was all very easy to find and the opening hours were flexible (I actually went and saw them at 6am one day). I should say, this probably all helps to keep the cost of the units down (as they are only sold via the company's online retail site). From ordering to delivery was a matter of days and very easy, as the units come all pre-assembled. Converting it from LPG to LNG (the units can do either) was a touch fiddly, but not beyond the realms of the average bloke (took about an hour - instructions all very clear though).
Anyway, that's just my two cents worth, as I wasn't able to find a recent helpful post of these units (which also speaks volumes, as it is generally the aggrieved that write reviews). Happy to provide the plug for Blue
Tongue here, as a satisfied customer.
For those interested, this is the unit I purchased: https://www.bluetonguebbqs.com.au/bbqs/ ... combo.html
Cheers all, hopefully this is of use to someone. I have seen the question raised a few times previously on this forum.