Half time tea bar - Sunnybank

Most of my readers would know, since my introduction to leisurely weekend brunches last year, I've taken it up with much enthusiasm, and gone to quite a few cafe style breakfast joints. Last week though, as I was trawling through new places to try out, I came to the realisation that despite going to different cafes, my breakfast never really deviates from the regular bacon/egg/avocado/salmon combinations, so to shake things up a bit, this week we went to Half Time Tea Bar for a Taiwanese style breakfast.

Whilst I didn't get much of a photo, the restaurant was full to the top and quite chaotic. It took a moment for us to realise that we had to order at the counter and find our own seats. 

We picked up a menu and made our order at the counter. Service was probably one of the fastest I've ever had.

For our breakfast choices we chose Stir Fried Noodles, Vermicelli Noodle Soup with Pork Intestines, Deep Fried Breadsticks and some Pan Fried Dumplings. 

My friend took the stir fry noodles, which was served with mushrooms and seasoned vegetables in a soy sauce base. My friend found the soy sauce base was quite enjoyable and the occasional vege treats to be the right mix ratio to noodles. My friend found the serving size to be just right for a breakfast and the noodles were not overly oily. 

I on the other hand had the Vermicelli Noodle Soup with pork intestines. The flavours were very strong yet quite comforting (especially with the strong garlic taste). The noodles were very soft, such that it almost felt more soup like than a noodle dish, and I really liked the chewiness of the pork intestines.

As a side we ordered some dumplings to compliment our choice of mains. The dumplings were soft not overcooked and quite juicy. The skin was not thick and the meat was well seasoned. However I found the base wasn’t overly crispy which may have been because it wasn't freshly panfried. 

As if to make sure we could not possibly be hungry, we added a side of Deep fried bread sticks. My friend found them very crispy but they were also very chewy and doughy on the inside. What I did note however was it was a bit too oily. 

To wash our very filling breakfast down, we ordered Taiwanese milk tea to finish off. However it was definitely a different interpretation of milk tea compared to the Hong Kong styles I am used to. For my friend it reminded him of Ovaltine due to its soft mellow overtones. Overall Half Time Tea Bar is definitely a solid choice for a taste of what a Taiwanese breakfast is like. With it’s no frills service it is good value for money.

Price Range: $10 - $15pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10