Eight Ounce Cafe - Springwood

Very recently, I've seen a series of Japanese cafes open in Brisbane with a wide assortment of Matcha themed food and drink. One that really stood out to me was Eight Ounce Cafe, located out in Springwood. With a reputation of hours long waits and menus that sell out if you dared show up later in the morning, I was intrigued. So we set out from home at 7.30am in the morning on a Saturday to ensure we got there at opening time to try it out.

The cafe itself wasn't too big and all seats were undercover but not indoors. This would probably be an issue later in the summer and I am glad I came before it was very hot. The menu was very unique by Brisbane standards, with a variety of Japanese style pastries and sandos as well as their signature chazuke. Prices were very steep and I sincerely hoped they were worth what we paid.

I had a matcha latte with a shot of coffee. My companion had a hojicha shake. Both were delicious. My matcha was particularly high quality and the intensity reminded me strongly of cafe creasion in Sydney. With the added shot of coffee, it was the perfect drink in the morning. 

My companion had the toriniku chazuke. I managed to sample some and found it delightful. The chazuke came with soup already poured over. The soup itself was creamy and wholesome without being too heavy. The chicken was probably cooked with a sous vide machine because it was so tender and moist without drying out. 

Opting for the (most expensive) signature dish, I had the Unagi Chazuke. Having seen pictures of it online, I was afraid it would be small, however it was actually as filling as you would expect for a main meal. The rice was seasoned with crunchy furikake and topped with a whole grilled eel, garnished with tempura perilla and enoki. The whole eel was generous in size and made the $32 price tag worthwhile. I think it erred on the side of being a bit undercooked as the skin was still a little bit too chewy rather than crispy, but the flavours were very wholesome and complementary. The soup was clear and umami. 

Overall we had a fantastic time at eight ounce cafe. The prices were high but we were given value for what we paid. I am very keen to come back for another matcha latte and perhaps a sando.

Price Range: $35 - $45pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10 

Beurre Pastries - Milton

Pastries are undoubtedly a passion of mine and I cannot walk past a good croissant. I've had beurre on my list for a while since they opened but being located on Park Road makes it somewhat difficult for me to find parking and I didn't get to go until we stopped on the way to a friend's house in Indro. 

Arriving fairly early on a Sunday there was a short queue to get in, but at least parking wasn't difficult on the side streets. Luckily all pastries were still in stock and staff were very efficient and friendly.

Drinks wise, we had the thai milk tea with cold foam. I was bracing myself for a very sweet drink, but these were surprisingly perfect. The tea itself was very strong and not sweetened at all whilst the cold foam was fluffy, decadent and lightly sweet. We really enjoyed the drink and highly recommend it.

 

I was quite taken aback by how big the croissants were. When they first opened, I had read a number of reviews commenting on the high prices and small portions at Beurre, so it was definitely positive to see they had taken this feedback on board and made their pastries larger. The pain au chocolate was probably twice the size of others I have had and both were buttery, flakey and wholesome. It's definitely not as good as my favourite Reno, but it would sit comfortably within my top five in Brisbane and I'm keen to try out their other drinks and baked goods next time. 

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 8/10 

Environment: 8/10 



 

Snug - Coorparoo

Of all the suburbs that come to mind for cafes and brunch, Coorparoo probably wouldn't make the top three list in Brisbane. However it has undeniably been growing and developing well. Last week, we made the quick trip out to Snug, the fairly newly opened Korean inspired cafe along Chatsworth Rd for a catch up. We had purposefully timed it earlier in the morning, but it was completely packed by 9AM.

We found ourselves seated on the long wooden bench overlooking the open kitchen. Best seats in the house. I loved the warm cozy environment, however there were a number of flies in the restaurant, despite it being well into autumn. 

 

Menus were obtained at the counter. Both the food and drink menu was fairly short but well curated with a definite Korean twist. I was actually very keen to try the Omu Rice, but it was too early in the day for me to have such a substantial meal.

Given how busy the venue was, it was expected that food and drink would have taken a while. Our drinks took around 25 mins and it was evident by then that my cappuccino had been sitting on the counter for a little while. Having said that, it was still very warm and for a regular, the size was generous and strong. 

Our food came before our drinks. Sitting on the kitchen bench, we were lucky to be able to watch as our meals were prepared.

Queen V had the soup of the day which came with a pretzel. Although the colour of the soup reminded me of mushroom more than anything, it was a miso soup. This was rich and creamy, a lot thicker than miso soups that I am used to, but an interesting rendition nonetheless.

I had an egg drop sandwich being their signature dish. The milk bread was thinner sliced than I had imagined, having seen pictures of very thick cut milk toasts, however the egg was done exceptionally well, scrambled to a perfect consistency. There was also a generous amount of stringy cheese in the sando along with fresh crisp lettuce. For the price, I think it was a very decent sandwich that I wouldn't mind returning for. In summary, we had a good time at Snug, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back which is quite something given the state of the breakfast scene these days.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Sincerity by Jacorey - Upper Mt Gravatt

Readers may be reminded that we had quite a good time at Jacorey cafe at the Valley. I was quite excited to hear that they opened a second branch out at Mt Gravatt, which meant not needing to take the bus into the city to get my fix. Arriving at 9am on a Saturday, the place was packed and it was hard to get a table. They also do not take reservations. Unlike their valley store, there was no menus and we had to rely on ordering via the display cabinet, which was also unmarked with prices. 

 

Getting drinks first, I had a matcha latte with an extra shot of espresso whilst my friend had a latte. I was quite shocked that my drink (even with the extra shot), came to $7.30. The large size was probably closer to the medium sizes I could get elsewhere and the shot was also about half the size of usual. The drink itself was quite well done, the milk was silky smooth but the matcha was quite sweet. For that price, I couldn't recommend it. 

In terms of food, we opted for some dishes to share because we couldn't choose. It's also noteworthy to state here that they don't sell chubby sandos in their Mt Gravatt branch. 

First up was the bulgogi croissant with cheese corn. The croissant was buttery and flakey but there wasn't too much by way of beef inside of it. The cheesy corn was stringy and sweet though, but overall not that special compared to other croissants I have tried. The salad on the side was a nice touch but overall, I don't think it warranted the price.

The brekky croissant also represented similar value for money, with some tomato, sausage and a poached egg inside of the croissant, it was delicious, but didn't stand out compared to cafes near work where I could get one to go before starting my day. 

Looking for something more unique, we had the brown cheese croissant as our sweet option. The base croissant was the same as above, it was topped with a considerable amount of cream and an odd caramelised sweet and savoury cheese. I found it to be quite decadent and the cheese to be quite strongly flavoured, probably not something I would go back for either.

They did however, have brownies for sale, I ordered a box to take home for dessert. These were flavoursome, not too sweet and had a sticky texture to it and a fragrant rice smell to them. I quite enjoyed these and wouldn't be adverse to popping in for some to go, but other than that, I'd have to say that the food and drink were not that impressive here and I'd much rather go back to their original valley store.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 3/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10

My Mistress - Albion

First brunch of the new year and a friend of ours asked to hang out while he went through some drama that was happening in his life. We wanted somewhere we could hang out for a longer period of time and catch up. A friend suggested My Mistress as the perfect spot, so off we went.

 

Bookings are recommended, especially for hot summer days when there is high demand for inside seating. We were lucky to get a seat. As with some more modern places these days, the menu was available via QR code, allowing us all ease to order and pay separately.

 

Drinks didn't take too long to come out, I had an iced long black given the hot weather and Dr L had his usual iced chocolate. Mine was cool and refreshing, but could have been stronger. The portion was generous though. His was rich and delicious, coming with the requisite ice cream scoop which he adored.

Dr L and I shared our breakfasts to try more. This was the Eggs Marilyn. It was an eggs benedict on a toasted croissant with wilted spinach, poached eggs, house made hollandaise sauce. I had it with smoked salmon. For a full sized breakfast, this was a little small, as you can see, all fillings could comfortably fit inside of the croissant. In retrospect, I probably should have picked bacon for the protein as the salmon was cooked through and had a fairly fishy taste to it. The croissant was crisp though and the eggs were done well. 

Our other breakfast was the Strip Tease, which was made up of southern fried chicken, waffles, smashed avocado, Russian dressing, and topped with maple syrup. I ordered the maple syrup on the side and an extra serve of fried eggs. The chicken tasted fairly processed and seemed like the store bought supermarket variety that didn't have much meat texture to it. It was however crispy and well seasoned. The waffle was a little burnt. The eggs were cooked well and with the extra addition, it made for a fairly filling meal. Overall I found My Mistress to be a fairly standard cafe offering in terms of food, it was good but didn't stand out above the rest. Given the prices of going out to cafes these days, short of catching up with a friend, I would prefer making my own at home.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 6.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 5/10

 

Andonis - Yerongpilly

After our very pleasant experience at Andonis at Fortitude Valley, we took the opportunity to grab brunch at another branch, so we tried out Yerongpilly, which was fairly close to home. Again it was lucky that we booked early, because the crowd was immense. This was especially surprising given that it was located in a quasi industrial location. 

 

Like last time, there were far too many customers to staff, however they were friendly and tried their best to keep up, which was more than enough, given we were in no rush. The menu was largely the same as what was in the Valley, but we changed up our order.

Starting off with a cappuccino, the large cup wasn't too small, it was fragrant and strong but I think the milk could have been a bit creamier.

Between the two of us, we shared the big breakfast. It was definitely lucky that we did, because this was not something that one person alone could have demolished. The plate was generous and there was a huge selection available. Our personal favourites were the poached eggs which were done really well and the ripe avocado. The toast could have been grilled a little longer, as could the tomato, but overall it was quite delicious.

We also had a plain croissant to share, this came warmed and provided a nice addition to our big breakfast. Warm, flakey and buttery, it was delicious. Next time, I'm definitely coming back for their croissant benedict.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 8.5/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10