DolceBunnie

Showing posts with label Coffee. Show all posts

Botero | 258 Adelaide Street, Brisbane CBD QLD 4000

I was able to leave Minibun George with mum the other day so that I could have a lunch date with the other travel bunnie in the city and have some shopping time on my own afterwards.

Botero on Adelaide Street in the CBD created quite a buzz when it opened its doors, so inevitably, I wanted to check it out. Occupying an entire 3-storey heritage building, Botero offers delightful food and coffee that makes it the perfect lunch spot. In addition to the daily specials written on a blackboard, the page long menu offers five mains and three sides.

We were greeted by a smiling waitress before she took our order, crispy skin market fish ($21) for me and a bavette steak with wasabi butter, chips, shiitake ketchup, watercress and radish salad ($23) for the other travel bunnie. Coffee arrived shortly after the orders were taken, and let me tell you, my heart skipped a beat when I tasted my latte ($3.60). It tasted like pure perfection. It was smooth, sweet, yet full bodied. In terms of the food, I think the team at Botero does a great job at being creative and differentiating itself to the majority of the cafes in the CBD. Both dishes were bistro quality. Complemented by yellow curry sauce and pineapple sambal, my fish was beautifully cooked with salted crispy skin and wonderfully soft sweet flesh, while the quinoa and coconut chips added texture to the dish. In comparison to the fish, I think the bavette steak was less impressive, but still tasty, especially with the interesting flavour of the wasabi butter.

Would I go back again? Most definitely.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $53.60

My Mistress | 515 Sandgate Road, CLAYFIELD QLD 4011

“Wanna go to My Mistress?” the other travel bunnie said to me with a cheeky grin while we were still in bed last Sunday. I looked at him and nodded with excitement. No, I’m not crazy. If anything, it’d be crazy for me to say no to the proposal. The thing that you need to know is, My Mistress is a café. Set in a house with rustic décor in the suburb of Clayfield, the café provides a nice range of breakfast and lunch options with names that would be sure to make you blush.

We ordered a chai latte ($4) and a peppermint tea ($4) to warm up our tummies while trying to decide on the food. Let’s see, there’s the Rendezvous with smashed avocado on sourdough toast with feta, olive oil, fresh basil and lemon; then comes the Morning Glory with Smoked bacon, free range egg, rocket, Swiss cheese, tomato relish, aioli on a toasted bagel… or if you prefer to have The Hook Up which comes with smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion and dill on a toasted bagel. The other travel bunnie and I drooled at each other as we were spoiled for choices and hence struggled to decide on our dishes. In the end, we decided to share the Eggs Monica which comes with corn, zucchini and haloumi fritters with blistered cherry tomatoes, a haloumi slab, seasoned avocado smash and a free range fried egg ($17) and the Sweet Thang: French toast with smoked bacon, maple syrup and seasonal market fruit ($14). We sat in our seats with our backs bathed in the sun, eagerly waited, watched the smoke rising out of the semi-open kitchen behind a wall of wooden slats and wondered what was to come. The food arrived reasonably quickly given how popular My Mistress was on the day. As soon as I saw the dishes, my mouth started watering. Both dishes tasted fantastic. I loved the fact that once cut open, golden egg yolk covered the crispy fritters that were overloaded with sweetness from the corn and slight saltiness of the haloumi. I loved the sensation of the sweet juice from those bright red blistered cherry tomatoes bursting in my mouth. And as for the French toast, I couldn’t get enough of it, albeit the portion was extremely generous. The dish was done the proper, traditional way with thickly sliced bread soaked in egg batter, fried then drenched with sweet, sweet, maple syrup; not to mention that the smoked bacon created a great contrast.

Yes, by the end of the meal I completely fell head over heels for My Mistress.

The service was upbeat and very friendly. Even Minibun George enjoyed his time there as he gulped a frothy babycino on the house.

Let My Mistress’ good cooking seduce you. You know you want to.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $39.

Vue Lounge | 83 Merthyr Road, NEW FARM QLD 4005

I’m not gonna lie, waking up early in winter sucks. I love hiding under my Versace duvet and wrapping bamboo cotton sheets around me to keep myself warm, and the thought of getting out of the bed to face the coldness is nothing but daunting. Unless. Unless, I have a scrumptious breakfast appointment to go to, like the other morning.

I’ve visited Vue Lounge once; a long time ago, when I was on a mission to eat at as many places in Brisbane as I possibly could. If you’ve been following me from that time, you would perhaps notice that back then, all my posts were pretty basic, in terms of trying to express my dining experiences. Everything was either bad or good, but hardly any reason was given.

As I jumped out of the car, the cold morning wind sent chills down my spine, and not even a Burberry trench coat could have prevented that. I was at Vue Lounge to try out their new winter menu. Thank god it was warm and cozy inside. After I gulped the first mouthful of my mocha, which was extremely creamy and chocolaty, I regained my senses, and the smells of sizzling bacon, fried eggs, freshly grinded coffee beans and buttery pastries swamped me. I loved it! I’m terrible at making decisions when it comes to food, and the team at Vue Lounge is so thoughtful to come up with the Breakfast Board – served with bacon, pork belly, chorizo, mushrooms, fried eggs, pane ($21), yep, pretty much every good breakfast ingredient that you can think of. I needed that dish. Let’s be honest, who wouldn't want to have pork belly for breakfast? Its rich flavour and melt-in-your mouth texture keeps your tummy warm during winter days. It’s good for you! I ate mine within minutes and I think the Breakfast Board is the breakfast of champions. However, if you’re not a carnivore like me, the winter menu also includes a vegetarian option, that’s stacked with smashed avocado, wilted spinach, asparagus, roasted tomato, mushrooms, poached eggs, malt & barley bread ($21).

Vue Lounge is very popular amongst the New Farm locals, and rightly so. Their new winter menu is definitely a winner with a broad range of options, savoury or sweet.

If you haven’t decided on where to go for breakfast tomorrow morning, perhaps give Vue Lounge a nudge.

Disclaimer: DolceBunnie was an invited guest of Vue Lounge, however my opinion is as always, my own.

The Jetty Oxford | 1 Oxford Street, BULIMBA QLD 4171

We happened to be in the neighbourhood of Bulimba on the weekend and decided to have breakfast there given that we don’t usually venture out to that part of town. Why were we there? Well, it’s something that I’m extremely excited about, but I feel as though it is slightly premature to share my excitement with you. I will no doubt be announcing the big news when the time is right.

With a fitting name, The Jetty on Oxford Street is situated right next to the ferry terminal and looks very inviting. Think white wooden walls against copper and stones, freshly baked pastries, and tables made of thick wood.

I ordered a caramel latte ($5) to start my day, a caramel latte in a mug to be precise. Yep, I needed the caffeine and it tasted delicious. The other travel bunnie opted for a slightly healthier option - freshly squeezed carrot and orange juice with ginger ($7).

Breakfast took a while to come out, but all was forgiven as the tastiness of everyone’s dish was definitely worth the wait. The winner was mum’s sautéed mushrooms, organic olive toast, soft feta, rocket & truffle oil ($16.50) with a side of scrambled egg ($3.50). While you can never go wrong with the traditional scrambled eggs with maple bacon, ciabatta toast, roasted vine tomatoes & basil ($15.50) which is what the other travel bunnie had, I thought my coconut quinoa bircher, golden raisins, strawberries, bowen mango, ‘COYO’ coconut yoghurt & toasted shaved coconut ($14) (wow that was a mouthful), looked so pretty! I didn’t think it would be enough to fill my tummy but the quinoa bircher was surprisingly filling and the COYO was so light and fluffy, it melted on my tongue and left a lingering coconut flavour in my mouth.

Breakfast at The Jetty was without a doubt an enjoyable one. The servings were generous, the food was tasty and the ambience was lively yet relaxing. Plus, it’s baby friendly! You can’t go wrong with this one.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $61.50

Denim Co. | Shop B09a Little Stanley Street, SOUTH BRISBANE QLD 4101

A late Sunday breakfast session always relaxes me, and the bunnies’ recent visit to Denim Co. was absolutely what we needed after weeks of running errands in order to organise minibun George’s baptism (it was a perfect event and I have plenty of photos to share).

We arrived shortly after 9.30 on Sunday morning in order to avoid the morning rush, but noticeably Denim Co. is popular amongst the locals and it was pumping. A brunette lady wearing gold glittered Converse shoes walked over to introduce herself (her name was Sophia) as the cafe’s manager and she turned out to be a bubbly sweetheart with an Italian upbringing and naturally she’s passionate about great food.

We started off with some nicely chilled fresh pineapple juice, followed by an iced hazelnut latte and a sweet, creamy strawberry milkshake served in a retro glass milk bottle. I’m usually not a fan of syrup in coffee, but the iced hazelnut latte tasted delicious with the sweetness from the syrup rounded out any bitterness from the espresso. I felt like it was the perfect Sunday coffee, not too sharp, just mellow and smooth yet refreshing.

The other travel bunnie and I were stuck on what to have for breakfast as there were several dishes that we were both very keen on. With perfect timing Sophia walked over to us and suggested that she would bring us a selection of their breakfast dishes (which mind you, are available all day from 7am until 3pm allowing you to have that sleep in that you’ve been craving for all week).

Dude, they sure know how to spoil their customers. The dishes were beautifully presented on wooden serving boards and dainty china plates. It was as if our table had turned into a blank canvas with vibrant colours artistically painted all over. We almost didn’t know where to start. Almost. The other travel bunnie quickly moved on the balsamic mushrooms, spinach and fetta on Turkish toast while I feasted on the smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill on dark rye accessorised with a poached egg. The other travel bunnie doesn’t usually order mushrooms for breakfast because he’s more of a bacon and eggs sort of guy. But he was impressed with the mushrooms. According to him they were simple but flavoursome and the Turkish toast had the perfect crispiness. We finished off with fluffy pancakes served with mixed berries and maple syrup (and a little toasted banana bread). By that time we were so happy and content, and we were both ready for a nap.

I must say that I was surprised at the price of the dishes. Being located in a prime spot on Little Stanley Street, I expected Denim Co. to charge a premium for their food to take advantage the passing tourist trade. But much to the contrary, the dishes are really well priced.

Before we left Sophia handed us with two lunch boxes filled with their goodies. Let’s just say that they quickly disappeared and relocated into our tummies after we got home that afternoon. Although I do feel that the Italian peach (pesche con crema) needs to be specially mentioned. Denim Co. gets an old Italian lady to make these and these cream filled peach shaped cakes are just too cute to resist.

Disclaimer: the bunnies were welcomed to Denim Co. as invited guests, however my opinion is as always, my own.

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