Blackstar Coffee @ West End

Currently my favourite coffee spot! The coffee here is just right for me - creamy, not too bitter, not too sweet, not too acidic!

They serve the best iced coffee as well (in beer bottles too!). They cater for the majority of the people, offering iced coffee with these options - black coffee, full cream coffee, soy, or skim milk.




Their food menu is quite limited so it's more suitable for just a coffee date with someone!

Sourced Grocer @ Teneriffe

I had heard many things about Sourced Grocer and wanted to check it out myself!

I've been here on two separate occasions now and have both loved it!

Sourced Grocer reminds me of cafes in Melbourne with its interior design!

The great thing about Sourced Grocer is that they sell the ingredients that they use to make the food as well! So, if you fancy something from the menu, just enquire at the cash register and they'll be able to help you out!

I ordered their Bircher Muesli which is currently No. 2 on my favourite cafes for Bircher Muesli (1st place is still Lake Cafe on the Gold Coast)



Their breakfast muesli options are all very yummy as well because they use Farmer Jo Muesli.



My friend ordered the brioche, which unfortunately, I didn't get to try - but, she said it was very nice!


On a separate occasion, I tried their falafel salad and Sourced Sandwich, which were even better than what I had the first time!






Coffee here is very good - I love their cappucinnos because it's only a hint of chocolate that balances out perfectly with the coffee! Plus, mint green coffee cups always make my day!



The reason why Sourced Grocer is good is because they use top quality produce to make the food and really focus on making good quality meals, even if they are simple to make.

Sourced Grocer is definitely on my list of cafes with both good coffee AND food!!

Leaf Espresso Bar @ Tarragindi

My friends and I were searching for cafes to visit and decided on Leaf Espresso Bar because of it's interior design from photos we had seen on other food blogs!  We also saw some pictures of really delish food so definitely wanted to check this place out!

My verdict? 

The interior design definitely didn't disappoint - it had a very homey feel and eco-friendly atmosphere as the interior design used a lot of tree branches with hanging light bulbs and glass bowl terrariums in many corners of the cafe. 

The food? The food was average. Despite all the delicious-looking pictures on food blogs I had visited beforehand, taste wise, it was very average. I ordered the mushroom sautee which came with some spinach, poached eggs and sourdough. I love my sourdough and was a little disappointed when I realised that what they served wasn't sourdough. It was more like a white bread baguette. My mushrooms were quite bland as well.

My friend got the pulled pork burger with house made burger. That, however, tasted a lot better than my brunch dish! 

The coffee? Don't bother. The latte I ordered was mainly froth and my coffee was burnt. Nowadays, I think my palette has become very critical of coffees... not sure if this is a good thing or not if I'm this picky with my coffees...

Probably won't be back for another while... think I'll just be visiting my usual favourites if I have to drive all the way out of my suburb to get brunch. Maybe next time, Leaf Espresso!

Merriweather @ South Brisbane

Merriweather serves coffee roasted by Cup and is located conveniently for many businessmen and businesswomen for a quick coffee. Whilst coffee is pretty up there, they have a limited menu for breakfast and lunch. However, they do bake daily muffins, cakes and assorted desserts which may be ideal for a quick morning tea or afternoon tea if you're in that area.

On one occasion, my friend and I landed at Merriweather for breakfast and both ordered the granola which came with milk, buffalo yoghurt and fresh strawberries. I think they use Farmer Jo muesli (but I may not be 100% correct). 

I ordered a latte, and like other Cup coffees, it didn't disappoint me. Cup coffee is more on the bitter side of aromas with tinges of butterscotch.

I have ordered cappucinnos from here before and there's is quite different - instead of sprinkling chocolate powder, they use Bahen & Co. chocolate. I found it to bit a bit overpowering with the coffee though. 

The interior of Merriweather is very clean, modern and minimalistic. The cafe is situated on an intersection between two streets and has both outdoor and indoor seating areas. 

I would definitely drop by more often if they do decide to expand their food menu, as coffee is great here! Again, I'm still on a mission to search for the perfect cafe with both amazing food AND coffee!!

Bass Espresso @ West End

West End is known for its restaurants, cafes and general vibe, and I always get excited when new places open up. Bass Espresso opened recently on Boundary St and is a small cafe filled with vintage vibe. Their house blend coffee is more on the fruity, acidic side of aroma and their current single origin (Rowanda) has more of a creamier aroma. Personally, I like the single origin better.

Because they have just started, they don't have a menu for food yet, but when I was chatting to the barista and the manager, they said they were looking to expand and hopefully have a menu for food in the near future. This is exciting as I always find it hard to go to places with both amazing coffee AND food!

The decor of this cafe is very vintage, and has many musical instruments lying around as part of the decoration (also very exciting for a muso like myself to visit!). Bass Espresso adds onto the unique layer of West End cafes as it has its own individual style that you can't find at other cafes in West End.

They also do live music on Saturdays from 1pm and invite musicians from all genres to perform! Great way to spend a relaxing Saturday afternoon sipping away and enjoying the live music, in my opinion!

Cocotte

If I hadn’t heard out about Cocotte from a friend, then I would’ve never found this hidden gem in Robina. Cocotte is nicely tucked in Robina Quays Shopping Center, with a heartwarming outdoor space for dining. I find that Cocotte’s are mostly European with a Japanese influence to it. The Japanese chef and his team at Cocotte uses the freshest seasonal ingredients to create the best culinary experience for each customer. For those who are a bit more curious, like myself, can see the artistry of the team working in an open kitchen.

As my friends and I walked into the restaurant, nice and polite staff members greeted us and showed us to a table in their little backyard. However, what caught my attention was the amount of detail they put into the decorations at this restaurant. I’m a big fan of the Japanese culture and the decorations they used were really cute and creative, which reminded me of some cafes I had been to in Japan.

Cocotte’s menu consists of a range of tapas that can be shared with friends, larger mains, a number of daily specials and a diverse range of homemade European desserts with an Asian twist!

My friends and I ordered a couple of tapas, a main and some desserts to share:

Spanner crab croquets with yuzu mayo

The outside was deep-fried just right and had a very creamy texture on the inside. The mayo had a hint of yuzu which wasn't too strong and complimented the croquet.

Bauhaus balls – Spanish mackerel fish balls deep friend and served with mayo.

Though a friend of mine thought that this was too fishy, I thought it was lovely! Being a big seafood fan, I liked the taste of this and the texture wasn’t very creamy like the croquets.

Tempura prawns with wasabi mayo

The prawns were extremely fresh and it was nicely battered. I always give a restaurant extra likes if they use good quality, fresh prawns. It makes so much difference to the texture of the overall dish and I wouldn’t pay for tempuras that use not-so-fresh prawns.

5-hour braised OX tail and beef cheek in red wine and black miso.

This was definitely the stand-out winner for me! The just-right texture of the beef cheeks and ox tail…mmm! Because it was cooked in red wine and miso for so long, the flavor really went into each bit of the meat!

I always look forward to desserts and Cocotte didn’t disappoint at all!

Chocolate soufflé

Must say this is rich chocolate dessert has probably been the best I’ve had so far! The vanilla ice cream complements the soufflé well! However, I’d recommend this dessert to share, as there is a lotttttt of chocolate (unless you’re a mega chocolate fan)!

Vanilla crème brulee

The creamy vanilla taste underneath a layer of crystallised sugar was just …. Irresistible!

Lemon myrtle green tea panna cotta with azuki shortbread, strawberry soup

To be honest, I was most looking forward to trying this dessert just because I’d never had green tea panna cotta before! I’m a huge fan of green tea and there’s just not enough of green tea-related food products on the Gold Coast! And of course, the winner of desserts goes to the Green Tea panna cotta! The panna cotta wasn’t too sweet to cover the aroma of the green tea and the accompanying strawberries and mint helped refresh my taste buds! Each time I bit into the azuki shortbread, I just had images of a tea ceremony taking place… the bitterness of green tea accompanying the sweetness of a small dessert on the side, the atmosphere of the whole room, the serenity, the zen, the rooming looking out to a traditional Japanese garden, with bonsai and trickling water…

And then I’m back to reality. Even though the atmosphere is very different at Cocotte, it gives you a sense of pleasure. There’s something so heartwarming about this place that no other restaurant on the Gold Coast has!

If it weren’t for the slightly higher price in the selection of food they have here, I’d definitely come here a lot more often! Unfortunately, being a uni student means that this will be a place for very special occasions only but I’ll be saying to people I know: “Do you know I place called Cocotte in Robina? You must try it out!”


Cocotte's Website: http://www.cocotte.com.au/index.html

Melbourne 7 - The Hardware Societe

Hardware Societe is definitely one of the best cafes I’ve been to!

My friends and I woke up extra early just to make sure we were early enough to get a spot. In fact we were 15 minutes early so we were standing outside in 10degree weather half asleep just so we could try the food here!

Hardware Societe is located in Hardware Lane in Melbourne CBD and it’s tucked away nicely in an alleyway. With the vibrant interior décor and warmhearted outdoor seats, you feel the warmest welcome when you step into this café.

We were greeted by very friendly staff and opted for a table inside. Of course, I ordered my usual cup of latte. I’ve heard many great things about Hardware Societe – amazing food, amazing coffee, amazing everything! However, I didn’t want to have super high expectations was felt pretty neutral about coming here all the way from Brisbane.

The latte was very smooth – perfect for the weather that morning! It also came with a little cinnamon doughnut which complimented the coffee blend very well!

Hardware Societe definitely made my day with some exciting savoury creations!

Baked Eggs with chorizo sausage, paprika, spiced tomato concasse and milk cheese.

Served in a cocotte with dipping sourdough, appearance wise, it was definitely at 10/10!

I’ve never really had baked eggs before so couldn’t really compare this to other baked eggs. It was nice, but out of the 4 amazing dishes we ordered, this was probably my least favourite, purely because I’m not a huge fan of baked eggs.

Croque Madame with smoked salmon, fried egg, herbed crème fraiche.

Mmmm… words cannot describe how good this was! Thick crispy toast on the outside, runny yolk  combined with smoked salmon… perfect for rainy days!

Daily special – polenta with poached eggs and sausages.

At first, I didn’t know what to think of the dish because I’d never seen anything presented like this before. After I had a taste of it, I, fell, in, love.

The polenta was creamy but not too overwhelming and the poached eggs and sausages just complimented the taste of the polenta so well!

Scrambled eggs with smoked bacon, double brie and onion jam.  The BEST scrambled eggs I’ve ever had! The dish was presented really well – 10/10! The mini bacon, brie and onion jam baguette looked like a simple side but I was wrong – the baguette and scrambled eggs were the perfect combination!

Overall, Hardware Societe was definitely one of my best café experiences I’ve had in Melbourne and I’d recommend it to people who come to Melbourne or even for locals!

I’ve heard that their sweet dishes are just as good as their savoury ones… until next time, Hardware Societe! 

Melbourne 5 - Three Bags Full

Because I was only in Melbourne for two and a half days, there was no way in the world I could visit all the cafes I wanted to go to... If only my stomach was a bottomless pit...

So, I decided to visit Three Bags Full in Richmond with my friends.

The atmosphere is very vibrant and the staff members here are very welcoming as well.





Coffee in Melbourne is really quite spectacular and the coffee here did not disappoint me either!




My friend had their strawberry milkshake and it looked amazing!



I felt like a sweet brekkie option this morning so I went for the Apple Crumble Muffin!
Was indeed half crumble half muffin - good stuff!!!!






My friends had Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and it sure was tasty!!

Melbourne 4 - Little Cupcakes

While exploring little alleyways in Melbourne, I came across a tiny cupcake shop called Little Cupcakes. I tried their salted caramel cupcakes and they were delicious!

The icing and cupcake blended perfectly well!

If you're down in Melbourne bumming around, pop down to Little Cupcakes on Degraves St and grab a treat for yourself!


That being said though, I think I'm still more of a muffin person.