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!

MIZU @ West ENd

I got really excited when I found out about MIZU's recent opening in West End. Though West End is known for many good food places, I've always thought it lacked an authentic Japanese restaurant and had always hoped for one to open up! Alas, my dream came true!


MIZU serves izakaya-style dishes during dinner where the concept is to order many sharing plates of food and they are served as they are made. For lunch, they offer an affordable price range of lunchboxes! I love traditional Japanese lunchboxes - obento!

I've been here for both dinner and lunch and both are just are delicious! For me though, lunch is definitely more worth it because you get to try many side dishes with the lunchboxes you order.

My sisters and I came here for lunch and all were very happy with our orders - chicken karaage, pork katsu and salmon teriyaki. The pork katsu had one of the best batters in Brisbane - very crispy on the outside whilst the pork remains juicy when you bite into it. This was similar with chicken karaage as well!

My salmon teriyaki lunchbox was the best in my opinion - you could tell that they used very good quality fish and was cooked very well!




On a separate occasion, we came for dinner and tried some different dishes!

The first dish that came out was the renkon chips wtih tofu and avo dip. The renkon chips were very crispy and went very well with the creamy yet refreshing dip!


One of our favourites of the night was the tofu and nasu dengaku which had battered tofu, eggplant and zucchini drizzled with miso sauce - perfecto!



The tuna tataki salad was very fresh as well and the citrus based sauce was also very refreshing!



We were a little disappointed that our sashimi came out last (almost as if they had forgotten our order)...but it was still fresh anyway.




For dessert, we ordered one of the dinner specials which was a pumpkin cheesecake!!!! I am a big fan of pumpkin desserts so was really excited when I saw it on the menu!
The pumpkin cheesecake was good overall - the base had a hint of sesame which paired really well with the actual cheesecake. The actual cheesecake was quite creamy and didn't have as much of a pumpkin aroma than I thought it would. However, the whole cheesecake flavour was enhanced by the strawberry sauce that was on the side!




Overall, I think MIZU is definitely worth a paying a visit to! I'd recommend you to go for lunch because that's where you get your biggest bang for your buck otherwise, dinner can end up being quite pricey!

Will definitely be back for lunch soon!

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!

Zagyoza @ West End

Zagyoza is a Japanese gyoza store which recently opened up in the heart of West End. It is tucked away nicely along Vulture St and serves some of the best gyozas in Brisbane! For those of you unfamiliar with the term "gyoza", they are Japanese pan-fried dumplings which are simply delish! Zagyoza makes their own gyozas with a wide range of flavours - from traditional pork to teriyaki chicken, black bean, spinach and ricotta, pumpkin feta, beef curry and moussaka just to name a few!

They do $10 lunch specials on most weekdays and these are just simply divine! Usually, you get a few delicious vegetarian side dishes with dumplings of your choice! This is also a great lunch option for vegetarians and vegans out there!

I was lucky enough to try their house-made pumpkin lasagne special with sides of fresh salads, stir fry veges and I chose the black bean gyozas! The veges were so refreshing and went really well with the heavier pumpkin lasagne.

They have a partnership with one of the bars across the road and if you feel like some izakaya nibbles, you can always pop over for some beer and gyozas!

If going to the actual store to have gyoza is too much of a hassle, you can always buy their take home packs, which come with easy instructions on how to make them at home!

However, Zagyoza is a true gem hidden in West End and definitely worth a try!!!

 

Gunshop Café @ West End

Gunshop Café was probably the one of the earliest cafes that had been recommended to me by friends. My sister also went to try it sometime last year and recommended it. Every time I walk past it on a Saturday or Sunday, there is always a huge line of hungry patrons waiting. I never really got why they were willing to line for an hour or so to get brekkie.

I finally got to visit Gunshop Café today. It wasn’t too busy at all. The café’s indoor seating area is small, but out the back, it opens up into a nice and cosy courtyard area where you can escape from Brisbane for a little while.

I met up with a friend for brunch on a weekday and when we got there, the courtyard seating were already mostly occupied so we opted for indoor seating. By the time we left, most of the indoor seating was occupied. And this was on an ordinary weekday.

My friend and I were caught by the attention of one menu item, and that item only: potato feta hash cakes, spinach, tomato and herb sour cream. I remember this being highly recommended by my sister when she came.

Because each serve of the hash cakes as a meal came in threes, we decided to get 2 sides of the hash cakes, to spare our stomachs a little.

Because so many people had recommended the hash cakes to me, my expectations of it were already high. However, the hash cakes did not disappoint me! The lightly battered hash cake was crunchy on the outside and when you bite into it, the aroma of the feta and herbs just melt away in your mouth. The herbed sour cream complemented the hash cake because it didn’t make hash cakes taste dry.

We both also shared the Swiss brown mushrooms, herbed ricotta, spinach, heirloom cherry tomatoes, olive oil and olive sourdough. Even though they were simple breakfast items, the quality of the produce used was amazing!

 

The mushrooms were juicy, the tomatoes were sweet and juicy, the herbed ricotta not too overpowering and just right, and the olive sourdough itself was quite special and went extremely well with everything.

We both got smoothies: I got the mixed berry smoothie…

 

…and my friend got the banana and passionfruit smoothie

 

You could really taste the fresh berries used in the smoothie. They use Barambah organic yoghurt and this really did make a difference as well!

Even though I don’t usually drink things other tea, coffee and water, this smoothie left me wanting for some more!

Avocado, Barambah quark, flaked sea salt on sourdough was petty average – not that special.

Overall, I think the quality of Gunshop Café’s food is topnotch and when they are not busy, the food quality turns out better as well. However, for the portion size of the food, I think the price range here is too overpriced. With what you’re paying for, you could easily get something very nice and more in quantity at other cafes e.g. Campos Coffee.

Tempo Café @ West End

Tempo Cafe is situated in the midst of the main street of cafes in West End and has a relaxing atmosphere outside at the front of the café, where you can enjoy and absorb all the sunshine you want on a nice winter morning.

Their coffee I must say was a little bitter for my liking.

Big Vego Brekkie – Grilled haloumi, mushroom, hash brown, avocado, Tempo relish, scrambled eggs and thick toast. There wasn’t anything really that special about the big vego brekkie but because I like vego brekkies, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Breakfast wrap – bacon, scrambled eggs, avocado, tomato salsa, rocket in a wrap. This is something that is always good but a filling brekkie that will keep you up and running well and truly ‘til noon.

Lock ‘n’ Load @ West End

Lock ‘n’ Load is the place to place for a drink on a Friday night to chill with friends. Located on Boundary St in West End, Lock ‘n’ Load bistro often has gigs on Saturday nights and the atmosphere sure does get loud!

It is a two level bistro and on the second floor, you look out onto the rest of the strip of shops on Boundary St and it is quite spectacular. On the first level, there is quite a big courtyard area with a different atmosphere compared to the second level. The outdoor area is surrounded by plants and nicely designed wooden seats and tables.

Apart from drinks at night, they also do brekkie, lunch and dinner. My friend and I came here for brunch last year and we went for the vego options that morning:

Vege Loaded – Herbed button mushrooms, parmesan cheese rosti, grilled tomato, spinach, avocado salsa, mixed bean salsa, poached eggs and sourdough

Vegetarian Grazing Board – selection of vegetarian antipasti including olives, mushrooms, artichokes, marinated eggplant, semi-dried tomatos, basil pesto with dipping bread

I must that the presentation of food was amazing! Also, the atmosphere was perfect for a Saturday morning brunch!

The food however, was a bit of a let down – it was just average.

I also saw some of the drinks on their menu though and some of them sounded quite appetising! Will give it another shot perhaps on a night occasion next time!

Three Monkeys @ West End

Located in the heart of West End, Three Monkeys coffee and teahouse is a convenient place for coffee, chai, light meals, cakes and slices. The atmosphere is hippy with low light deco inside, extending to a tropical courtyard outdoor space.

 

I’ve heard so many great stories about their chai tea, so decided to try my first ever cup of chai tea at Three Monkeys. The strong aroma of cinnamon was a good starting point, but I just didn’t like all the other spices in the tea. Since then, I’ve managed to try sips of chai tea from other cafes and here’s my conclusion: chai tea is just not my thing.

However, their hot malt drink was nice!

If you’re up for some light snacks likenachos, toasted sandwiches, pizzas, salads, then Three Monkeys is the place to be. However, then can get pretty packed on weekends. They also have a huge range of cakes of slices, but a bit pricey.

We ordered carrot cake, Mediterranean pizza and Avo & Chicken toasted sandwich. The chicken and avocado sandwich was by far my favourite – it wasn’t too heavy but still very appetising.

Overall, I think Three Monkeys has a unique atmosphere that’s great for catching up with friends! However, the food is only a little better than average, considering the price. 

Atomica @ West End

Atomica is located along the strip of busy cafes on Boundary St in West End.

The first time I visited Atomica was back in 2008 and I fell in love with it. I’ve been back 2, 3 times and it’s consistency was brilliant. They also made what-was-at-that-time the best Merlo coffee I’d ever had! The barista there was amazing they use Barambah Organic Dairy Products. It was because they used good quality and fresh local produce that you could really tell the difference even with just a simple Two Eggs on Toast.

Unfortunately, some of their staff members changed, their barista left and that’s when things started to go downhill… the coffees were too bitter, food portions sizes were smaller and service was not as good as before.

It saddens me how a place that used to be one of my favourite cafes has now disappeared. That being said, I do want to take you on a trip down memory lane and show you why I loved it so much to consider it a hidden gem in West End!

Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelised Banana and Vanilla Ice-cream:

Thick pancakes drizzled with caramelised banana would leave you full but still wanting more!

Avocado and Tomato on Toasted Sourdough with Basil Oil:

Their signature blend of basil oil and other herbs is a must at Atomica!

Vego Breakfast:

Eggs, tomato jam, garlic-roasted Swiss brown mushrooms, spinach, grilled tomato, bubble and squeak, and toasted sourdough.

I loved their bubble and squeak, creamy scrambled eggs and homemade tomato jam!

Overall, Atomica is a unique and truly delicious place to eat at, with many homemade foods that just seem to have the power to lure you back for some more yumminess! Although the coffee’s gone downhill, food is still great (but just a tad smaller in portion size)! Apart from their breakfast and lunch menus, they also have daily specials written on the walls of the café.

Kerith Brook Café @ West End

One of the most memorable café experiences I’ve had was at Kerith Brook Café located near Boundary and Vulture St in West End. It was my first “café crawl” with my friends and this was our first stop. Although it’s small, the interior was so nicely decorated with colourful chairs and cute wallpapers. As soon as you walk into the café, you can feel the warmth and cosy atmosphere that the café gives off.

The menu at Kerith Brook is simple with a selection of hot and cold drinks, hot breakfast options, salads for lunch and selection of cakes and muffins from their front cabinet.  We were all starving by the time we met up so we ordered quite a wide range of dishes:

Eggs Benedict

The eggs were cooked nicely and the amount of sauce was just right. Unfortunately the didn’t offer the alternative of smoked salmon with the eggs benedict but ham was still yummy.

Bagel with Blueberry and Walnut Cream Cheese Spreads

 

Probably my favourite – the cream cheese spreads weren’t too overpowering and with warm toasted bagel, perfecto!

Pistachio and Cranberry Slice accompanied with vanilla ice cream

 

The nutty aroma of the pistachios was a little overpowered by the sweetness of the rest of the slice. Would be perfect with a cuppa coffee! Nevertheless, still a yummy slice!

Butterscotch Muffin

 

Toasted with macadamia nuts, white choc chip chunks and oozing butterscotch sauce … mmm… exquisite!

Kerith Brook Café was really not at all disappointing!

Items on the menu are well-priced and they also offer different coffee-and-cake specials. The café also offers free Wi-Fi for those who like to surf the net a little while drinking their cuppa! Will definitely be back to try other things on their menu!