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!

Primal Pantry @ Teneriffe

I had been wanting to try out Primal Pantry for a while now! It's the first 100% paleo cafe that has opened up in Brisbane!

My friends and I arrived at around lunch time however, were very disappointed by the service. The menu unfortunately, didn't appeal to us, so we just decided to get smoothies instead.

I tried their green smoothie which was too sour for my liking and our experience there was just ruined by how rude the staff were.

We left after we had the smoothies and headed to another cafe for lunch.

Despite my love for their concept of serving paleo food and the interior design, Primal Pantry greatly disappointed me and I won't be returning any time soon.

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!

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!!!

 

Commune Cafe, Vintage Espresso, Canteen Kitchen

Recently, I’ve started to explore Burleigh Heads and have discovered lots of nice places that I want to share with everyone!

(1) COMMUNE CAFÉ

Situated on Lower Gold Coast Highway, Commune is a vintage café serving a big range of breakfast and lunch nibbles! Commune uses Campos coffee beans and the coffee is fantastic! Pricing is on the cheaper end of the spectrum but you get more than what you pay for! Fantastic salads and fluffy blueberry pancakes with coconut icecream and fresh bananas! Will definitely become a regular here!

(2) VINTAGE ESPRESSO

This is a small but warm-hearted café situated in Mermaid Beach. Unfortunately breakfast is not served all day and the lunch menu is a little limited. However, the food served is refreshing and the café also offers a wide range of home made desserts! Vintage Espresso is sister cafes with Elk Espresso in Broadbeach and both of their coffees won’t disappoint if you are looking for smooth, creamy and milky coffee.

(3) CANTEEN KITCHEN

Canteen Kitchen is situated in Burleigh Heads and serves a Mediterranean-influenced menu! Here, you’ll be able to try lamb koftas, tabouli, hummus, pita bread with many sides that you can mix and match with. Pricing is more on the expensive side of the spectrum. Coffee is served from Canteen Coffee, and the coffee here really gives you that little bit of an extra oomph compared to other cafes.

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