Two Sis & Co

I have to admit, I love it when friends let me pick where to eat, since I can also 'tick' off more places on my place to eat (which has long turned to a mental list of place, since if I write them down, I know I'll never be able to complete it then feel sad the list will never be finished). These days I just go to places at the top of my head. This cafe wasn't too busy around lunch time so managed to get a seat quite easily.

food spread

Blue matcha latte-$5

Rose latte-$5

Love the colours and edible flowers on the latte

The blue matcha latte was pretty flavourless and tasted just like milk with fragrant edible flowers. They used butterfly pea powder, which apparently is some sort of superfood plant. The rose latte was super fragrant and smelt like roses, but the flavour was quite subtle as well. Compared the the blue matcha, it was a tad bit more flavourful.

these days, just get random wall paper to make your cafe more 'Instagramable'

French toast: crunchy brioche, fresh berries, nuts, chocolate pearls, mascarpone salted caramel and Persian pashmak-$18.50

I wasn’t really in the mood for french toast, but when it looks pretty and it’s a recommended dish, I gave in and decided to order it. The french toast here is more bready and less fried, so it did taste more like bread, but it was quite soft. I loved the fairy floss on top as it made the dish so pretty, also wasn't too sweet like normal fairly floss. Liked the texture from the nuts and chocolate pearls. It wasn’t overly sweet, since although I like sweet things, for this stuff I do have a tolerance. Couldn’t really taste the salted caramel though.  

Our famous Dukkah eggs: smashed avo, bacon, poached eggs, lemon sukkah and balsamic glaze-$17

Normally I don't order avo toast since I can make it at home, but they recommended this dish, and it also had the word 'famous' in it so I gave in. Didn't really feel like a sandwich or a burger, which is pretty much the majority of the menu, The dukkah could have had more herbs and spices. Bacon wasn't too fatty and eggs cooked well with a runny yolk. The balsamic glaze was more on the sweet side, would have liked a bit more vinegar to cut through the bacon flavour. Adding edible flowers just takes any food presentation a step up.

#yolkporn

Platform 82

I've been wanting to come here since I saw this, because who doesn't want food stacked on a platter? It's a short walk from Concord West Station. There's a decent amount of seating, but relatively dimmer inside. It is next to the railway, so lighting occasionally changes when a train goes past/can be a bit noisy, and with the open doors, heaps of flies do come in. Ended up asking them to turn on the fans to help get some wind to get the flies away, but towards the end, there were some small flies stuck onto bits of food...

Breakfast platter for 2-$32pp

 

since it's not cheap, may as well get a few shots in

eggs 3 ways: fried, scrambled and poached

veggies: mushroom, spinach, does avo and tomato count?

Platter also had bacon, hash browns, salami, other deli meat, feta, four pieces of toast and meatballs. Opted for the breakfast platter since it's the OG, although the stuff itself is pretty basic and you can make it at home. You're really paying for the presentation and the ability to eat from a platter and a plate on a stand. Bacon wasn't too fatty and had heaps of slices. The eggs were cooked well, but I found the toast a bit tough and not toasty enough. There was heaps of food here and we didn't manage to finish some of the veggies.

dessert plate: cornetto, crumpets, heaps of nutella/chocolate, cookie crumbs, oreo, strawberry

Lucky we didn't upgrade the dessert to pancakes or churros, because we didn't even finish the crumpets. Crumpets are probably my least favourite packaged breakfast item (compared to bread, pancakes, waffles, pikelets, cereal, granola etc), but it was way too sweet and chocolatey since it was lathered with layers of nutella. Wished there was more fruit since there was only one strawberry cut into 4 bits, and it really needed the freshness and acidity to cut through the cookie crumble, chocolate, maple syrup and melted ice cream.

This place does give you a good feed, although not cheap, but it's fun for a novelty thing as a one off.

Auvers Cafe

I’ve been wanting to come to this cafe for over a year, and finally decided to come here on the weekend. Since it’s generally a place I hardly pass by, decided to order 3 dishes between 2. Took a while to finish it since the portions here are a good size and not too pricey, but we managed.

food spread

Taro latte-$3.80

The black sesame latte ($3.80) has been highly recommended by Dandelion multiple times, so of course I had to order it. It definitely did not disappoint. The black sesame was finely ground so hardly saw any of it, but it had a nice intense black sesame flavour and was quite aromatic. The taro latte was more on the sweet side, and I would have preferred more taro flavour. 

Auvers' Pancakes: matcha pancakes, premium matcha glaze, sponge, red bean paste and raspberry sorbet-$18

inside

The pancakes still had a lot of steam when it came to the table and you cut open them. They aren’t super fluffy (or maybe I’m just a bit spoilt having tried really good pancakes overseas), but they were really soft and not too dense. The standout was the raspberry sorbet on top, good amount of sourness to cut through the sweetness from the pancakes and matcha sauce. The matcha sauce was more on the bitter side which I like since and was generously lathered over the whole dish. If it was a sweet matcha sauce, then that would be way too sweet for the amount of sauce they gave.

Egg nests corn fritters: corn fritters, smashed avo, herb and garlic mushrooms, caramelised pineapple, nori sour cream, onsen egg, alfalfa and snow pea tendrils-$20

#yolkporn

This was the dish I was thinking of not ordering so we would only have 2 dishes, but so glad we ordered these corn fritters. They were filled with heaps of filling esp corn rather than just batter and drowned in oil. I loved the onsen egg with a nice runny yolk. The salad at the bottom was really refreshing, and the flavour combos worked well together.

 

Salmon terrine: salmon terrine, puff pastry, yuzu avocado, caviar, green peas, pomegranate, nori crisp, alfalfa and mango-$22

inside

I liked the plating of the salmon and how the seaweed gave the dish some height. I found there was a bit too much filling/cream cheese inside the salmon, which made it really filling, I guess that’s a good thing if you did order a dish per person. 

interesting lighting

They have art and bits of handmade stuff around the walls which you could purchase. I think it gives it a more modern feel and makes it a bit different to other cafes. Seats were not the comfiest since half of them were stools so you couldn’t lean back. Wouldn’t mind trying their matcha latte, juices or coffees if I ever come here again next time since they looked pretty interesting. 

Devon Take 4

It's been over 2 years since my last visit to Devon, and first time coming to their new Barangaroo venture. Didn't even realise this place has already been opened for the majority of this year. Not an office worker, so wouldn't know/hardly come to this side of Sydney, but there are heaps of new restaurants since the last time I visited. 

food spread

 

Matcha and white choc milkshake-$7

It's served in a nice slim glass bottle, so quantity wise it is smaller than your average milk shake tin cup. There was a good hit of matcha and wasn't too sweet or heavy either. Sort of refreshing in a way.

Dr Seuss: Thick cut bacon, hash brown, green ketchup. fried egg, pea puree, edamame, pea tendrils-$19.50

There aren't any green eggs but there is ham here (pretty sure I have a copy of the book somewhere at home). The bacon was definitely thick but not overly salty, and loved how you could dip it into the puree and the yolk. The greens helped to keep this dish light.

Beef Cheek Hash: sweet soy braised beef cheek, mushrooms, crispy potatoes, Devon style bumbu, fried egg-$23

This dish is served in a cute little pan and the potatoes were definitely crunchy which I loved. The beef cheeks were super flavourful with the sweet soy, good balance of sweet and salty. The yolk was also runny as well. The whole dish just worked together.

Where to Eat in Brisbane

What to eat in Brisbane CBD in a day. There's actually not a lot of selection, we are truly spoilt of choice in Sydney, and also why we go to Melbourne for food as well. Even when I search up fine dining stuff, the stuff that pops up doesn't really sound familiar, unlike Sydney and Melbs where there are more well known fine dining places. Actually, country Victoria actually have some top restaurants as well. Anyways, quick Google search and decided to try these places in a day trip/

Coffee Anthology

food spread

Capp-$4

Iced Latte-$4.50

Food is a bit cheaper in Brisbane, well the food here was all less than $20, but coffee for $4? Pricier than Sydney CBD average of $3.50. Love the coffee art here, especially when the barista puts some effort into latte art, cause I can tell you from experience, even doing a 'free hand pouring' heart isn't easy. The flavour of the coffee was more mild, less milky and could have a bit more froth on top. I guess if you're not a coffee drinker the flavour would suit you, but I think coffee lovers would find the flavour isn't strong at all. The iced latte wasn't every strong in flavour either. I like the colours of their coffee cups, even if Tiffany Blue colour is patented, this is close enough.

Coconut panna cotta w/ housemade granola, pineapple, kiwifruit, mango coulis 

Also had fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and edible flowers

Lots of pretty panna cotta popping up in cafes since it's summer, and I love the colours in this one. This is a lot pretty and taste better than my homemade granola. They spelt panna cotta wrong on the menu though. The panna cotta had a nice wobble, but the texture would have been smoother/creamier. I think they used some coconut milk or cream since it was a bit grainy in texture compared to your normal panna cotta. The mango coulis gave it a nice sweetness and the berries balanced well with some acidity. Edible flowers just make any dish prettier.

Buddha bowl: housemade falafel, pickled carrot, spinach, black rice, avocado, cucumber, mint yoghurt-$14

This bowl is surprisingly filling especially with the black rice. The falafels were a bit dry and crumbly, luckily there was the mint yoghurt to go with it. The avo portion was decent, pickled carrot gave the whole dish some acidity. Definitely a healthier option compared to the eggs benedict.

Truffled eggs benedict w/ two 63 deg eggs, house hollandaise, toasted sourdough, snow pea tendrils, salsa verde w/ pork belly-$16

I thought this was a decent price for eggs benny with 2 pieces of pork belly. The pork could have a crunchier skin, but luckily it wasn't overly seasoned. You could definitely taste the truffle oil in the hollandaise, probably a bit too strong and overpowering the actual hollandaise sauce, but I love truffle flavoured stuff so it still works for me. Salsa verde had a slight minty taste, but this dish worked well together overall. I feel like in Sydney you would pay $20+ for this stuff, then again, house prices are also more in Sydney. 

#yolkporn

 

it's a half indoor and outdoor courtyard style cafe

menu

The Three Monkeys

This place is a nice place to just chill. It looks small from the outside, but as you walk in it has a lot of seating area. It has sort of Turkish theme and really lovely decor inside. Definitely different compared to other cafes I've been to.

Chai Tea-$4.95
Iced coffee-$6.25
Mango and passionfruit cheesecake w/ whipped cream-$7.95
Turkish delight-$1.20

The chai tea was served in a massive. They brew the tea leaves then add milk, so it's not sweet compared to your chai lattes where it's mainly in powder form with sugar included already. There was honey but I prefer it not as sweet. I was expecting a bigger hit of chai, but for people who don't really like their spices, this is probably a decent level of chai tea. The iced coffee had a decent hit of coffee in it. The cheesecake wasn't too heavy or dense. Loved how there were real bits of mango in it. Turkish delight tasted like normal, and the sugar in it was balanced with my chai tea.

cakes

courtyard/outdoor seating

Brew

This place definitely gives off Melbourne vibes, situated in an alleyway, plus basement, and graffiti like outwork. Price wise it is more expensive compared to other places.

Velvet Latte-$3.80

I thought it would be red velvet, but this latte had hints of beetroot in it, but sweet and just a little bit acidic but still milk. It was quite an interesting latte.

Signature Brew Burger: slow cooked beef brisket, double smoked bacon, American cheddar, house relish, dill pickle w/ shoestring fries and kewpie mayo-$17

It is on the small side for a burger, and I didn't really find anything special with this, so not really worth imo. It was a bit saucy and overly seasoned mainly from the bacon. The fries were mostly hollow and didn't have enough potato inside. Not worth the high-ish rating on Zomato tbh.

 

Mos Burger

Sushi burger w/ BBQ beef-$7.50

I didn't have time to have Mos Burger in Japan earlier this year, so I had it in Taiwan Airport and thought it was average. They don't have one in Sydney, well we have Gojima which is also pretty good. This one looks small but is surprisingly filling, mainly due to the condensed/packed in rice patty. Beef wasn't overly flavoured with marinade/sauce. It did take longer than I expected for them to make it.

I'm sure there's heaps more places in eat in Brissy, but these places for a day trip are decent.