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A recovering coffee abuser’s worst nightmare.



Dandelion & Driftwood, each representing one of the owners (Peter and Penny Wolff), is a unique Brisbane cafe nestled in Hendra. What makes it unique is their focus on filtered coffee, notably via: Chemex, Syphon, Aeropress and Cold Brew (yes I had to look these up too).

When we arrived, Peter explained the concept of Dandelion & Driftwood (D&D for short… teehee) to us and you could see he was passionate about his coffee. One could imagine he could speak for great lengths about the many aspects of coffee making and the origins of each bean they stock. Thankfully it must’ve looked liked we needed some caffeine stat, so he proceeded to recommend a few brews to begin with. Begin. With.

For the vast majority of cafés, you don’t get to choose the type of bean your coffee is made from. In D&D’s case you can, and each type of cupped bean was accompanied with a card describing its origins. A nice touch that didn’t feel pretentious.

I opted for a more manly bean (apparently men in general prefer stronger beans to women) in both hot and cold form and it was a damn good coffee. The cold brew came in a ridiculously awesome amber bottle and it tasted as awesome – strong and flavoursome, and reminded me of the iced black coffee you can get in Malaysian hawker centers (in a good way). Sampling from coffees others were having around the table, each was remarkably different. The feminine Dandelion blend didn’t even taste like coffee.

Along with coffee, they also serve all manners of sweets and cakes. They looked great but we didn’t try any. We were already high on caffeine. We didn’t need to add sugar to the equation.

So we’ll definitely be coming back to D&D (…nope still funny). There are still many other beans and methods of preparation to sample. It’s a whole new world!

We left happy and wired, but then again, nothing like the group that left before us – rapidly mentioning something about 5 or 6 cups each before realising they should probably leave. I guess that’s the kind of place this is. Before you know it, you’re a full blown coffee addict (again). And you love it.


Dandelion & Driftwood
Shop 1, 45 Gerler Rd
Hendra, Queensland, Australia

It was Tuesday.

“Just another café”, I thought, but hey, why not give them a try? It’s not like there’s much else of note in the commercial end of Newstead. Well, I guess there’s the newly revamped Waterloo, but I don’t particularly feel like fighting for service today – and so I mosied on in.

The place is small. There’s no doubt about that. But there’s something about it which isn’t quite… normal. Firstly there’s a chef-lookalike person in the kitchen. If you’ve ever worked in this area, you know this is a rare sight. He surely can’t be real. Secondly, the wait staff are all smiling, and are really friendly. Before I know it, I have a menu in hand, a table, and a glass of water.

I peruse the menu and a few things catch my eye. All day breakfast. Not my thing, but I know a few who would be over the moon. Then I flipped over the menu and there it was – the word, “Chilli”, twice – combined with the word, “Chicken”. This was destiny.

Chilli Chicken with Potato Salad

… and it nearly made my stomach explode. It’s a half chicken AND a choice of salad. It’s tender, succulent, tasty, and they provided an extra bottle of chilli in case I wanted more. They could they read my mind. It’s not spicy hot, just delicious hot, and an hour later I fell into a food coma. The rest is a bit fuzzy and before I knew it…

It was Sunday.

I suggested to the breakfast crew that we give these Symposium folk a chance.  They’re new, they’re friendly, and they make great chicken. Surely this would translate to great breakfast? Fortunately it seems on Sundays, they manage to expand their alfresco seating. It makes the place feel much larger and more Sunday.

Once again I examined the menu and realised something was amiss. There were new things that weren’t present on the weekday menu. New and interesting things, and mouth watering things such as a…

Filo Parcel lined with Prosciutto & filled with Creamy Scrambled Eggs, topped with Hollandaise Sauce

An edible pastry cube lined and filled with the things I like, in my mouth. When I read ‘parcel’, I thought triangle, or at most a square – not a deep 3D square!

It tastes as good as it looks and is now one of my favourite breakfast dishes ever.

And then there is this monstrosity.

Ham Soufflé with Wholegrain Mustard & Cheese Sauce

It really is a reverse cheesy hot pocket. Dip the bread into the sauce. Close your eyes as your taste buds are assaulted. Once you have recovered, cut into the pocket. The pocket is ham and eggs. Brilliant.

I’ve been back several times since. I’ve never been disappointed. Their chefs make great food, and once in awhile their ‘quicker’ food cabinet will ‘magic up’ delicious one-off surprises. The young lads at Symposium are friendly, attentive and have an energy about them. I think it’s because they know they have a great thing going – and it’s about time the rest of Brisbane knew that too.

Symposium Café
Shop 2/26 Commercial Rd
Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia

When it comes to decent cafes, the Valley is sorely lacking. One usually has to travel further into New Farm for such fare but thankfully that’s beginning to change.

Quirky, cute, whacky and obtusely good natured – Flamingo is all of these, and hidden close to the main Valley drag.

In fact it’s situated right behind The Zoo: one of Brisbane’s remaining live music establishments. It can be difficult to find, but once you do you’ll never forget it.

It has a lawn, crazy seating and an internal tabled area containing a smorgasbord of curious items. Perhaps a little madcap, but it works.

And they make awesome coffee (Genovese), drinks and delicious food (like the half of the ham sandwich above). Actually… delicious AND attractive food; presented with much flair and style. They use to have mini plastic cutlasses in place of toothpicks! Unsurprising considering one of the owners was behind perennial favourite, Pearl Cafe.

The servings are very generous (deceivingly so) and well priced, with sandwiches sitting at around the $10 – $12 mark. I haven’t tried their entire selection but they sure make a mean meatball sub with crinkle cut crisps. Genius.

So if you’re in the Valley, and it’s lunch time, and you are at a loss for where to eat, seek out Flamingo. You’ll tell all your friends about it.

Flamingo
5B Winn St
Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia

It was an invitation one couldn’t refuse. A performance by Jens Lekman in an inner northern Brisbane backyard. A perfect venue for Swedish Lekman’s style of indie pop.

We arrived at a typical Queenslander in an industrial suburb. Our venue for the afternoon.

It began with a performance from BIGSTRONGBRUTE. Normally a six piece, lead singer/guitarist Paul Donoughue set the mood with his acoustic guitar and powerful voice.

Then a change of pace with Lion Island. This folk/pop eight piece did the best they could with the space they had (drummer and double bass hidden in the back). At times it felt as if there was too much going on but ultimately they put on a good performance.

The sun began to set as the audience waited for Jens Lekman to begin. The mood was relaxed and the audience was highly respectful. One would be hard pressed to find a quieter audience. Reportedly a stark contrast (but no less respectful) to Lekman’s previous night’s performance under a house somewhere in Brisbane’s inner west.

And by the light of two unveiled lamps, Jens Lekman, his guitar, tambourine and laptop, and in a way that only Jens can – sang and told stories of love and love lost, of misunderstandings and broken hearts – to the sounds of the odd neighbourhood dog barking, the running water of the fountain next door, and the trains as they softly rumbled past.

Dining at The Buffalo Club is an experience that challenges your sensibilities towards food and its creative possibilities. It isn’t a meal to relieve hunger. It’s experimentation – and we, the willing participants.

Our nearly four hour journey began as we settled in at the chef’s table – intimately designed so that they could serve and introduce every dish.

An envelope contained a menu, made up of simple words listing the ingredients, but none to describe they way in which they were to be prepared. Designed as a memento, they were beautifully formed and marked with the day’s date – perhaps hinting at the transient nature of the creations but not the experience.

Our table adjoined the open kitchen where we could observe the chef’s at work. They were methodical and quick, preparing dish after dish with precision. Hands would sift through ingredients stored in all manner of receptacles, and most were preprepared except most meats. It was fascinating to watch and instead of detracting from the mystery, it deepened our appreciation of this stage of the process.

For fear of repeating myself, each dish was a combination of highly considered visuals, textures and taste. Often you couldn’t tell which component was which ingredient, even when it hit the tongue, but it was always exciting and each dish was highly anticipated.

They were delicious and surprising, hitting on all senses. Not everyone at the table loved every dish, but all could appreciate the love and care in each experiment.

And I’ll leave it at that…

Taster – Manchego

Hickory – Wild Rice, Garlic, Tomato, Onion, Shallots, Basil, Pollen

Smoked Beef Jerky – Lime, Chili, Cilantro, Onion, Peppers, Avocado

Opah – Soy, Honey

Ocean Trout – Nasturtium, Smoked Roe, Fennel, Kettles, Onion, Yolk

Iberico – Olive, Treviso, Walnut, Pawpaw, Endive, Beetroot, Sunchoke, Roquette

Duck – Honeydew, Mandarin, Cashew, Aubergine, Yuzu

Rib – Celeriac, Vanilla, Pumpkin, Pinenut, Pea

Passion – Grapefruit, Blood Orange, Concord

Goats Curd – Strawberry, Goats Milk, Pistachio, Millet, Olive Oil

Buffalo Yoghurt – Date, Citrus Rind, Apricot, Sour Meyer, Carrot

Coconut – Chocolate, Caramel, Custard

Chocolate, Edible Sherbert Filled Sachets

Buffalo Club
1/234 Wickham Street
Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia

You may have heard of Cirque before… okay I kid. Who hasn’t? It’s popular and packed for good reason. On Sunday mornings there’s a lineup out the door so come early, or perhaps just visit for a weekday lunch (from 1pm you should be fine)? It’s worth it.

During peak periods it’s a tight squeeze downstairs…

a small and charming café with pavement seating and concertina windows…

and an upstairs section that looks like your dining room. Large communal tables are intended for sharing and stacked board games are provided for extended stays.

The service is friendly, quick and attentive. I’ve always had a good experience here and I’ve come many, many times. But what of the food?

All-day breakfast, vegetarian options, lunch and fortnightly specials ensure there’s always something that’ll strike your fancy. The first thing you’ll notice is that it’s very affordable compared with other cafés of its ilk, and then the food arrives and you take your first bite…

French toast with berry compote, pouring cream, peanut + almond praline. Mouth watering, scrumptious and well balanced. One bite savoury, the next, tantalizingly sweet. I found myself carefully segmenting and rearranging its toppings at every bite. I ended with a triangle of praline and a single berry – a fond sweet memory of its demise. A worthy competitor to Anouk’s French toast.

Cirque is well known for its breakfast menu – the unchangeable chow down (big breakfast) and array of sides, but I reckon it is its lunch menu that needs to be experienced.

Cirque chicken fillet burger with crispy bacon, avocado, tomato, rocket + dijonaise (ordered without the top). By far the best chicken burger I’ve ever had in Brisbane. The grilled chicken is covered in all kinds of herbs and spices, with each bite resulting in a flavour explosion. Combined with generous and fresh servings of all the other ingredients, I challenge you find one better.

Steak sandwich with blue cheese, mushrooms, onion jam, rocket + dijonaise on sourdough. My Cirque partner’s favourite. The blue cheese bites and complements the steak well, then is rounded off nicely with sweet onion jam. The bread is soft but keeps it all together. This would be my meal of choice if not for the burger.

Open Rueben sandwich with corned beef, dill mayo, pickles, jarlsberg + sauerkraut on sourdough. If you love the sourness of pickles and sauerkraut, you’ll love Cirque’s intepretation. I found it delicious and going by this Wikipedia entry, I feel I may have been spoilt forever.

Cirque exceeded my expectations. It lived up to the hype and from all accounts it seems its new owners, Giselle and Christophe Massieu, have continued its overwhelmingly positive reputation. I highly recommend it and if actions speak louder than words – since my first time there over 5 weeks ago, I’ve been back at least twice a week… and I still crave that damn burger.

Most Recent Visit: 15th May, 2009

Au Cirque
618 Brunswick Street, New Farm
Queensland, Australia

Prices: All-Day Breakfast and Lunch $9.50 – $16
Hours: Every Day 7am – 3pm

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We started the night late but managed to catch the end of The Dø – a folk/pop band formed in 2007 comprising Dan Levy and Olivia Bouyssou Merilahti from Paris, France and Helsinki, Finland respectively [last.fm].

Relief at arriving in time for M83 quickly turned to regret as The Dø proceeded to blow all expectations away.

Their curious percussion chamber no doubt largely responsible for their heavier than expected set – surprising but impressive and confirmed with raucous applause.

M83 finally took the stage. A drummer encased in a sound barrier (see 1st The Dø photo), face to face keyboards, the female vocalist and Anthony Gonzalez’s box of aural bliss.

Starting with Run Into Flowers the crowd seemed a little subdued. It was obvious that most had never heard their earlier albums but no matter – the instant Graveyard Girl hit the crowd responded in kind. Then…

… an hour insight into the end of the world. Beautiful and fantastic.

Setlist
M83
Live @ The Zoo, 31/03/09

1. Run Into Flowers
2. *
3. Graveyard Girl
4. We Own the Sky
5. Teen Angst
6. Don’t Save Us From the Flames
7. Kim & Jessie
8. Skin of the Night
9. A Guitar and a Heart
10. Couleurs

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Some clips from their YouTube channel for those that are interested.

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It wasn’t a particularly remarkable year but for a lot of us 2002 conjures up many fond memories.

Late night (closes at 2am) dinners in the Valley with friends. A casual and relaxing atmosphere. The garish but entirely appropriate décor. A projector showing the latest Hong Kong movie or television serial.

Awe at the size and cost of their beer. Pint-sized bottles tower above food and man as they survey their domain. One must pay respect to Tsing Tao while one is within their mecca.

Let us not forget their lesser beverage disciples. Hot Coke in shiny drummugs (you must insist that it’s “Hot” Coke). Almost as imposing as their Tsing Tao masters, albeit for entirely different reasons.

Part pool hall, arcade and lan cafe. Cyber City is huge as it was once a food court. Unfortunately the food court failed (rumoured to have suspiciously) but thankfully it’s now crammed full with entertainment.

Super efficient service and delici… wait a second, where’s the food? Let’s just say that if looks were an indicator of quality, well, imagine this instead – mountainous dishes of food that will visibly move you (once you realise that it will eventually be inside you). A seemingly endless selection (7 pamphlet pages worth) of delicious concoctions at a cost-effective price. Sure these dishes aren’t entirely authentic to the library of Asian regions they’re native to, but it doesn’t matter. You will not leave hungry and unsatisfied. In fact you will feel like you are about to explode.

It this appeals to you, go back in time, to 2002, in 2009.

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2002 Cyber City
206 Wickham Street
Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia

Prices: Entree & Mains $2.90 – $26
Hours: Every Day 11am – 2am

Brisbane has been annexed by the Cupcake Kingdom. At first it was subtle, Sunday markets and wedding parties, but now they’re out in the open and in force, from the kitchen to the streets. Residents have blissfully surrendered to this bloodless coup. Sugar and flour is the new currency. Finally, our sweet utopia.

Pretty, delicious and sweet. All one could ever wish for in a cupcake. MySweetopia, located towards the Goodwill Bridge end of  South Bank’s restaurant strip is intimate and cute, and perfectly suits. The staff and owners were incredibly friendly and welcoming – part cupcake, part human. Please drop in. Like you had a choice. There’s not much more to say so I’ll say no more.

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MySweetopia on Channel Nine’s Weekend Extra

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MySweetopia
Shop 8, 180 Grey Street
South Bank, Queensland, Australia

Prices: Cupcakes $3.50
Hours: Monday – Saturday 8am – 6pm, Sunday 9am – 6pm