Gerard's Bistro - Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. While it is on one of Fortitude Valley's busiest streets, Gerard's Bistro is one of a collection of shops and restaurants that are hidden down a pedestrian walkway. It requires a bit of a keen eye in order to find it, but when you do manage to find the restaurant it is well worthwhile. The overall design of the place is relaxing, unique and you could take both your good friend or your boss here. Finding a good place for breakfast, and managing to get something unique by good change, my dining buddy and I were off to here for a breakfast to remember.
The minutiae that has gone into the interior deserves to be applauded. Each table has the restaurant's insignia carved into it, the decorations and design have a combination of Moroccan tiles and timber used to make sure it is always at an agreeable temperature and there is the blackboard plus the giant wine rack. All of this points to a place that is making a major effort to impress. Good news for them: it has paid off satisfactorily.
Service here surpasses great. It is some of the most superb that I have had in quite a while. There was not a very long wait, and within seconds the waiter asked us how we would like our water - tap or sparkling, both of us opting for the former. The napkins were even lain for us. Throughout all the diner's meal, when the water glass was below a certain level a waitress would simply fill it back up; it is often little aspects like this that can make a huge difference in service.
It is also well organised, with a little computer noting all the tables with whether they are reserved, free, seated or served. There are several inside as well as outside in the courtyard-inspired walkway. This has the utmost organisational efficiency and it has not abandoned the human touch. You are made to feel welcome here, and it is one of the places you would want to go to.
My dining buddy was feeling like something fish-based, and had a couple of items on the menu he was tossing up between. When a waiter came to take our orders, he went and asked the difference between the two items. Without much hesitation or loss in confidence, the waiter described both of them with plain detail with an ardent attitude to boot.
My dining buddy ended up getting the House-smoked mackerel. This was served on toast and came with avocado, Persian feta, zaāatar and pickled radish. It goes without saying that there was sharing, and the two of us took a bit from each others plate to sample it. The bit I had of the mackerel was very tasty - not only is there an enjoyable flavour with the food here, but it is also the array as such with vivid dynamics to go with.
As can be deduced from the above paragraph, the menu consists of influences from around the Mediterranean rim - particularly North Africa and parts of the Middle East, including Iran. None of the items sounded bad nor boring, and as far as the city's dining goes, it is one of the more unique.
The meal, of course, did start out with the coffee orders. Mine was a double-shot cappuccino. They use a blend from Lavazza. It was a well-made brew: strong, deep in flavour and all-up what felt needed at breakfast time.
For my breakfast main, I found it hard to go past the black pudding. This came with a few quail eggs, a custard made out of manchego and flamed grapes. Finishing it off was smoked almond crust. From a presentation standpoint, it seemed that the black pudding was acting as toast with the coating of smoked almonds, being topped off with quail eggs and garnished with flamed grapes. Each component had a totally different flavour to it, as well as a texture; they all managed to co-operate.
The black pudding still kept its distinct flavour, and had a softer texture. It was less strong in its flavour than usual, keeping a smokey undertone and still had that critique where it is love it or hate it; any close reading of my writing would indicate the former. The base of the manchego cheese custard has a strong bite to it, being akin to sheep milk-based cheese.
Though eggs tend to be more of a texture-based food item than a flavour-based one, there was a milder taste to the quail eggs than the usual chicken eggs. The flamed grapes created an addition of the sweet flavour to the meal and the almonds were a smokey & crunchy finish on top. It was a well-rounded dish taking influences from all the five major taste buds.
Often I pre-read menus (if and where I can with notice) and saw a drink on here that sounded too good and unusual to pass up. It was a Damascus rose bud Iced Tea with saffron rock candy. The flavour of it is a bit tricky to describe; the rose flavour has components of a sweet taste, but to describe it as sweet is not precisely exact. Rose is one of those delicate, - for lack of a better word - nice and unique flavours that can be had. With subtle hints of saffron and a chilled temperature, this is a refreshing beverage for a hot day and a good substitute for those who do not drink coffee.
This was, simply put, one of the best breakfasts out that I can remember. It comes with some of the most high recommendation that can be given. There was great food, a fantastic atmosphere & interior pairing, really attentive service all up making it both wholly and holistically a meal to remember. Few places would be recommended to everyone, wholeheartedly, and this happens to be one of those few.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes