Review The Balfour Kitchen & Bar - Brisbane

Very romantic and lovely restaurant. We haven’t heard about this place at all up until recently when stumbled across it on Google. The garden is very romantic during nighttime. The staffs were quite friendly and very welcoming. We’re vegetarian and food options are definitely not lacking of variety! Definitely recommend for a date night 😍

Had a breakfast gnocchi and prawn crumpet. Both were very nice. Good amount of food! Brekky gnocchi has mushroom inside! This mushroom has really savory, umami taste! Prawn crumpet was also good. Salad? Was on the top of soft bread. Cucumber, prawn and some other stuff was mixed all together. Combination was good. Coffee was okay😄 all staff was really friendly and kind! They have a hotel as well so, you can stay and have yummy food and drinks as well at night. Nice mood and interior

I went there for my friend’s birthday and we ordered taste it all for the table to share. We three really enjoyed the food. Every plate gave us surprise especially the dessert. Thank you! We will be back definitely!

Don’t expect noodles or run of the mill curry. This is expertly done , contemporary Asian. My recommendation is to go with the taste it all. Each serving is an all out assault on the pallet. You never know what to expect with every serving. The flavours are just captivating. Portion serving are generous too. Kudos to the chef and the team for meticulously putting together the menu. Attention to detail as each serving complimented the last one. This is one of Brisbanes hidden gems.

A stunning restaurant and hotel in a beautifully renovated old Queenslander. There a patio, balcony and indoor seating as well as a roof top bar. We ordered the tasting menu and loved every dish! My favourite was the beef brisket and the scallops were divine as well. We had our dessert at the roof top bar where there was views of the story bridge. Cocktails were lovely too! Thank you for a lovely dinner

Yes...do yourself a favour and come here for breakfast. Try the "something a little different" section of the menu. YUMMMM!!! Am sick of the same old breakfasts everywhere, and this place DID NOT dissapoint! Friendly staff, quick service, great coffee, DELICIOUS FOOD!!!

We came here because it was a dog-friendly restaurant. We drove from Sydney. It's great to be able to enjoy such lovely restaurants with the whole family. The food is delicious and the staff were so nice. We will definitely return. Thank you for being open on Good Friday.

Best fine dining experience I have had in a very long time! All the food was absolutely exquisite. I dined with 6 friends and every one of us was really impressed with the food. The ambience and design of the restaurant is stunning also. I will definitely be back!

Great wait staff, nice setting, the chef would have to be the best in his class in Australia. The braised beef, hands down, the nicest tenderest flavoursome cut of steak I have ever eaten EVER I’m here now and don’t want to leave

June 2019<br/><br/>We visited this restaurant this time for dinner. We generally like Spicers group. <br/>Dinner was also nice. The service was a bit slow. All tables were booked. I didn’t like the dessert, roasted pineapple much. It had too much cream and was a bit too sweet for me. <br/><br/>————————<br/>June 2018<br/>We visited this lovely restaurant for breakfast for the first time and we loved everything about this beautiful cozy restaurant. If you are after a nice cozy restaurant far from the traffic noise this is the place.<br/>The staff were lovely and friendly. service was great and food was perfect. Very tasty, healthy and well presented.<br/>Also the coffee was fantastic. They serve Koko glossy black which is a blend of four spices. <br/>I’ve bookmarked this restaurant to visit again.

Friendly staff, lovely environment. <br/><br/>Salad was lovely and fresh; pork was juicy and tender, drinks special was refreshing and it was a mix of kiwi, pineapple and ginger. Just a little bit disappointed by the deep fried chicken, is deep fried too dry; and the other was deep fried dory, luckily the dough is not too thick, but is just tasteless.

Wonderful dining experience tonight. Group of 4 having three courses each and seriously every dish was outstanding. the service too was really warm and amazing from both the waiters esp the lady waiter(sorry we did not get the chance to say thank you). Will def come back. Thx

What a fantastic experience! Lovely food and good coffee. Service by Maggie and Simon was amaizing! The area is so leafy and beautiful. Great set up. Highly recommended.

I decided to booked high tea 2 person and order extra scone at Balfour Kitchen based on the review social media. However, apparently I wasn’t good as the review said especially compare with the price that you have to paid. <br/><br/>I paid 79$ per person which is pretty expensive compare with high tea at the 5 star hotel like Sofitel or Stamford which are better view and you will get more food and it only cost 45$ per person.<br/><br/>The food is very average. I wouldn’t recommend to have high tea here. It ok if you want to have an experience, but once time is enough.

Highly recommend visiting this place. We got there half an hour early and were offered to go up to the rooftop bar for a drink where the view and atmosphere was so lovely. For dinner downstairs, we ordered the 3 courses. Every course was so delicious and flavours were amazing. The oyster mushroom dish was so packed full of flavour and same went for the coconut kombucha dessert. One of the best desserts I’ve had and was great to finish the night off with because it was so fresh but both tangy and sweet. Tried to savour every bite of it! The staff were also really friendly and welcoming. Cannot wait to go back and try their breakfast/lunch.

Rated 4.5. Went here with the partner and a friend for weekend lunch. We were promptly seated and offered complimentary still water and/or sparkling water. There was even a complimentary soft blanket for us to cover our legs during the cool winter days, if we wished.<br/><br/>We ordered the 'Shaking Beef' (tender pieces of beef, with lovely savoury caramelised sauce and mushrooms and tomatos; the side of homemade chips were well-made), 'Grilled Lemongrass Chicken' (succulent chicken with a nice Vietnamese-inspired noodle salad) and 'Lime Cured Fish' (subtlely cured fresh fish with textures of pickled and fresh vegetables cupped in lettuce leaves). We also ordered a side of 'Aunty Five's Fried Cauliflower' (lightly battered and crispy steaks of cauliflower with a delicious dipping sauce).<br/><br/>Friendly and efficient service. Casual ambience - lovely setting with downstairs/upstairs and indoors/outdoors (latter with heating/fans dependent on the weather) seating. Reasonable prices for the ambience and the food.<br/><br/>Overall, a lovely restaurant with some modern and innovative, Vietnamese-inspired dishes. Would come back.

Crab omelette with potato rosti for a Sunday morning brunch sounds like heaven to me. The food was decent, however I could barely taste the crab. For the price, I would have expected a lot more. Not to mention that the rosti was one that I had added, an extra.

While the service here was quite good, I can't help but be disappointed by the food. I ordered the Eggs Benedict with bacon. The hollandaise was incredibly buttery, which was made worse by the fact that the bread it was served on was basically a croissant. The bacon was overcooked to the point of being leathery. At least the hash brown I ordered on the side was great.

Lovely setting, the food was good though the brunch menu was limited, especially for the vegetarian in our party. Sadly the service was pretty disappointing. Six people and our drinks arrived over a 12 minute period. So much for toasting. We constantly had to ask the waiter for water and literally hand him the empties to get him to take them away. I asked for a straw - had to go get it myself. Both our servers were new so perhaps they will improve.

Tasty food, delicious bubbles, and a stylish back drop. We had a large table so took a while for everything to get organised but worth it when it came and they were great about organising the birthday cake surprise

I had breakfast here on a Sunday morning. The setting was quite nice. Staff were pleasant, and accommodating. The food came within 30 minutes of order, and was well presented with a grest incorporation of flavours. I had the classic 'big brekkie', which I would say is one of the best I've had in town. Despite this, my only criticism is the number of flies buzzing around whilst we ate. It was quite off-putting. I'd most likely come back, but maybe a seat inside next time.

Tonight was my anniversary and was really looking forward to coming back to The Balfour Kitchen as I enjoyed the high tea here last year. However the table my partner and I was sitting at had water leaking from the air and onto my partner and his food. When we approached the staff she said to us "well there isn't much we can do about that..." then walked off to tell another staff member. So another staff member who was male came over and was so helpful and lovely he moved us to a different table with a lovely view. Really appreciated that! Then the first female staff member who rudely spoke to us came to help as we moved to our new table and my partner just casually suggested to move the table we were originally seated at for future customers because it is a health and safety issue. She then responded she has no idea about that area (health and safety). We were both still shocked at her responses. I have never been so angry so I decided to just let the lovely male staff member who helped us out know that we were very bothered by that other staff member and her service. I apologise I didnt get your names I dont mean to refer you to female staff or male staff. He responded extremely well so professional and left with a smile on his face when he offered us complimentary wines. It even made me feel bad for mentioning it to him but it really ruined our anniversary and am sad to say that we will not be returning back anytime soon...

I took my grandparents and family to Balfour today for hightea. Although on the pricey side, it was well worth the out lay. We had beautiful bite sizes pieces of food, and a glass of champagne. The staff were also lovely. I definitely want to go back and have a meal there.

Thanks Balfour for a relaxed birthday brunch. Great food and attentive service. Good wine list. My elderly mum loves Balfour because of the above, and the quiet warm setting.

Girls high tea before work, the food is different from other high tea, they are very nice and yummy but not a big serve, i did not have breakfasts, so i was still hungry after the high tea. We order extra entree - Charred octopus to share, we were not expected the chef put into 3 plates for us, especially during lunch peak time. <br/>$55 for high tea with unlimited non alcoholic drink is a little bit over priced, i guess we pay for the service. If they hv scone which will be prefect.

Been here couple of month ago. Very nice place on a  quiet street. Although hard to find a parking. <br/> Restaurant is divided into 3 parts: inside, verandah and outside in a little snuggle courtyard. The deco is a little bit too dark for my taste, so we preferred to sit out side.    I think that were the only good things about the place. The food was fine (i had rice with crab  and my friend had big breakkie) , but not the greatest and quiet overpriced. I've been to the cafe next door (ponycat i think? ) that I found  much better. Coffee was burned. We were unlucky to get there in a rush hour and a staff member was just off her  feet trying to serve everyone   (although could have been a little bit nicer to us). I think it was an ok one time experience.

I was truly disappointed by the meal I had last night, first of all the pork belly was unavailable due to a busy lunch? Which meant only 3 from 4 mains were available, sorry but if you've sold out at lunch get more for your dinner bookings. I booked this table months ago! The fish was less than average and the potato undercooked. Come on, really how difficult it is to boil potatoes and par bake them? As a table of four we spent $550 in this establishment, the drinks were great, the entree of gyoza's delicious, but the mains not so much. My friend couldn't eat her steak as it was rare as opposed to medium rare. If you're going to present yourself as a fine dining restaurant please back it up by what you put on the plate.

I ordered a red balloon voucher for high tea. The booking was really easy. I was called to confirm and sent an email.<br/>We arrived and was surprised to find a renovated Queenslander. We were sat immediately on arrival at a beautiful table with a great view.<br/>We were given the drinks menu and ordered our teas.<br/>Within 5 mins our tea cane out as did our savoury plate. I enjoyed every item on the plate. The brioche buns could have been a little fresher.<br/>Then we ordered a second drink and our sweet try cane out. Needless to say we couldn't eat it all. Really enjoyed the different items on each tray. Nice not to have scones and have some different flavors to try.<br/>I would definitely recommend.

Service was excellent. A beautiful relaxed atmosphere with a homely touch. The eggs Benedict was pretty good, the Chardonnay hollandaise was slightly acidic but not too overpowering. I really enjoyed the fig and walnut toast - not too sweet. Went well with the T2 Brisbane breakfast tea.

Visited on monday morning, plenty of seats were available and we got a nice shady table out on the deck. <br/>Ordered the smoked barra omelette ($22), brioche french toast ($19), and beetroot & gin cured gravalax ($23). We were sharing these three meals between just 2 people so the chefs split the french toast into 2 serves which was nice. However the barra omelette was a bit dry and bland, I had to ask for some hollandaise ($4 for a tiny little sauce bowl!!). The gravalax was okay, not that special but the rosti on it was nice. The brioche french toast was probably the best out of the three, it was moist and flavourful. Overall the experience and atmosphere was great, but food was underwhelming especially for the price.

I had an amazing experience with my team at Balfour Kitchen this morning. The food was amazing and presented beautifully and the the staff member that served us was very friendly. I can't wait to come back and try the dinner menu!

This is a little gem hidden away from the hustle and bustle of nearby Fortitude Valley.<br/>Whilst sitting on the fabulous verandah of an old Queenslander complete with the very relaxing atmosphere we enjoyed excellent food and very attentive service. Will definitely return and would highly recommend.

Brisbane Times Good Food Guide has recently awarded Balfour Kitchen one chef hat. I have always wanted to come, but now there was no excuse. We decided to come for dinner and the food truly validated that hat. We started off with the fish crackling and crumbed mussel. This tantalized our taste buds and left us wanting more. Then we had the poached salmon, twice cooked wagyu and beef tartare. The salmon was perfection, it was so soft but still maintained a bit of texture. The wagyu was way too salty and would have been perfect if it came with something to balance all that saltiness. Our mains of smoked duck breast and lamp rump had been cooked to perfection. The serving was very generous for a fine dining restaurant. We ended with the pomegranate sorbet and caramelized white chocolate. I preferred the later. The caramelised brie on the pomegranate sorbet didn't quite work for me. I will be returning to try their breakfast menu. The location was gorgeous and the bar upstairs had a nice view of the story bridge.

Great experience, tasty dishes and good ambiance. Came here with my girlfriend for some vino and tapas. We both feel the place was quite pricey tho. Overall a good experience

Beautiful place but the food was only okay and definitely not justifying the high prices, we've had breakfast and enjoyed sitting out on the deck, might be nice to go for a drink, but next time I'll have my breakfast somewhere else

Booked Fathers' Day lunch here purely for the advertised live music. Good food in a quality place with proper music - what could be better and more special on a sunshiny spring day for Fathers Day? Unfortunately on arriving and enquiring where the band was the staff had no idea there was even meant to be one. They also had no idea we would not enjoy sitting at the worst table in a dark corner inside right in front of the kitchen and work desk. They rectified this by letting us sit outside with everyone else, and set a table up in the front courtyard which was appreciated. Service was good - thankyou Mafe who was in-training and did a great job. Food ranged from okay to lovely. But the $300 bill at the end (reduced when it was pointed out they had overcharged us by $20) was something I would have been happy to spend for the kind of afternoon that their website promised, not for just a meal in nice surroundings that could have been spent in a number of other places. The fact we were lured there for a special day by clearly false advertising is enough to never return nor recommend this place. Plenty of other authentic experiences to be had now in Brisbane for $300.

We stayed overnight and enjoyed breakfast the following morning. Gorgeous spot for brekky, out on the verandah in the winter sun!!<br/>Very quick service and staff were really lovely! Lots of foreigners from all over the world bringing different stories. <br/>Fruit platter to start was a nice touch and great quality. We both had eggs benedict which was wonderful! Well cooked eggs, just the right amount of hollandaise and beautiful bread (nice and soft which I love - nothing worse than well done toast that you can't cut through!)<br/>Also loved the juice of the day and the gorgeous tea sets!! <br/>This place is so polished and really take care of the finer details. A real credit to the team!

A beautiful place for special occasions. I came here with a group of friends for breakfast to celebrate a birthday and it was the perfect atmosphere. A bit fancier than your everyday Cafes around new farm so it was a very nice treat. The food is good but I didn't feel it was anything out of the ordinary. We were really there for the lovely atmosphere. Sitting out on the deck is lovely if you can nab one of those tables!

New Farm's best kept secret! I love this place... Beautiful menu, it is my favourite breakfast spot in Brisbane ! Crab omelette is my recommendation

A beautiful breakfast option tucked away in suburbia. We wanted something quiet and delicious for good Friday and Balfour Kitchen more than delivered. From the ricotta and leek stuffed mushroom, halloumi and smashed avocado and the MASSIVE BIG breakfast! Good coffee and mimosa's.

A wonderful spot for breakfast. Located in New Farm in an old Queenslander you get the quality without the queues. I am not a toast person but the bread here is amazing. I will have to come back for dinner.

Cannot fault the service, the food and surroundings. Great smooth coffee and an extensive breakfast menu. Best thing is it's a 5* hotel chain so you get a chef prepared meal but in s friendly relaxed atmosphere... That's licensed if your up for a Bloody Mary. And you don't have to line up on the street like most other groovy new farm spots. Our new favourite!

This place is an amazing place for dinner. The meals were excellent, reasonably priced and full of flavour. Perfect atmosphere in the restaurant and a great rooftop bar for pre dinner drinks. Highly recommend a visit!

A beautifully plated brunch! The hot smoked salmon and the chardonnay hollandaise sauce was delicious. The staff were very attentive, I will definitely be back!

This award winning restaurant is located inside the Boutique Balfour Hotel of New Farm. They provide the most comfortable ambience for diners enjoying the dishes from the carefully prepared menu. I can see the passions of the whole team, particularly, the effort from the chefs in preparing dishes with nice presentation and delicious taste. Hero of the night that I visited was the Suckling Pig, which was tender without greasy feeling. Dessert of Mixed Berries gained a lot of mark on review, particularly, I decided to take the suggestion from the friendly waitress to have the dessert at upstairs (bar area), where I could enjoy my sweet while I was appreciating the nice view of Story Bridge. A highly recommend restaurant that you should not miss.

You can't get much more Brisbane than the timber and tin architecture of Spicers Balfour with a view of the Story Bridge, unless you want the heritage art deco elegance of the newer Spicers Balfour suites just down the street. The newly opened Spicers Balfour Suites are just a couple of houses down the road.  It's almost like visiting the neighbours as you traipse between the two.

Recently attended chefs in the city evening. Visiting chef from Spicers Tamarind.Seating mucked up and squished in at table. Wine matched meal but very minimal wine. One person allergic to prawns and was given tofu for 2 courses Firstly to replace soup that contained prawn. Good, but secondly to replace pork curry??. Disappointing. Had such high expectations but would not recommend.

We had an evening meal here a while ago and while it was nice it didn't really wow us enough to rush back given the amount of good restaurants we still would like to try. <br/><br/>After seeing a few posts on social media of the some breakfasts here which not only looked good but got great reviews we decided to venture back to try the brekkie. <br/><br/>We booked online as guessed it would be pretty busy on a Sunday morning, it was. Service was ok, a little slow at times but ok. The food on the other hand was fantastic! The Cider Braised Ham was excellent, really tasty. The crumpets were good too but the ham was the standout for me. Loved it and will be back to try another brekkie dish!<br/><br/>Used the Entertainment book to get a discount too.<br/><br/>-----17 Jun, 2014-----<br/><br/>Evening Meal. Dined here recently on a Saturday evening, we booked in advance to avoid any disappointment as we tried here for breakfast a few months prior and they were fully booked.<br/><br/>We were eating early so it was pretty quiet still.<br/><br/>We were sat outside, a nice setting but was a little chilly on a cold winter evening, we did ask for the heaters to be turned on but they either didn’t or they don’t produce much heat? There were some blankets, but it’s not idea to try eat dinner wrapped in one. The oil burning flames also made for a smoky ambiance, a little too smoky for me.<br/><br/>It’s only a fairly small menu but it all sounded nice. All the food was nice, cooked well and tasted good too though I wouldn’t say we were blown away.<br/><br/>Service was friendly and generally OK but not up to the same standard as when we have dined at other Spicers restaurants.<br/><br/>We were able to use ‘The Entertainment Card’ for a discount off the meal which was good. <br/><br/>We were both happy with our meals but probably would rush back.

Monday night BYO, no corkage! What a great reason to eat out on a Monday. Nice meal, good service, set in a beautiful old house. Worth a try.

We then decided to head to The Balfour Kitchen nearby which is part of the Spicers Balfour Hotel in New Farm.  They cater for hotel guests and casual visitors, so we were able to partake of the delectable dishes on the menu.  The restaurant (and hotel) is in a lovely old Queenslander house, set in a leafy garden. Even though it is close to the CBD, and near a busy part of Brisbane, there was a sense of serenity and calm as we settled down to lunch.  I took delight in checking out the other patrons; among others, there was a couple consisting of a younger (married) man - (I saw his ring), and an older woman who did not appear to be his wife.  I watched them surreptitiously, though I did see her glance my way once or twice.  Maybe she thought I was taking photos of them, rather than the food!  The hotel is painted dark grey, which sounds odd especially for sunny Brisbane, but in fact it worked well, somehow making the green leaves of the trees stand out even more.

Delightful. Went out for Friday night dinner and decided to try Balfour Kitchen based on positive reviews and we did not regret. We were seated in the front courtyard which had a romantic atmosphere. The food was delicious and wait staff were friendly and attentive. Overall, a lovely night out and will be returning.

Disappointing. We went to Balfour Kitchen this morning and we won't be returning. It had been some time between visits and clearly something has changed as the experience was terrible. Service was slow and the food was so disappointing. My husband's order was wrong and I had the omelette which was abysmal (a tiny badly cooked excuse for an omelette - tasted and looked more like scrambled eggs - for $19 minus the prosciutto for some reason which was listed on the menu description). Such a nice venue ruined by bad service and overpriced less the average food.

Exclentce in New Farm. Great staff, great ambience, great food. I wish I had know of this restaurant years ago. Absolutely nothing to fault. Very romantic, great food and friendly staff. Nice quiet ambience and plenty of separation between tables. This is definitely one of my now favourite places to eat. Don't discount anything outside of the CBD until you have tried this Gem.

Lovely Food!!. We recently had dinner here with some friends for the first time. It is a quiet tucked away building which caters for an intimate setting as well as for small groups and we were pleasantly surprised by the lay out - upstairs on the terrace we had pre-dinner drinks and downstairs a lovely space on the patio for dinner. Entrees, Mains, Sides and deserts were enjoyed by us all and to be perfectly honest I can not think of one thing we had that was undervalued. Staff were awesome, service spot on. We will certainly be back there again soon.

The staff was talking bad about the customer. And the fruit salad with yogurt was off!! Therefore the waiter sent the food back the kitchen to fix it, because they were busy, so no apologies from waiter or fixing the food!!! This place used to be very good, not anymore. <br/>WON'T come back again.

Fantastic flavours. My husband and I went here for dinner. We were seated inside at a quiet table. The pork belly & scollops entrees were well priced and so flavoursome. We waited a little for our mains. My husband had the lamb and I the beef, which we enjoyed. We were given complimentary desserts since we had to wait a little long for our mains. Delicious flavours again. So many elements! We had a great experience and were impressed by the chefs talent. We will be back.

Great Food & Service. Recently my wife and I went here for dinner. We have been to a number of the Spicer’s establishments for dinners, breakfasts and accommodation and am fully aware of the excellence they strive for. I can say that our experience was right up there with our previous experiences. The food was excellent and varied and well priced. The service was also up there with the high standards they maintain throughout the group. I was a great experience that night and due to that we will definitely be going back. Thank you to all the staff for an absolutely enjoyable evening.

Breakfast. Awful! Who poaches eggs and serves this!!!???

My friends and I went to Balfour Kitchen for breakfast. The food was delicious and came in generous servings, and the venue was pleasant. Unfortunately one particular male wait staff lacked warmth and customer service manners appropriate for a fine dining restaurant, and the wait staff in general were not very accommodating. My husband and I have dined at a different Spicers restaurant before and had an incredible experience. Unfortunately this experience at Balfour Kitchen has ruined my impression of Spicers. I suggest selecting or training your wait staff more thoroughly.

My new favourite Resturant. We had been looking for somewhere new to try for a birthday dinner. From the moment I rang through I experienced great service. Nothing was too much trouble. It was my daughters 19th birthday. We started off with drinks on the roof top bar. Absolutely stunning. Amazing views. Then we were seated in the garden Resturant. Beautiful. The food was fantastic, so fresh and tasty. Service was wonderful, staff very helpful. I am telling all my friends about this special little gem. We will be back. Thank you so much for making this a wonderful birthday celebration .

Balfour Kitchen - New Farm, Brisbane. The Balfour Retreat in New Farm: Just to believe that this retreat is up the a side street from the main road, then unassumingly being situated among apartment blocks and suburban housing. Previously, it had been known for its breakfasts and high teas; then, it extended those services to night hours with dinner. Possibly as a way to promote this proposal, Dimmi sent out their usual deal. This is how I got here, along with my dining buddy and brother-in-law. After a small bit of trouble, that is some changes had to be made to the initial arrangements, a worthwhile and fantastic meal was enjoyed by all. <br/><br/>There are slight differences between the words of "atmosphere", "aesthetic" and "decor" while they all do imply a general aspect of the place. Without any doubts, all three of those nouns about this place can be said to be absolutely beautiful. This is practically fancy & fine dining we are talking about. The lighting is romantic, the modern look is picturesque, each table is laid out with a white tablecloth, some paper on top and a candle for lighting, and there are so many modes of seating. This is without going down to the minutiae What can basically be said is that this is a meticulously done restaurant, which is housed by a bed-n-breakfast, one which would be ideal for a really special date. This needs to be on the must-do list of Brisbane eateries to get the full extent of the options available. <br/><br/>The service is also exquisite and attentive. Think of the kind of service where your water is constantly being topped by one of the waitstaff doing a round of the restaurant. When it gets below a certain level, the water is topped up. These must be trained waitstaff, since it was relatively busy for a mid-week dinner and they were all lithely managed and organised. Going here in the service part of the review, the chefs are craftsmen when it comes to presentation as for a full minute I marveled at the looks of most of the meals that were ordered. You are in for a treat when you go here. <br/><br/>Coming here early for the booking, there was still a bit of time to check the place out. This included being able to use the roof-top bar. It is not very big, and could only fit a few people on at a time. For those lucky folk, they get some amazing views of the Brisbane skyline and the Story Bridge. If at some point you had not already fallen in love with the view of it, this ought to make it so. <br/><br/>As usual, there is an extensive range of alcoholic beverages to chose from to have some pre-dinner drinks Coffee was also available, and this is the only part of the night where I have reservations. This is not coffee you would want if you are going for something strong. It is fairly weak and does not have much of a flavour. Hopefully at breakfast, it is much stronger but regardless for those who like their coffee strong this should be an option. Aside from that, everything else was fantastic as a minimum superlative. <br/><br/>Looking at the menus, even the breakfast one sounded brilliant. Regardless, via the booking agent was only for dinner and there that was the arrangements. It was one that needed a few aspects fixed up beforehand, including adding another member to the party, and ultimately ended up being a brilliant meal out. The selection of meals to choose from is that fantastic equilibrium where the array is modest, yet diverse and distinctive. You know it is great when you have at least two that you are trying to decide between. That was the case here. Luckily, all three are into sharing. <br/><br/>For some starters, my dining buddy went for pumpkin bread, and I opted for pork belly. <br/>This is when it starts to get optimistic, that when the bread is good quality, the following courses ought to be good. This pumpkin bread is homemade and comes with a hazelnut and chardonnay butter. Warm, soft, fresh bread which melts the butter soon after you put a bit of it on is one of the indefinite pleasures of eating out. When that happens, simplicity in motion is apparent. None of the flavours are overt; with bread it comes down to subtly to be truly winning. <br/>The pork belly could have been a first course meal in itself. It came with a side of date and orange couscous, and that was infused with a pomegranate molasses.The meat of the pork was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, the fatty part was like butter and the crackling was crunchy. If pork belly meets all three of those criteria, then it is well done pork belly, tasty and brilliant. They could have just had the plain pork belly there and the dish would have been good on its own. That is not to discount the couscous, as it was also really tasty. It was an inventive twist; fruity and tart. So then, two great starters both great in their own way. <br/><br/>Three mains: duck breast, barramundi vindaloo, lamb vindaloo. These three easily looked the best of the lot, and by luck all three men here wanted one each from that selection. Each one was nothing less than absolutely great and tasty. All the ingredients were high quality, dynamically co-operated gastronomically and managed to be distinct from each other one. That is feat harder than it should sound. <br/><br/>The duck was infused with five spices, and served with sides of cauliflower almond puree and kale, sour cherry jus.I swear that I do not have to explain further about this; it just writes itself for how good it is and tastes. However, I will explain a bit. The puree had a few similarities to whipped potato, with a more tart flavour and occassional nuttiness. It suited the flavour of the duck, and the jus on the side was perfect for the meat. As for the duck, juicy flesh, crispy skin and a somewhat gamey flavour - as most great duck is like - highlight the brilliance of it all. It is rare for me to pass up duck or pass it by when it is on the menu, and this reminds me exactly why. <br/><br/>The barramundi vindaloo had a side of steamed broccolini and was on a bed of basmati pilaf. Blow me down if this was not among one of the more fantastically made, and spicy, curries I have tried. This stands up to some of the curries I have had at actual Indian restaurants, even in England. The fish was soft and tasty, smooth flavours and with a good crispy skin around the flesh. The basmati pilaf beside it was simply brilliant in its simplicity. <br/><br/>Alongside the lamb tenderloins were a warm zucchini salad, a chorizo salsa, a basting of mint, peas and a dab of yoghurt. This might be the most wholesome of the lot, and it was still really good. The lamb tenderloin was succulent, cooked medium-rare. With it, the sides were suitable and had different, distinct styles of taste which suited it very well. If I had to garner, I would guess that this dish was influenced a lot by Middle Eastern/Pakistani cuisine; one of the best cuisines to get inspiration for cooking from. <br/><br/>The most aforementioned dish was my brother-in-law's order; he did not opt to have a starter, and instead went with a side. The side ordered was simply called "potato crunchies", which came with a side of aioli. These were fantastic. They were kind of like cube-shaped rosti, crunchy and delicious with soft, moist potato inside. Both my dining buddy and brother-in-law were trying to figure out how they would be made. Essentially, it was a new take on the classic side vegetable - potato. <br/><br/>So it comes to the end of the main course. When it is a really nice restaurant, this always seems to be the case: dessert? Most places are strategic by having the dessert menu be its own separate entity. This is likely to make people check it out anyways to see if there is anything that would look good; it was different here; the dessert menu was with the rest of the menu. <br/><br/>Nevertheless, both of the other party members were reluctant yet still agreed to see the menus when I opted in. After a bit of looking, neither went for it. It is a pity as quite a few of the desserts sounded delicious as well; for me, from what I initially thought, it was "just a coffee" via affogato - dessert and coffee in one. So I ordered the tiramisu affogato and it was very different to what I thought it would be. <br/><br/>The menu mentioned the ingredients as follows: "ice cream, amaretti biscuits, coffee, amaretto, choc pearls". It did sound a little bizarre, but I like bizarre. The shots of espresso, amaretto and choc pearls were all in shotglasses while it was a tumbler for the ice cream, which tasted like it was made out of yoghurt. After putting the amaretto to the side and applying both the espresso and the choc pearls, I figured this was more of a deconstructed tiramisu. It was delightful, with the crunch of biscuits and choc pearls accompanying a smooth lot of ice cream. Inventive, and still going strong on aesthetics. <br/><br/>This was another place which was all-round fantastic. Great food, fantastic atmosphere and brilliant service were but three reasons to go here. It has that feeling of a world class restaurant that often is found in the countryside, yet it is right in the neighbourhood of the most inner-suburban suburb of Brisbane. The folk just want to give at least 100% each night. This restaurant is not only fantastic, but in such an extraordinary instance the term to be used would be "special". In a lot of ways, it just needs to be seen or experienced first hand to see why.

Roger. A group of us had sunday breakfast there. We sat on the balcony and had a great time.The food was very tasty and well presented. The coffee was a good brew. If you want a good sunday outing, I suggest you try Balfours. You won,t be disappointed. It has class !!!

Very disappointing. Went for high tea today. $90 and offering was very sparse. Have been previously and wasn't an issue. Minimal food for two. Cream was off. A cos lettuce leaf with a thin slice of goats cheese. Is that a joke? Lemon meringue was half filled as well as caramel pastry. The impression was that they had run out of food. Service was poor and unenthusiastic. I will certainly avoid this place, they don't get it.

The staff, impeccable service and quality of food are what makes dining at Balfour Kitchen a rare delight.<br/><br/>Sam and his crew make this venue a truly welcoming experience from the roof top bar through to the conclusion of dinner. Having previously only dined for breakfast, we were pleased to hear that they are now open to the public for dinner. We started our night off upstairs gazing at the Storey Bridge with a wide selection of beers, wine and spirits available (an honour system to stay-in guests). Afterwards we were seated downstairs delighted to be inside under the heaters ( and blinds to keep out the cool) and treated to a menu that certainly caters to all foodies. We chose the pumpkin bread with hazelnut and champagne spread (odd yet satisfying) and the tasty spring rolls. From the main menu we decided on the vindaloo barramundi and angus steak. Both dishes were fresh and full of flavour and Devastated we never got the crunchy The staff, impeccable service and quality of food are what makes dining at Balfour Kitchen a rare delight.<br/><br/>Sam and his crew make this venue a truly welcoming experience from the roof top bar through to the conclusion of dinner. Having previously only dined for breakfast, we were pleased to hear that they are now open to the public for dinner. We started our night off upstairs gazing at the Storey Bridge with a wide selection of beers, wine and spirits available (an honour system to stay-in guests). We were seated downstairs delighted to be inside with the heaters (and blinds) and treated to a menu that caters to all foodies. We chose the pumpkin bread with hazelnut and champagne spread (odd yet satisfying) and the tasty spring rolls. From the main menu we chose the vindaloo barramundi and angus steak. Both meals were fresh and full of flavour and quite generous serves. We were devastated we never for the crunchy potatoes, they looked amazing!! Choosing coffee over dessert, there is a variety of choices from sorbet, tiramisu and chocolate croissant pudding. I'm saving room next time!<br/><br/>We thoroughly enjoyed the friendly atmosphere, hospitality and delightful food. We can't wait to return!! Thanks for a beautiful meal Spicers Balfour

Amazing breakfast this morning! Zucchini & Haloumi Fritters, Ricotta Hotcakes + Fruit & Nut toast - all were amazing - perfect accompaniments and fresh produce PLUS the most gorgeous setting - we love this place!!

Good and Bad. Went there for dinner on a Tuesday evening. Great food, lovely setting and atmosphere. Worst service we've received in a long time. Had to wait 25 minutes for drinks to arrive. Asked for starters and mains to arrive together as only 3 of our party of 7 ordered them. Waited over an hour for food and it all came together. Ordered more drinks which arrived 20 minutes later. We were outside with one other party of 4 so assumed they must be busy, but no.... only one other party of 3 inside! Food is very good but don't go unless you're prepared to wait for everything.

TBH recommends for special occasions. We had the ricotta hot cakes: lemon curd yoghurt parfait, blueberry compote, spiced maple $19 and the Gratinated cassoulet: slow cooked pork, camberland beans, fried egg $20<br/><br/>Mon-Fri 6:30-11am, Sat-Sun 7:30-11am (brunch)<br/><br/>Beautiful surroundings tucked away in a backstreet of New Farm. A renovated Queenslander turned into hotel and restaurant. A bit expensive but worth for the atmosphere. MUST BOOK IN ADVANCE especially for a group weekend brunch. Service a bit lacking, food took awhile and average sized servings but food was delightful. <br/><br/>Worth heading to for the ambience and be sure to have a sneaky explore.

Diana. We recently dined at Balfours for breakfast The food here is amazing. I had the haloumi /zucchini fritters which were melt in the mouth delish! My partner also enjoyed his crab omelet, which he noted was perfectly cooked with a delicate smattering of chilli through the crab. Only let down was the coffee, not enough strength

Overrated. Food okay and atmosphere pleasant but the 50 min wait for breakfast (for a booked table) is extreme. Given the availability of parking in the area I doubt I'll be back.

Impeccable!. Stunning setting, incredible ambiance, gorgeous service, delicious food, and so reasonably priced! The staff really went above and beyond for our party during my birthday breakfast there, even bringing me a croissant with a candle on it. I couldn't fault a thing if I tried and I can't wait for an excuse to return. So impressed.

So-so breakfast.. Pleasant surroundings and enjoyed the food although a couple of the hot servings were a little on the small size. My crab, caramellized onion and chilli omelette was delicious but couldn't taste any chilli, and all diners at our table seemed happy with their food without going over the top. The down-side was the poor service. The staff were all very pleasant but service was very slow and attention to detail was missing. Not in a hurry to go back but will probably do so at some stage. Needs a good service manager.

Perfect service, tasty breakfast and a gorgeous atmosphere! <br/><br/>This place is tranquil and definitely worth eating at!

Superb. My husband and I enjoyed a truly delicious breakfast at the Balfour recently to celebrate his 50th birthday. It has been a while since we went out for breakfast as in the past too often we were dissappointed. You will not be dissappointed at the Balfour Kitchen... good service, outstanding breakfast and delightful setting - absolutely superb! Thank you Balfour Kitchen for a perfect start to a day!<br/><br/><br/>-----26 Feb, 2014-----<br/><br/>Superb. My husband and I enjoyed a truly delicious breakfast at the Balfour recently to celebrate his 50th birthday. It has been a while since we went out for breakfast as in the past too often we were dissappointed. You will not be dissappointed at the Balfour Kitchen... good service, outstanding breakfast and delightful setting - absolutely superb! Thank you Balbour Kitchen for a perfect start to a day!

Absolutely fantastic! Went on "Spice Night Tuesday" and had one of the best meals in a long time. Will definitely be back!

In Awe of Balfour. As restaurant guests not staying at Spicers Balfour Retreat, my fiancée and I were welcomed into the The Balfour Kitchen and offered with the recommendation to first visit the upper deck of the modernly designed, boutique Queenslander retreat for a beverage. This gave us a chance to take a moment of relaxation in the open air and admire the view of the Story Bridge in its perfect proximity.<br/><br/>For dining, we selected the downstairs courtyard, an area that exudes a romantically natural ambience with green vines flattering the front wall and just the right amount of lighting hanging from branches, allowing the moonlight to mark its presence.<br/><br/>The menu sounded very inviting and we were determined to sample a variety on what was on offer. For entree, we ordered the cider braised pork belly, gourmet pecorino balls and the night’s special of warmed olives and fetta. <br/><br/>For mains, it was difficult to pass on the wild barramundi with asparagus, leek & pea risotto for myself and the eye fillet with red wine jus for my partner. The barramundi crispy skinned and cooked with the delicacy it deserves and the eye fillet perfectly tender.<br/><br/>By this time, we were extremely full. Did we dare try the dessert? Why, of course. After plenty of “umms” and “ahhs”, it was decided. I could not resist the chocolate brulee with a fruit mint salad; each spoonful even more tantalising than the previous. My partner made the selection of the macadamia white choc caramelie with raspberry sorbet. The sorbet was like nothing we had ever had before, it burst with colour and had the flavour to match, the caramelie warm and comforting. <br/><br/>In summary, Spicers Balfour is a modernly designed retreat with picturesque views and divine cuisine.<br/><br/>I guess you could say I’m in awe of Balfour.

Delicious food! Prompt service, Relaxed atmosphere.

Absolutely delightful!. We want to the Balfour for my daughter's 21st birthday. I had tried booking at three eateries in Paddington but was told that they don't take bookings on Sunday. I scoured the Internet and came across a blog recommending the Balfour. What a wonderful choice - beautiful surroundings and the food was amazing. The birthday girl had the brioche French toast with ice cream, caramelised banana, walnuts and salted caramel sauce, she was over the moon as it tasted and looked wonderful. I had the hot smoked salmon, a piece of moist salmon atop some perfectly cooked asparagus with a perfectly cooked poached egg on the top. It also came with Labna and sourdough toast. The other four were equally happy with their meals. Prices were similar to our Paddington haunts but the standard of food and the atmosphere was so much better. Definitely will be back and will recommend to others.

Been meaning to try this for a while. The veranda is lovely and the service excellent. Little bit of a wait on the food. But food was excellent. Hot smoked salmon was lovely. So were the mushrooms.

Overpriced.. When we decided to go to Spicers, the urbanspoon rating was at 93%. Our experience was definitely not worth that score. The wait staff were snooty, the food overpriced and portion sizes small. The food itself was fairly standard fare as well. Not coming back.

Beautiful breakfast spot. What a great hidden gem this is - classy, great food and extremely competent service. Baked eggs, big breakfast, mushrooms or bennies on the sunny verandah...every single one of us was very pleased with our dishes.

Overall a nice atmosphere and nice service from the staff especially the understanding of our late arrival. Food was on point except for that one dishes portion size but reasonably priced besides that.

Every single meal was perfect as we sat on the sun soaked deck. I had a had time choosing but went with the Omlette with roasted kipfler’s and caramamelised onion and fetta.

The two large and perfectly caramelised scallops sat atop the buttermilk cakes, which had the spiced puree dripping down the sides. The fennel and pork crackling were sprinkled over the top with some of the crackling falling to the plate. The sweet scallop was delicious and paired nicely with the buttermilk cakes, the subtle Indian spices from the puree provided a little bite

We recently visited the Balfour Kitchen for breakfast – it was a truly wonderful experience, with superlative service and decadent food offerings at a reasonable price.

Now to the sweets! I like their scones. It was light and delicious when spread with the blueberry jam and cream. I think that was the highlight for me besides the 'chips'.

The restaurant seemed particularly popular with families and mature crowd – we counted at least 3 large group tables that morning, celebrating birthdays and special occasions. We dropped in for breakfast and thankfully arrived just early enough to secure a table inside that blustery winter morning.

I couldn't go past the sound of their Big Breakfast ($20) which included everything that you could possible want, pork belly, sausages, perfectly poached eggs, you name it. The other travel bunnie, on the other hand wanted something simpler. The meals, like the décor of this boutique hotel, were delightful.