From the creative brains behind the Sourced Grocer in Tenneriffe, along with chef's from the same cafe, plus the upcoming "The Maker" and formerly from South Bank's Stokehouse comes something quite unusual. The name of the place is Gauge. This belongs in its own league, as it is not quite fusion, is far from pretentious enough to be fine dining, and is experimental enough to attract anyone wanting something completely different. In fact, the more attempt there is to describe any aspect of it, the more nebulous it gets.
Using what is fairly small, or at least smaller than average, amount of shopping space the interior is a mixture between minimalism for the general design and using a few bits of high-end technology to manage and organise seating and bills.
They use the space well by removing several walls, and giving it much more of a communal feel by having one long table in the middle decorated with pot plants, plus several window seats cum booth seats watching the street. For more, with lack of a better adjective, intimate dining there are a couple of tables off to one inside in a cosy nook; otherwise there are several al fresco tables. Whatever your choice, it is very much a social dining experience. Even with the checkout counter, it is open and part of the dining scene as well; additionally, the kitchen is open for everyone to see - they have nothing to hide. For al fresco coffee orders, as well as coffees for people on the go there is a small order window which they are slotted through adding a small bit more efficiency in the quality of service. There is not a whole lot of distinct indication where the shop is (the most signage is etched into the wall near the door), so keeping a sharp eye out is the best bet. To make it easier, just look across to road to see the Queensland Museum's dinosaur garden.
Along with having a minimalistic design, they go simple with the technology as well. At most to help with the costs and seating, they use an iPad to calculate the bills and organise orders to tables.
It is impossible to talk about this place without discussing extensively about the ideas behind the food. This is like little else that I have had before, and there is virtually nothing like it in the entirety of Brisbane. Everything is precisely planned in the composition of each menu item, and not substitutions are allowed unless absolutely necessary. All sorts of unusual experimentation is played with, using all sorts of ingredients and pairing them with strange and ecclectic combinations resulting in an appealing presentation everytime.
As a plus, everything is made withint the premises - I mean everything: the butter is churned, the bread is kneaded and baked, and if not possible, gotten as locally as possible such as with getting honey from a neighbouring cafe - it is all done by hand, and with the upmost amount of love. Hearsay says that even something as simple as their bacon sandwich is something amazing. Truth is, not enough can be said about this place. Gauge is one of those places that has to be tried to be believed.
Showing my brother-in-law some possibilities for breakfast one morning before heading to work, this was among them and the sheer uniqueness of the menu was the deciding factor to go here. This was one fantastic and wise choice. It is a combination of great service, fantastic food and a general lovely ambience.
The service is really friendly, very laid back and efficient. What makes it better is how much care the waitstaff give with how clients are enjoying their food, plus they are knowledgeable about the options given and are happy to give recommendations. This exists somewhere between restaurant and cafe standards.
Starting off, it was the usual buisness of getting initial coffee orders. This happened twice during the meal. Each time I ordered the single origin doppio. It was a pity that I did not get where it came from, because this was one good coffee. The beans used had a sweet flavour to it. They use beans from Coffee Supreme, which seems to be a good blend of coffee which I will need to keep an eye out for in the future. Both times the double espresso was lovely, with the right amount of depth, and richness in taste served at the right temperature, and smooth going down.
After much perusing of the menu, it started out with one of the smaller orders on the menu. The two of us split an order of their black garlic bread, which came with a side of brown buter and a dusting of burnt vanilla. Having a taste of this, it was already off to a good start. A consistent aspect about the meals here is that from the first bite, they are full of surprises. With the black garlic bread, the closest analogy that I can think of is the texture of banana bread.
This black garlic bread is one of their most touted items, and for a good reason. The bread that they use is soft and moist, having a mouthfeel similar to a cake and just a hint of the aromas - soon a mild yet distinct amount of garlic feels the tastebuds. Add on some butter from the soft, generous sized glob on the side, which inevitably soaks some of the vanilla dust into it, and you have something utterly fantastic. What works is that down to the bone, it is that simple bread and butter dynamics are present all the way through.
Next it was onto a couple of the main meals. You can bet both of us had a hard time deciding which items to get on the menu. Eventually though, an item each was decided upon. I went with the pasta option: this was house spaghetti, infused with a parsley and whey sauce, seasoned with black garlic and cured egg yolk mixed through having a finish of crisp cabbage. This was really good, and many of the flavours were subtle. It was a lot like a vegetarian version of pasta carbonara, with a thick, eggy sauce binding the green pasta together mixed with the whey to create a creamy texture. Throughout it the garlic added sharp bites of flavour throughout. The crisp cabbage was ready salted, and light as a feather (so light, the wind blew it away initially). It was every bit as delicious as it sounds, in fact even better.
My brother-in-law ordered the slow roasted pork bely, which rested on a corn and buckwheat salad, was flavoured with mustard seeds, and finished off with baby corn
. This meal was also very good. Shout out to my brother-in-law's town, where the pork was sourced from. It was very tender, and had a good amount of fat on it that was moreish and buttery in texture. The salad provided a dual texture of soft with the buckwheat, and crunch with the corn. The baby corn was slightly different, as it was the sweet corn variety and it had even more of a crunch to it - it was a blast from the past from me when my dad used to cook stir-frys. Again, the dish was an unusual concoction, but it was ultimately worth trying.
All the rest of the dishes I could easily come back here and try out. They have more plans to expand the business, including dinners on certain nights and acquiring a liquor license. Additionally, I can tell that they are going to have more fun arranging the menu to keep on surprising fellow customers. Whatever the case may be, this is one place that deserves all the luck it can get and much, much more.
Finishing it all off, at the counter they have an array of pastries available. Before going on, this is another testament to their brand of service. They understand that with any coffee order, most people would feel like something a little sweet to compliment their's - and I make so secret that I am as such myself. Also, it is always good to finish a nice meal off with something a little sweet. Scouring the options, there was one brightly coloured snack that caught my eyes. Asking what it was, this was a merringue with a butternut pumpkin mixture in the middle. How appropriate to keep the experimental side up until the end. The mixture was creamy and sweet, and the merringue mixture was a good, semi-hard mixture that was not overtly sweet, allowing instead for the pumpkin to take precedent for the flavour palate.
If I could give this place three thumbs up, I absolutely would. In giving it a fair description and critique, I would exhaust all the section in the thesaurus for great or brilliant. To put it another way, Gauge is one of the best places around town and certainly should be on the must eats list of anyone who likes a good meal. What can be distinctively said, though, is that it does its own thing and with plenty of vigour.
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