As if this nape of the woods did not have enough gems lined up to get foodies swooping in here, now they can vouch further by getting one of the less usual places for cuisines in Brisbane - and that is South American. Down to the bone, South American is fairly simple but it is rarely ever subtle. Life is too short for that anyhow. Getting into the groove of a typical Brisbanite's love of brunch, Petrichor shows how you can step right out of your element and enjoy most of the same charms. To me, more of the same would be out of my element; this is the kind of food I venture out for. And it is worth it again.
Between the usual commitments for a breakfast out, and going to church, this was going to be an early one - and maybe a bit quick, but in the end it was still relatively relaxed. What that meant was getting up early so that that was possible. Usually it is my house mate waking me up, but this time it was me doing the honours - and after that, it was heading off to Ascot and trying this place. After a bit of toing and froing, this place was found and in we walked for a good meal.
The whole place feels like a small warehouse in a few ways. It is open, and very spacious with not a lot of decorations here or there. It has some plants crawling up the walls, and a few tables that a communal. This is at the tail end of the shopping complex, so it has the wind coming in at several directions. A soft blue hue is occasionally dotting the walls. For what it is now, this will do. To me though, Latin involves being in your face so hopefully overtime it has more of that characteristic. The kind to invite you in without much of a gander preceding it, the music and everything. Maybe if they get open at night, that could be the aim. As of now, it does well enough.
Service is what it needs to be. We are not talking anything that is out of the ordinary in any way. It is the relaxed table service, so there is that added extra. Going here, everything can be done in-and-out within an hour, however they are not making you feel in a rush. They are friendly, and relaxed, so you feel right at home. Dishes are done diligently and cooked fresh to order.
The menu adds some Latin flair to the neighbourhood, which will certainly increase the reputation of Ascot as a dining destination across the whole of Brisbane. While it may not have intentionally started off that way, aside from having most of the expected breakfast options, it has slowly transformed itself into having many dishes inspired by Colombia and what a great choice. To me, Colombia is the best of the cuisines on the South American continent - to my limited experience at least. It has an all-day breakfast, that is anything but boring and a healthy option is easy to find. A few salads and burgers make up the lunch menu, then there is a whole lot of sweets and sandwiches in the cabinet (none of the sweets are Colombian, that I checked beforehand).
As for drinks, starting off with specialties there are a couple of specialty teas as well as the general varieties. Then they have smoothies - both classic and super - create your own juices, and homemade lemonade. On the more general side, you have yourself milkshakes and the classic of coffee. If something other than Latin/Colombian can be used in categorising here, it would be "health food". But I'm here for an exotic cuisine.
They get their coffee from Veneziano, which is often a reliable blend usually being a tad stronger than usual - but not without a nice flavour to it, slightly on the caramel side. That is what I have told, and to be honest I was sort of disappointed in the coffee here - more so because it was Colombian, as opposed to being from Veneziano. What I normally associate with Colombian coffee is one that has a very bold and characteristic flavour, with an aftertaste that can't be mistaken. The doppio here, while not awful, lacked some of that, and was merely an okay kind of coffee. Don't worry too much, as it was competently made with the extraction, the crema, and all that; its real issue was that it needed to be a little stronger - and that is something that maketh the coffee to my perspective.
In the age old tradition of sharing dishes, when they came to the table there was the cutting up and swapping between plates. For my dining buddy, it was the sweet corn fritters. These were topped with poached eggs, had a side of bacon, and an avocado salsa. The corn fritters were cooked till they were just right, there is the tenderness of the corn inside plus all the mixture of onion and that, but it was solid and cooked until it was slightly crispy. Nothing burnt and crusty, nor undercooked and raw - the right equilibrium that would make it a good burger patty. The poached egg was moreish like butter, plus you can't go wrong with bacon. This was topped with a spicy salsa that was akin to a hollandaise glaze. That was just my dining buddy's dish, and I had quite a bit to say about it. What about mine? Well ...
With it being a Colombian place, or having an exotic edge to it, the main thought process that I had was to find something that was definitely different to normal and order it. At some previous places that served breakfasts, and were run by Colombians, that was definitely what I went for and one thing is for sure regardless - these breakfasts are often full on, with plenty of protein, and well balanced. You might not need to eat for the rest of the day. That was the case in a couple of instances at Petrichor and that was the case with my dish. It had a name that was in Spanish, but it escapes me at the moment. Whatever the case, Spanish is not my first or second language, so I would probably ruin it regardless. What this was, was one long plantain, topped with pulled beef and an avocado salsa, with a small tub of beans, and a fried egg.
Well, what was not to like about it? This was something which was simple down to the bone. Yet from looking at in an exotic lens, it was something very wonderful. The meat was tender, the avocado was creamy, which was already to a good start, and the rest of the items contributed just as well to it. Starting with the plantain, with the way it was served and presented, the most apropos way to describe it would be akin to a potato (texture wise) that had a distinct banana flavour (taste wise) - if that makes any sense right there. On top of that plantain was a good lot of beef, which was cooked slowly until it was as tender as it could be - and the flavour was fantastic. Plus that was topped off with a good salsa, with a creamy avocado and plenty of tomato in in. The fried egg was a fried egg, and the small pot of beans was possibly what tied it all together. These beans were tender, were rich in flavour, and the sauce they were in was thick, rich and smokey. We are talking "frijoles" here, something that is way different to the normal beans for breakfast. This was done in a modest portion. I do love a big serving in a meal, however from a technical stand point there is little at fault here.
A 4.0 rating would be a bit of a drop to what it would normally be rated. That is because most digressions I can handle if there is effort and well-meaning behind it. However, lots of it hinges on how good I find the coffee, and if it is either a coffee house, a roastery, or a breakfast out (plus some particular cuisines), that will mean that the coffee is even more important that it does its job. At breakfast time, an underwhelming coffee is one of the biggest deductions.
I would certainly want to rate this place higher, as the food was exceptional - and I always like the service from Latin people, which more than adds some character to the place. Overall, the whole is fairly different to the sum its parts here. By all means, this is more than worth your trip out and it deserves to be ranked among some of the finest places that can be found here, since it demonstrates just how lively this pocket of the suburbs is. The vibe is relaxed, along with it managing to gain a popularity that is truly deserved. With some time, it will truly stand out.
TL;DR: A couple of things that have been established with my many ventures out were present here. First was just how good Latin American cuisine is, or more so in this regard, Colombian. If the food is not too unusual sounding, then at least it has some of the most distinctive and bold flavours galore on the palate. They mix it really well. What was a pity was the coffee - often I have found there is a unique flavour to them and I was looking forward to that. But this time, not so much - I have had worse, but this definitely lacked the character that I long associated with Colombian cooking. This it the next thing, where some places go above and beyond making menus beyond stock-standard, but falling short with the coffee. To me, having great coffee is nigh vital. That has been a strange trend to me.
Ultimately, Petrichor convinced me that Brisbane would benefit a lot more from having a broader range of South American cuisines on offer. As far as Colombia - and Venezuela, digressing - go, these are among the most friendly people and there is definitely something characteristic in their presentation, not only with the food, but also with how it all comes across. Here, you are not going to be deprived of a good meal, complete with it being relaxed. A great range of characteristic dishes, some general and others undeniably Latin, it is all good and it is safe to say that Ascot has got itself another big winner.
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