TL;DR: Just where to begin when discussing the Blockhouse? The food is bold, adventurous, and all-round tasty, which is a great start. It has a unique outlay, that is somehow trendy while being so casual and laid-back, and the best part is the cottage is somewhat elusive. That means rewards await to anyone who seeks it. And I say this much - seek this one out.
You got something unusual and weirdly wonderful hiding just off a main road in Nundah, and nestled in a combination of semi-industrial and suburban housing. The Blockhouse is displayed like some sort of monument, a pale white cottage houses one of the cosiest and funkiest dining spots that has been seen in a long while. And through this funky vibe they have going on, it is that laid back one where they are of the home stretch and reward travelers with some of the tastiest fare they are going to eat for a long time.
After several months of relying upon the inner Eastern suburbs and trying to find all the little locals that had somehow been passed over time and again, my house mate went back to reconfiguring the game. These are some south-siders you are talking to, and very rarely is it that southerners tend to venture too far north; that kind of idea is depriving us of getting to some true gems, since like how the south might has Morningside and such, the north has Nundah which is a goldmine for some great foodie adventures. That was the first part in this plan of action.
The next one was looking at what was there, and my house mate often has quite a few rattling around in his old head. I walked into this room while he was perusing some places, and looked over his shoulder and saw the menu. That was all that was needed to convince me, with it defying many of the conventions of a brunch out in Brisbane - those will always capture my interest the most, and with the fastest speeds in tact. So that led to the usual thing on a weekend.
I was snoozing in as usual on a Sunday morning, when the house mate sneaked into my room with the air horn app in his hand all ready to blast. It was with a simple blast of that app - and I think this time I got really startled - that it was only five minutes at most that we were out the door and on the road. It is going to be said in advance, the Blockhouse is one of these suckers that is well worth the road trip if you are on the other side of town.
Time and again, I have given just a bit more praise to the places which can be found by taking a slight detour of the back roads. It gives these little gems an elusive charm that even the most bustling hot-spot on the main road can only dream of acquiring. The Block House is situated in a cottage-shaped building that is expansive, and has a few other ventures out back. This part of town has a bit of the industry, and a bit of the residencies, and comfortably tailors the surroundings and the atmosphere to be the best it can be. That is an oasis, a watering hole, and providing a bit of everything to wet the whistles of those who venture in.
Many of the Brisbane-based websites describe the set out quite well, with Blockhouse being two sections both which have their distinct and bold characters. Walk in off the street, and to your right the decor is a trendy little bar which has seating that spills onto a sunny balcony that takes in the al fresco elements. Turn to your left, it is much more laid-back and comfortable having the best elements of a diner mixed in with a friendly bar. The seating was very comfortable it took an effort to get in and out of it, and they had the classical bar stools at the bar. When it came to the design, they must not spared any expense since it all looked sleek. Black marble adorned much of the sturdy furniture, plus the marble bench top and other touches here and there. To put it shortly, they went all out with the aesthetics and the final product shows that all the effort in its glory.
The ways that Blockhouse distinguishes itself from the competition is not only apparent in their stylish design - and what they have on offer, that is a treat to behold - but it is also in the way they approach the customer service. I'm not sure about you, but with many of the busting hotspots for brunch they have this mentality to just get things done and bring in more clientele. That is even on the relaxed weekends. The vibe of Blockhouse is one of the most laid-back that I have seen. Beneath the exterior of being laid-back often has a hard-working spirit behind it. That was the case right here. There were so many patrons to attend to, and with the number of them around at least half-a-dozen waitstaff members were going back and forth ensuring operations ran smoothly. It is not the quickest service around, though far from slow in any sense of the word.
What also is good about the service is the attention to detail, and how to the point they are. It was only about a minute between walking through the threshold and being seated, and before there was time to process all that they had brought the waters. It keeps on being said when this is the case, when given the choice my preference will inevitably lean towards table service - this time it was table service. The timing was also well planned between all the beats. That ensures that clients feel they can be here for both a long and a good time.
For the menu they have on offer, the question is what time of day are you wanting to rock up? The certainty at this point is any time of day will provide a range of tasty, pipping hot meals, that are expertly crafted. These came at brunch time, in the afternoon stretch that leads into dinner, plus the countless versions of cocktails et al the barkeep can throw at you. To make things even more exciting, the menus will invariably change bringing more goodness to the table.
It starts out at brunch time, where they have one page and at least four sections. Each section is a different group of meals, catering to those wanting the normal thing in the morning, more adventurous and daring folks have a section as well, and any other one will also vary with the selection. That is another beauty with the food, that you don't know which direction they will take. When it comes to afternoon time, the food is generally all sorts of bar snacks with a few big pub meals.
The drinks section is really where it comes all to life. The day I went with my house mate, they were having bottomless mimosas for a booked in period and that is on offer starting mid-morning under the "hair of the dog". Numerous cocktails, wines, and beers can also be gotten from the bar. If alcohol is not your thing, they got a small range otherwise: coffees, juices, milkshakes and the ilk. It was getting to the hot weather, so they really speciliased in the cold stuff.
It started out with the general orders for drinks, and that will mean coffee when it comes to this little black duck. The chosen drink was the cold drip, getting it black as midnight. For their beans, they go right for the single origin bean. Each time it is a single origin, the flavour is a lot cleaner with less clutter in the notes, and the method of the slow brew helps bring the more underlying aspects into the open. This coffee was fantastic, and had fruity notes as such with maybe a little bit of honey poking out after sitting out for a while. The beans managed to be both strong yet soothing, much like filter coffee opting for the slow burn effect which I honestly prefer if given the choice. The coffee was a great start to the breakfast, and it only got better from there.
As it was already said, the menus are something else whenever you go. I was going back and forth, even trying to make a shortlist Ultimately, it was trying to decide between two that got the breakfast meals ordered. One was a southern style fried chicken dish, on top of some macaroni cheese and a few vinegar pickles; the second one was a Korean-inspired twist on the chicken and waffles substituting the chicken with duck wings and the waffle was infused with kimchi.
It is impossible to chose which dish was the better of the two, since both of them were tasty and cooked to perfection. The case for the fried chicken can be said like this, if it is indicative of how the cooking is done in the Deep South then I am prepared to start booking my tickets there tomorrow. The chicken pieces were all tender, cooked twice to seal in flavour. Around each piece, the coating was spicy and well crumbed. Underneath the meat, the macaroni cheese was ozzing with such a rich blend that combined with al dente pasta, and it was finished off with a good crust of cheese. I've been saying it for years, what you have at breakfast can be anything you want.
The duck and waffles was also delicious. Many trips to Korean restaurants have seen a real American influence, which was apparent in the breakfast. Each duck wing was crispy, well seasoned, and had succulent meat hanging off the bones. With the waffles, each one was like a cloud absorbing the sauces and aromas. If kimchi is not your thing, I'd still say try it as the flavour was pretty muted in this meal. That is one more winner that we have, and these two meals are only the tip of the iceberg.
To ensure we had our next champion with the perfect 5.0 score, I quickly got a sweet to take home for a bit later. It was a simple blueberry friand, and that sucker went really well with a cup of coffee. The body of it was soft and moreish, with slight vanilla flavouring, and the blueberries inside were sizable and produced a good flavour. An all-around admirable effort to the Blockhouse.
The Blockhouse is a lot like that kid who doesn't pretend to be cool, possibly doesn't care about it either (with no facade to that lack of care), and because of it many people have no option but to get drawn to the kid. It is the alternative scene without the necessity to prove the alternative nature. That is all done through a casual and relaxed demeanour, that is secretly hard-working and ensuring everything is going as it should. But not only that, the glue that ties it all together is the food which may well be some of the tastiest, if not the tastiest and most moreish fare, that I have had all year. It is common to go home with a food baby and a satisfied smile, yet a whole new level when that smile resembles the Cheshire cat.
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