In becoming a hotbed for quality coffee places to rival its far southern counterpart, Melbourne, Brisbane has also been undertaking a laneway project. This idea is to have all sorts of smaller businesses use the quiet side streets which have been under-utilised to set up and have a more atmospheric and quirky aesthetic. What is planned from this is to bring even more life into the central area of the city.
Strauss is an excellent example of this. It is a little difficult to find from the main street, but a few signs do point to it. Going down an alleyway right to a dead end, it throws one more curveball at you by having the entrance hooking left. If you are still feeling lost, don't worry - a few tables out the shop front plus a perpendicular sign will indicate that a door is right there.
This is from the same mindset that has brought the city Cup Roastery and Merriweather. Not being able to speak about the latter, for the former anyone who has drunk enough coffee from around town will know how well that they are in capable hands.
It is both a modest space, and also quite a spacious location. Most of it is set around a horseshoe-shaped bar (with right angles) that has the till on one side (and a bit of a waiting bench near it for orders on the run as well) and a few small, round tables spread around the area. It is simple in design, not unlike a lot of the roasters around town albeit a bit less grungy, more so having a cleaner and polished aesthetic.
This is definitely one of the more busy places in town, especially in the morning. To get in and have your coffee in a timely manner, it needs precise timing as an influx of customers happens at the pinch-point between peak hour and work starting. Even so, the length of time that it can take to order the coffee then be on your way is not the fault of the staff at all. First time, by the skin of my teeth I managed to get in and out in about five minutes just before it got really busy. When I went here for the second time, they showed great initiative with co-operation. It was like a production line, with one person taking the orders and writing them down, another putting in the espresso shot, then another pouring the milk, and a fourth person at times getting the orders and finding the person who placed it. That definitely deserves points for efficiency. Either way, there is a great, friendly atmosphere to Strauss.
Strauss is a bit of everything. It is an all day breakfast, it is a bar, it is a coffee house and it is a social hub in the city. At the moment, for the all day meal that they have, it is really simple. Think of sandwiches and salads and that is more or less what they have on offer, plus many of the simple and straightforward breakfasts - poached eggs, muesli et al. When it comes to the coffee, they are constantly varying it up with filter and espresso options and even have their own cold brew blend. Later parts of the week see it open late, serving drinks and charcuterie platters.
No-time for a sit down meal though, as it was getting coffee before work. And what good is a coffee out without a bit of something on the side? They do several kinds of freshly baked pastries, that are self service to go standing there in their glass dome being irresistible as always.
First time going here, it was for a doppio and chocolate croissant. The doppio was really good, having that kind of taste that maple has - not really sweet but notable for the notes that it is possessing. The chocolate croissant was decent. It was certainly large, and the pastry did not deflate upon being cut. Inside, the chocolate was more on the dark side and delicious. So far, not bad. It was enough to entice me to try some more of what was on offer.
Second time coming it, is was as usual getting a doppio. This time, it was I made sure to order it on their house blend, which will vary on the beans that they have from time to time. Half of it was Rwandan when I went, and it had a distinctly fruity flavour to it. Again, much like self-respecting place they knew how to handle making an espresso shot. Getting a couple of sweets to split up at work, there was an almond croissant, and something that looked a little different which ended up being a cinnamon bun.
First up, I think it can be officially said now. Almond croissants are truly the king of the pastries. Many times in the past, I have ended up ordering it alongside my coffee - if it was there, I adapt - without much active thought about it, and close to 100% of the time it has been really enjoyable. This one must have been really good, as after cutting it up on the plate when I got to work within an hour all the remnants were gone and scraps of the cinnamon bun were left. (Not the latter being referred to) Thus it makes it set in stone that this sweet is a mainstay, and why should it not be? Each time it has been really delicious, with an irresistable flavour that is just a bit from sweet and an almond butter mixture inside flaky pastry that is already infused with butter itself. Sweets on their own vary with how satiating they are with size and all that, but even a modestly sized almond croissant will fill me up well, and be complete with a good coffee. Long story short, Strauss does pastries well.
That is not to say that the cinnamon bun was bad in itself. It has a bit of a different taste profile to most other pastries, which might take people aback on the first bite with a more sour like taste rather than sweet. The pastry was really good, and the infusion of cinnamon was certainly strong. Anything really wrong with it might well have been because of the comparison to the almond croissant, since it was not a bad sweet in itself. For something a little more strange, it does well.
This is another one of those places which are deservedly popular, though I probably am not really the kind of person they are aiming for (nowhere near professional enough). However, in putting more objectively and also into the shoes of a client who is more the target audience, this place does work quite well. It is a great example of hospitality, the way they have utilised previously unused is really clever, and quality control is definitely apparent. With playing its cards right, it should be doing well for quite some time.
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