This is possibly a one in a thousand find. Not that the food itself is anything that is earth shattering or sets new paradigms - but in of itself, the food is perfectly fine and a bit better than average - or that it will be the game changer in town for what a cafe could be. Really, down to the bone it is another worthy entry in a part of town already which in options for dining. Chapter IV it is called, and it is where a couple of failed ventures were housed. Without the signs, it would just be another house on Latrobe Terrace that would you go past without a second's thought. But in getting to the initial point, credentials of the brainchild aside (though it helps in her favour) this has much of a look of another cafe, with not inexpensive prices but the right view from here is something other places with it would charge the world. Decent enough in its own overall, good and characteristic food combined with a relaxing view from the top equal one place that ought to be checked out soon.
Well, it was at that time nearing the end of the week. Somewhere for breakfast, just where it was was the next question. As per usual, my house mate/dining buddy had a short list of a few specific places he had in mind, and this was one of them. With some errands that he had done recently, he had managed to come here and there was a good reason for him to recommend it (beyond the food, and that will be gotten to eventually). After a small coin flip, it came out positively for Chapter IV. The only catch for me was that it had to be an early day before I went off to church service. That was doable, so early one morning it was a wake-up prank and off to some great breakfast.
With the service here, it is all pretty good. The young lass was friendly and professional, and knew exactly the right beats with when to descend upon the table and take requests for coffee and mains. For how long it takes, expect a little more than usual - everything is done from scratch, or it could have been the choices of order specifically. Either way, it is still efficient enough, the general demenour is friendly, and the turnaround time is still pretty good. That is about what there is to say regarding that aspect.
If choosing to dine here, what cannot be recommended enough when choosing the seating is selecting the back deck. Few other places in Brisbane have such a wonderful and uninterrupted view over much of the city. This is upon the deck of what would often be an unsuspecting Queenslander, albeit on the main road, and more so albeit that Paddington is known for having a lot of steep hills. For the cherry on top of the sundae, there are a couple of swinging chairs to sit on to really enjoy and appreciate the view. Aside from the great deck out the back, the main part of the restaurant is quite spacious, and it includes a playpen for children off to the side, with the walls being exposed and ceiling high this is quite old-style in a way, along with the new. That is all hidden behind the otherwise suspecting shopfront, which has the usual overhanging shade and a few tables on the sidewalk.
Getting onto the menu, it is far from your stock standard take on the breakfast out. The major aspect about it is the all day breakfast, and this time around they put the interesting choices right out the front. This is quite the move. It is subject to change, and often in it they use influences from various cuisines to add twists and such to their meals. Sometimes there is even outright foreign breakfast dishes there. At lunch time, they don't lose energy by just settling for salads and sandwiches; full meals are available which are also subject to change. Getting onto the drinks, there is the usual tea and coffee, as well as a couple of smoothies, then most of the usual cold drinks which include juices, sodas, milkshakes (more than just the regular flavours) and frappes. From the bar to go with tapas later into the night, there is a small range of wines and beers. Adding onto that is all the sweets in the cabinet, which would go perfect with the drinks listed.
Well, the first sign that I saw before entering the door was the kind of coffee that they offer. That was Campos, and I will still admit to it that it often is a good sign for the quality of the place. At least in terms of coffee. More often than not, a strong and mildly-flavoured coffee is able to be expected from the beans at Campos. That was the case again with a place using Campos, with a doppio that was hot, slightly sweet, and really did its job. As per usual, my dining buddy gave me a sip of his cappuccino - and that was perfectly textured and smooth.
It ain't very common to say that both dishes that were ordered were both really good, and a bit different to the usual cafe style fare. Both of them were huge; we are talking about generous serving sizes that make up for the tad higher prices. And the flavours are full on from first to last bite.
Let's put it this way - eggs Benedict will always be one of the best things to order for breakfast. There is just something about it, with the right combination and all that. On the menu at that time, there was a twist to it with the meat of the meal being soft shell crab. So you can definitely be assured I ordered it. On top of toasted Turkish bread, with the soft-poached eggs, they combined sriacha into the hollandaise sauce and made an avocado-tomato salsa. This was absolutely delicious in every sense of the word. The Turkish bread managed to soak up so many flavours, which had a hollandaise that was thick, creamy and spicy - making it believable that this was a Singapurian take on the breakfast classic - and the avocado and tomato salsa was made from really fresh produce. Those eggs were fantastic, and the yolks were really runny, and best of all was the soft shell crab. It was sweet and moreish, plus the chef was generous by giving two big bits of it on top. Without any doubts, I give the stamp of approval.
As for my dining buddy, the one that took his fancy was called a "Breakfast John". Think of a savoury version of French toast, with a major Malaysian influence that is basically it. This is topped off with spiced lamb mince, a coleslaw-like salad, kewpie mayonnaise and sriarcha. With the option to add on bacon, that he took. From the bits I had, it was also pretty good. In many ways, it reminded me of what could be gotten from a Chinese bakery ... hard to explain why really. The lamb mince was tasty and robust, the bacon was cooked pretty well and the coleslaw added some crunch to it. This was also pretty good, and on equal par with the Benedict that was ordered.
Both of them showed quite the inventive Malaysian influence, they were robust servings, and possibly the best example of what was on the menu at the time. Each one works in its own way, but on the equal footing they managed to be pretty satisfying and showcased that there was a talented chef behind the scenes.
All that has to be said about Chapter IV has already been said in the review. Most of it comes from the right combination of locations, aesthetics and how they present their food. This was one place that I left feeling not just satiated from such a substantial meal, but also quite relaxed after looking out over the great view on the balcony. That alone has quite a few good business practices right into the palm of the owner's hand. Hopefully this time around, the owner is able to know what she is doing with the place, and so far it is seeming so good.
TL;DR: After having breakfast out at so many places, this was a nice change of pace where they put the best feet forward and offered some great breakfasts that take twists of old classics. That is always quite an advantage, which was one of the several strong reasons that Chapter IV gets a recommendation. As well as that, it has most of the usual strengths for a solid cafe - decent coffee, a nice atmosphere, and quick service. Where it really has a trump card is out the back - just look at the view when you get there and you will definitely see - the city skyline, plus the suburban hills for miles. Unlike most other places that focus on a good breakfast, it still maintains inspiration at the lunch hour. All up, the best way to look at it is that you come for the food, and you stay for the view.
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