Another place has done it again. In the ironic twist of fate, what looks unsuspecting, plain and in the middle of the least anticipated area is one of the darling jewels in the dining scene, this time for breakfast. It is the Brown Dog Cafe.
or quite a while, this has definitely been one place that both my house mate and I were trying to get to, but somehow just never have managed it. It has either been closed, or when Wooloongabba was the location for eating it was simply another place that was in mind. That being said, coming here was flirted with on many an occasion plus with it having an average score of 4.0+ - how could it not be on the hit list at some point? Like ripping off a bandage, it was just a case of getting here and that was that.
It is not just this site that shows how popular it is. Simply go to the place when it is open and it is more or less bustling. Even in going here that one morning, it was taking a chance. Putting the car into a park, I jumped out and ran over to see if there was any space - which there was right next to the door - and signaled to my dining buddy that it was all good. And thus starts the dining experience once again.
So the location of this one is as far from ostentatious as you could get from an initial look at the place. Backing a bit away from the populous place in the Gabba, it is within a small collection of high quality eateries at the tail end of Logan Road. If passing by here outside of the business hours, you would wonder if you are in the right location. The door is on an angle from the sidewalk, and there is not any kind of obvious indication that this is *the* Brown Dog Cafe (its namesake and signage might well pass for graffiti). Part of this design could well help with the whole interior look of the place, along with the vibe that it has going for it. Plus, when it opens up for business it is all a-go and there is no mistaking it that time. Even the sun shines in and makes it vibrant.
The inside has a funky vibe to it, once you sit down and settle in. A decent sound of music plays inside helps set the relaxed mood. At the same time, it is a really simple set up yet there are so many aspects around it to make the dining area look characteristic. It was much bigger than I thought from a look in, with another couple of tables tucked away from the view of the door. Some more are placed along the adjacent sidewalks, which is a testament to how well renowned this place has become in its own neighbourhood. Service is generally really friendly, which helps the vibe of the place further. It is really quick and efficient as well, plus the ordering process is that usual streamlining of counter service.
About the menu, we are talking fairly simple fare. The breakfast items don't really go much beyond things with toast, and most of the bigger dishes have fairly simple ingredients to build them up to meals. When it comes to lunch, the menu is basic cafe fare - just a smattering of the usual suspects more or less. If it is something a bit more simple for your taste buds, they have a cabinet that is full of sweets - cakes, cookies and whatnot. Drinks are tea, coffee, and milkshakes - plus other beverages in that vein. Later on, it gets harder with different sorts of ales, wines and lagers. The basic demands are all met here.
For me, the meal that I got was the dog's breakfast. That was a selection of foods on a plate, which was haloumi, avocado, spinach, tomato and toast along with a wedge of lemon. This was a fairly simple, yet admittedly tasty, breakfast dish. All of the chosen items were top notch quality - we had creamy avocado, juicy tomato and fresh spinach along with haloumi which is always a good choice. The bread was solid, and lightly toasted giving it the right amount of crustiness. Not really a whole lot to it, and it is definitely one of the healthier meals I have reviewed in some time.
Without any doubts, the coffee that I got was a doppio - what else could it possibly be? The coffee that they use comes from Di Manfredi, which can go either way and that depends on the quality of the barista's skills. They are definitely up to scratch at the Brown Dog Cafe. The coffee was strong, a good temperature, and the right level of extraction done to deliver it. Even more props are given to the way it was served, or more so the cup. I have not yet had a coffee served in what looked like a goblet - until now. Little touches like that always keep this hobby interesting.
As for my dining buddy, his choice was the "Dog's Roll". This is a simple toastie that had ham, a fried egg, and some cheese, with a pouring over of HP sauce. Basically, that is what it sounds like - wholesome, a little greasy from so much melted cheese, and the sauce makes it have a little bit of a vinegary taste. What helps is that it was on some good bread.
Afterwards, my dining buddy went right back to the counter and ordered a couple of sweets to round off the meal. They were a cherry ripe slice and a passionfruit slice. During some time when he was occupied outside, I snuck to the counter and then got a couple of coffee orders to go with the sweets (or mine, since his might have already been consumed by then). Both of these were solid desserts, that hit the spot after a decent breakfast. The cherry ripe was sweet, having a good amount of dark chocolate complimenting it, and all that pulp made the passionfruit slice equally as delicious. Both were on a good cake base, that was crumbly and well prepared. They were the right size to go with the coffee, and finished the meal of satisfactorily.
It may be a bit on the simple side, that is definitely one thing going against it, but there are certainly a number of more strengths that the Brown Dog cafe possesses that gets it to surpass all of those preconceived notions. Something has definitely been done right by this part, as it was every bit as enjoyable as they keep on saying it is. For that reason, a 4.0 is the right rating to showcase that a solid effort has both been put in, and thus matched for a nice, quick meal.
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