Quietly on the east side of town, here is another promising coffee roaster doing what coffee roasters do. Like each one, there is enough hype around it to arouse interest and it will inevitably have its share of fans. That being said, coming here was because of hearing so much about it and it being so close to where I reside.
So, the usual Saturday schedule that is getting into gear. Church is around the mid-morning, and the weekly breakfast date with my dining buddy and I is the go. With the surrounding suburbs, and the inner-south area, it is starting to expand and already has quite a good selection of options - breakfast or otherwise. Let's just say, he has a list of places to try out and get there so he is often prepared on the fly. This was one of them, and being coffee lovers, it was certainly on the fringes of his mind - as well as being open suitably early, all was good to go. What has been built up a lot did not really fall flat, but was sort of a fizzer. Elements should work, but something underlying about it made it not seem as good as it should be.
As central and rich with great places as Wooloongabba, much like some other places I have tried out it is a bit off to the side. On what is quite a quiet road, it is across the street from another business and does see a little bit of business from clientele during the peak hours. This is more modest in size than other roasteries, not having the wide open spaces and getting more of an L-shape section in the building. Giving them the credit, they do create the look of a roastery - the strange mix of urban and rustic, going for little in the way of decorations. All of the tables are set up with the serviettes, cutlery and salt and pepper. When it comes to the counter area, it starts to be a bit more set up like a bar (honestly, not a bad hook - it is something to run with) where it is around the corner and central to the main area. So props to go to design and decor.
I don't often have qualms about service unless it is really bad. Though from experience, all the small aspects start to become a little more apparent and quite a few of those stem from the involvement from the waitstaff. Walking in, they sort of just go through the motions with the ordering process. Getting the meals is quick enough and efficient, so I won't say they aren't good workers. However, much like anywhere, small aspects are what builds up the experience and not a lot of that was present. It was not even busy, so there was a lot of opportunity to check up on the meal, or even explain the blends of coffee. Heck, it edged closer to apathetic than anything else.
The menu is one that changes regularly. Heck, from when I went the real-time menu and the one that was under the menu section were completely different. Some items weren't there, there were new items in place. Whether it is more of the same, or an odd one here to there is put on is completely up to chance. This time, it was a bit boring to be honest.
Instead of being distinctly breakfast or lunch, the menu is a compact one that is simply "all day". You can have something light, or a more substantial meal whatever the case. As well as that, they have pastries on the counter. When it comes to drinks, tea and coffee are the mainstays. Other choices are juices, smoothies, and iced drinks. To avoid a wild goose chase about the coffees here, there is only one blend and one mode of preparation (with exception to pre-made cold brew) - that is pretty lame.
So this is their own blend that they are using, and it is alright. It is a little less strong than some others that are around, but it was not too bad. I have had worse before, and it did do the job of waking me up before Church. That doppio I had here was competently made, and there decent notes to it. On top of it was a good crema, that was lighter in colour to normal, so this appeared to be a more medium roast with the blend used. The coffee was decent, however it lacked something that normally is to be expected from a roaster. It is hard to put my finger on, but this certainly is not among the most memorable from around here. It could be up to taste.
As for the main breakfast, most of the time it is hard to go beyond something that is tried and true. That is an egg's benedict, with the choice of meat being ham. Let's just say that the benedict overall was not an awful one, but to put it as memorable as some others that I have had over the years (and let's just stick with the traditional varieties) that is not the case. The ham was a decent cut, plus the eggs were well cooked with the yolks runny (no other way). Adding onto that, the hollandaise sauce that was poured on top was thick, and had a slightly stronger flavour than usual. Giving it a bit of freshness was the rocket, which is a nice touch here and there.
What was really missing from this was the bread, or how it was done. I am sure that the bread was good quality, however I don't think it was toasted beforehand. The bread went soggy, plus it was cut a bit thin to be able to withstand the sauce. What would help in the future, is a thicker slice and a bit of a light toast. This was not awful overall, but the bread really brought down what should be an acceptable dish.
Well that was Republic Coffee Traders. If this were a mere cafe, I would be giving it somewhat of a pass. The atmosphere has a slightly urban/rustic look to it, the coffee was not so bad, and even the food wasn't awful though it did look like something that could be made in your home kitchen - quality was still there, so it was not like they were not trying. Portion sizes were also decent enough. Plus, what also stuck out like a sore thumb was that the baristas and cooks did not seem as involved as they usually are. This did have a number of aspects that could work for another great roastery, but ultimately it lacked the overall character and charm that distinguishes them from an average cafe.
TL;DR: This is far from awful, and would be passable as its own little cafe. However, going into something that advertises itself and dresses up like a roastery, I really expected to have something a bit more involved. What I mean is maybe having a couple of different blends, or one or two more methods of coffee preparation for keen coffee lovers to try, plus interaction with clientele would not hurt either.
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