TL;DR: Equal parts simple, and unusual. Pitch and Fork has become one of the best go-to places, that itself is a ways away from the main drag. Using an already existing headquarters, they have gone to work in the kitchen to well and truly please and audience, and try their hands out at making all sorts of delights that will definitely impress the taste buds. To talk much about it won't do it justice, just a recommendation to go is all you need.
From the crew behind the Corner Store Cafe, in fact right down the road from it more or less, we have Pitch and Fork. This is one of the more favourable ways that I like to find some new eatery, one that is in an unusual place which as a result almost gives it a distinct - or if they really play it right, unique - character. Taking a turn off the main drag, and maneuvering around all the roads near the apartment complexes, you find yourself at the West Bulldogs Rugby Club. That is where we find ourselves, and it is right here that some experimentation is going on in the kitchen. Plus on the weekends, the parents can sit back and enjoy some substantial fare while the kids run around on the oval nearby. Three for three it makes it, by that changing up a sports club to have a decent eatery that fits in nicely. This might be the best example yet.
Somehow by being organic, it has gotten to an agreement between my housemate and me to alternate weeks in getting the choice of where to go on Sundays. To put it in a short term, that sounds like a plan that could work. This week was my turn. And it is just yet another time it was all about stumbling upon a place - this time around, it was listed under some of the best dog-friendly cafes in Brisbane. Of course, the dog at home would not go well at all wherever he were brought, but that is aside the point. Reading the menu, it sounded a bit different to the general range given for breakfast and being the negotiating kind I showed it off to the house mate. In the end, this sounded good and it was right off for a usual spot of breakfast on the Sunday morning.
It is less about the design of the place, and more about how spacious it all is and al fresco. Are we really not that far from the city center here? While all the tables and chairs are on cold concrete, there is the view of many green teas and blue skies up above. The design is fairly old school and simple, going for steel and brick structures. The entire outlook is unorthodox, and just adds character to it.
They have the position right, it is in an unusual location which I always give some encouragement along with benefit of the doubt with how it might work for them, and the set up is also got some factors going for them. Ergonomically, the angle of the sun during the morning can become a bit of a problem for some people; this can easily be rectified with a sail or something to allow some shade especially during the high noon parts of the day.
Really, that is the only problem that I can find with the place. The rest of it is pretty good, and has much potential when the good word is out for them. When it comes to their service, it is maybe a bit here and there overall, but in the end they did manage to deliver an experience that was quick, and relaxed. Later on that day there was an event booked, so they did their best to work around that. Pitch and Fork has gotten that popular.
After some pretty good service, after considering the nice surrounds that are a break from the constant hum of traffic, what really brings this place home is the food. It ain't going to be anything that is brand new to anyone; if a brief description had to be given for the fare, the best way to put it is akin to an American diner. Like one of the cooks had been around the land to so many of them, and wanting to see how they could spin a select lot of the meals from that experience. That's at least the impression I've gotten from the breakfast. When it comes around to lunch time, the array is modest and an assortment of the usual cafe staples. At any point during the business hours, the cabinet is full of all sorts of sweets. Meals here are pretty wholesome, take a step back from pretension and attempting to break paradigms, and give filling, heart portions.
When it comes to the drinks, do they have you sorted or what? The range leaves you spoiled for choice, with the usual lot of tea and coffee being merely the beginning of what they got. You have the usual espresso-based beverages for the coffee, and a few alternative varieties in addition to that. The tea is the loose-leaf kind, and they even give the flavour profile on the menu. Something a bit more cold could give you freshly-squeezed juices, or a smoothie, or a milkshake (with some more elaborate concoctions). Whether it is to sit and relax, or cool down from the hot weather, they got it right here.
With the beans they use for their coffee, we meet again Parallel Roasters. It has been a recent development that this particular brew has been showing its head so often and there is a reason for that. Not only is it that it is a fairly local one, but also it has got a good, balanced taste profile that adapts itself to all sorts of methods in making coffee. One such method is the Batch brew.
One of the big reasons that I have taken such to Batch brew recently is that it somehow is simultaneously lighter and stronger than an espresso at the same time. With the slow brewed method chosen, flavours are allowed to seep out more naturally which creates a cleaner sort of texture. At the same time, it acts more as a slow burn so while you do enjoy the coffee for longer, the hype creeps in and gets you perked more efficiently. This one was pretty hot, it had notes of berry to it, and went down smoothly.
Also to point out another aspect of the service, this was something I haven't had before. Since my house mate went for a general cappuccino, it arrived a fair bit earlier than the batch brew. While I was waiting for the coffee, one of the waitstaff brought out an espresso on the house. Hey, it was another coffee! No complaining here. Plus a small gesture, but as I keep on pointing out it tends to be those small gestures that you remember that elevate a place. That was such an example right there. This little coffee was pretty nice, having a decent strength and taste palate - one that is not too sweet, had a soothing feel on the tongue, and was distinctive enough to allow the depths of flavour to come forward.
Finally getting to breakfast, what I went for were some American-style pancakes. These suckers were huge, and there must have been four or five of them. The combination of toppings were cultured butter, maple syrup that is direct from Canada, a range of berries, plus crispy bacon to finish it off (this time, not my request but the description on the menu). Heck, it is almost impossible to get a combination that is better than that. And just because I could at breakfast time, a side of fries was also ordered.
The pancakes themselves were pretty tasty, big and made of buttermilk. On the side, the lot of bacon was big and it was delicious as always - salty, crunchy and adding just that bit more of flavour. Contrasting it was the assortment of berries, with sweet and astringent flavours. Mostly it was blueberries and strawberries, which were in season at the time. A bit more maple syrup might have done them good, because it was pretty delicious but didn't quite spread to the pancakes as much. Lastly though, the butter was very good quality. I almost forgot it was butter at first, it being in a big pat shape - that was soft enough to be able to spread all over the pancakes. All up, this added to one solid meal that was filling for the rest of the day.
I even got a bite of my house mate's cheeseburger, a bacon cheeseburger that was. It had a combination of a beef patty, cheese, bacon, a tomato relish, some pickles, and aioli. A bit of a basic one, that it does work, each item was good enough quality - especially the beef patty - to round off a satisfying bite. This was all made better with a solid bun to surround it all.
With the fries, they were decent. Nicely cooked, a generous portion especially with them being merely a side, and moderately salted. Nothing too outstanding, but the thing that can be said is they all went.
What has really worked overall about Pitch and Fork - putting aside how good the food is, and all other aspects about the experiences quality - is really how the owners had their own vision, and an idea for a cafe that may or may not have sounded unorthodox and just ran with it. Damn the torpedoes! At the same time they have kept simplicity by not having to attune to trends, and at the same time managed to scratch some ideas up in the kitchen with the same shrewdness that has caused the whole outlay to be possible. Which is really their biggest strength outside of the basic necessities. As much hidden as it could get in Toowong, Pitch and Fork is a unique offering whatever part of the city you chose to roam.
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