Hello Garry Espresso

Fantastic little find, excellent coffee and brunch. Service was also very friendly and professional. Also loved the atmosphere, was a great vibe for a Sunday morning

Visited this café in the morning and it was a decent experience. Due to the dinner-only trading of the neighbour restaurant - Red Galanga Asian, hello Garry's enjoys the extension of its seating capacity at the al fresco dining area during the day. In addition, it has its own parking facility which is very handy. Ordered my flat white and this time I became smart to tell them just warm up my croissant with ham & cheese but not toasted. Well, they deliver very good coffee, strength and smoothness were just spot-on for my palate. I could not complain about the texture of croissant not flaky enough because it was out of the fridge cabinet and was supplied by the wholesaler. However, it was compensated with heaps of leg ham and the portion was generous. This cafe is a local gem.

Consistently good coffee with friendly and attentive service. If you are after something simple and easy for breakfast this is a great place.

Best in Bennett's Road.. We went there on a very chilly Saturday morning. It is tiny inside, so we had to sit outside and nearly froze. Despite this, I had a lovely Genovese cappuccino. It was smooth with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The menu is simple, but our meals were perfectly cooked and reasonably priced. I think the strength of this place is the very friendly proprietor Pete and the fact that it is easy to get a park.

Hello Garry - Camp Hill, Brisbane. Simplicity in all of its glory. Maybe about ten years ago, something like this would be what its outlay appearance is similar to. Just tucked into the quiet-loud corner of a main road and side street, Hello Garry probably was just a small neighbourhood takeaway in another life. Now, it sells coffee; Australia's, and particularly Brisbane's coffee culture will result in any new place going from unknown to frequented in less than a month if the coffee is any good.

Something has to have been done right, as when my dining buddy and I went here there were quite a few people crowed out the front. Most of them are likely locals who walked there, as it was easy to get a park. Akin to the old-style takeaway the most notable aspect of the sign is what they sell "espresso".

As well as the usual coffee choices, there are other beverages including a few for kids - whether it is a babycino or a bubbashake. This is the kind of coffee shop where you can take kids between certain ages. It is probably because of the part of town, but this is not been discovered by hipsters yet. It might even be the antithesis of "hipster", as one of the customers was wrapped up in a Snuggie outside while drinking her coffee. That would only be apparent at small, low-key, neighbourhood coffee shops. It helped give it some character; the character helped more by the clients than the actual place. It is more organic that way.

The blend they use is Genovese. This is pretty much a good sign. The coffee here is decent, they know what they are doing. Good flavour, good extraction - it is just all round a satisfying coffee cup. They know their way around a double shot cappuccino, served in a cup for maximum effectiveness.

With a small area, there is not really what one would call a kitchen inside. Therefore, the breakfast choices are decidedly simple. This is more a place where you think "what will I have with my coffee" instead of going "where shall I go for breakfast this time"; the latter will indefinitely have a coffee alongside it anyway. From that list, the two of us got a couple of items - both sweet. My dining buddy eyed off a blueberry muffin on the counter while I went with the fruit toast topped with ricotta and honey.

Both items were wholesome in their simplicity. The muffin was a big one, the size that could tide over until a meal as a snack. It was soft and moreish, with both the flavours of vanilla and blueberry. There were plenty of blueberries in it, making it quite pleasant.

Then there was the ricotta-honey fruit toast. As a bonus, instead of a single slice - as it often is inferred with "toast" at places - there were two slices. It was spreadable, and during the spreading able to be mixed about. Ricotta does need something to flavour it, as it is a bland cheese; the honey added some flavour and a bit more texture.

There is no denying the quality of the service. The manager there was polite and warm, and did business well. One odd thing - and it is more under "observational" than anything else - is that the sweets came out before the coffee. In its case though, they were pretty busy and coffee can be done quickly so it can literally be served with the meal.

In all seriousness, this is all up a good little place. It may not rank amongst the most prestigious coffee places around Brisbane, but it has a pleasant blend and comfortable atmosphere. For those who live in the nearby area, it shall work a treat and it has its calling in that regard. Within its neighbourhood, it has carved a little niche and - hopefully, for the sake of the residents - will not be going anywhere soon.