Badminton Brew - Mt. Gravatt, Brisbane. Another one of these elusive finds that hide about in the backstreet parts of suburbia, both signs on the main roads which point the way plus a good word of mouth makes Badminton Brew less hidden and more lauded. Much like the recent trend of many of the new and beloved dining locations, the general area in which they find themselves could definitely help with a bit more love. Created by a young barista, Rachael who has prior experience helping her family out with their business, Badminton Brew is more old school in approach than many comparable inner-city locations.
Again, always willing to support local, small businesses, my dining buddy and I made a detour down to here before heading off to the usual weekend shopping trip. It was well worth it, and a lot of charm was detected. Service is really sweet, quite quick and is one of the major reasons that it ought to be tried out. Instead of the usual quick, trendiness there is a more, relaxed vibe that attracts parents with young children.
The interior design of Badminton is going strongly for a relaxed, homely feel. At the time of writing, the cafe is for the most part relatively quiet with a stable, consistent output of clinetele. It is low key, with a few tables around the place plus a reasonable cluster out on the pavement. All around the shop are plenty of plants and lattice, giving air and life into the atmosphere of the cafe. A bonus part with the planning of this cafe is that it has the look of a low-key, rented shop space complimented with having all the services needed to make the experience complete - seating, a fridge to get water and enough space to walk around. What really sets itself apart is a wall dedicated to people taking photos of the Elixir cup from around the world plus a charity tips jar.
As usual, coffee is the mainstay beverage here, though they are more than prepared to accomodate for those who would like something else. In fact, there are probably more pages for drinks than food. This includes a range of teas, milkshakes and smoothies. Not that that matters here, as I am all about the coffee. The blend of coffee which they use comes from Elixir Coffee which while not in the premium selection, is certainly among the better, more consistent varieties and is more of an audience-pleasing choice. As a bonus, with each order of coffee - dine-in or to go - they serve it with a small sample of their specialty brownie. By the by, the brownies are fantastic; they have a rich flavour, and a soft, gooey texture.
While Elixir is one that is most suitable to the milk-based beverages, I went ahead and got the usual doppio. That being said, I did manage to nick a sip of my dining buddy's cappuccino. It was really good. The milk was well textured, plus the flavour of the espresso was clear and it was well crafted - they have talent here. The doppio was also good, strong as it needed to be, a good drinking temperature and it had a rich flavour behind it.
As for their food menu, it is a smattering of the usual, low-key cafe fare. There are plenty of sandwiches, short order breakfasts, and plenty of tempting sweets. What more, it is all done fresh and made on site. During weekends, they often close quite early and it was in the closing hour that the two of us were there. Thus, it was slim pickings from the cabinet. Nevermind though, as both choices made were really good. It was a caramel tart for my dining buddy and an opera slice for me. Both of these were really good, with the caramel slice having a thick, sticky filling inside a cup of buttery pastry plus the opera slice was even better. Having dark, rich chocolate on top of several layers of almond sponge will do that, particularly if the pastry is good quality.
Rachael is an astute lass, and it shows through her management of her cafe, Badminton Brew. With heaps of luck and initative she will do very well out here. It does a good cup of coffee, has a welcoming atmosphere and is easily accessible to all who want to enter. Great job.
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