Cafe Europe

TL;DR: You have something pretty quaint here, which is lacking around the general dining scene of Brisbane - or just in any modern setting in general. It is fun and exciting to have all sorts of cuisines, yet the European ones are often overlooked. When it comes down to the bare basics - like with Cafe Europe here - this is the overlooked beauty of European cuisine. Practically everything comes together, and the setting suits it as these eateries can be in any random location in town. Quality is present in the food, service this time was solid, and it should make any gourmand pine for more Central European options.

Once more, it was the weekend, it was Sunday. Around these parts, that often means one thing - off it was to get some breakfast, and this time it was my house mate's turn to choose the place. Has it been mentioned that he does his research before, because he is doing his research on a number of levels. This was one that had not even come into mind, even into awareness. We are going into the Western part of town, where the dining scene is a little more elusive and specilaised - venture into here, and you just might find some hidden gem with this part of town being less flashy than most other areas.

In the hype and build-up to going here, his question was something along the lines of inferring a European style breakfast. Knowing me full well, trying a broad range of cuisines at any time of day is bound to get me more excited than normal - and seeing how people have breakfast around the world is certainly an experience. It was the same old case again, with him having the air horn ready and waiting to go at the right time to get me up. Before long, we were hitting the road heading off to have a filling breakfast.

At first glance, the customer service does not come across as much of a strength as some other places, yet in taking a step back and thinking about it, all the operations ran pretty well. Again, this is one that takes it a bit slower than others, allowing clients to relax and dissolve their minds - we are a ways away from the hustle and bustle of the city core, and with the way the service is, it does a good job to remind you of that. They are polite, they are well-mannered, and quite persistent in making sure you enjoy your meal.

The young man who took our orders was a pleasant fellow, showcasing some great customer service skills. He knew his stuff, was quite interactive, and let's say he wasn't just there to go through the motions. Given the backdrop and the day, he - along with all the other waitstaff - were pretty relaxed. The food did take a bit more time coming out, especially in comparison to the standards set by other cafes. This can be something of a downfall to a restaurant, however contention is given in a few cases with the major one being if the food is good, and another for an acceptable level in customer service. They have their lucky day today, as the food was pretty decent all-round.

By pure coincidence, that day had aligned with Father's Day and Cafe Europe were having a specialised and more focused menu than normal. They weren't day exclusives, but more so selected favourites from the general menu. As traditional as an outlay that Cafe Europe has got going all-round, it has one modern sensibility which is the all-day breakfast. This is where it got exciting, the distinct hook for the place - the all-day breakfasts are international, and have something in store for every client.

From what I know with dining around the world, many European countries keep it simple at breakfast and they have a lot of that on the breakfast menu. What starts this off is a range of toast varieties plus croissants, both with a choice in condiments. Avocado toast makes it appearance (of course) where it can be built to make a more substantial meal.

Making a more substantial choice comes the basics, which includes the two eggs which can be built up as much as the client wants (around a dozen options to boot), the always popular eggs Benedict, omelets, and pancakes. Those are good for a mid-sized appetite, what comes next is possibly the draw card. The big breakfasts, which come from far and wide as Canada, and Germany, plus more specific regions of the world, and will usually at least have some kind of egg, protein, and hashbrown along with several other bits and pieces.

Lunch is a bit more basic, it is your usual cafe-style fare. That means many kinds of sandwiches, toasties, stacks on top of bread, plus a whole lot of salad to go around. They also have several burgers, and fish and chip options, before ending with some schnitzels to be true to their name. With all that mentioned, they will have the odd lot of sweets in the cabinet to have with coffee, in addition to a broad range of drinks ranging from tea to wine to milkshakes to all other sorts of beverages. They got all bases covered here, that much can be said.

Starting off the whole process was ordering the drinks. Without nay doubts, that meant coffee for me and when it comes to coffee only one drink comes to mind - that is the dear old doppio. This time around, the beans are sourced from Grinder's Coffee. This is one that I know I have seen around the place, and that it is not an elusive one per se, though you aren't going to see it as frequently as the bigger guns in the competition. Nevertheless, that is not any indication about the quality of Grinder's as a whole, since it can be a pretty nice bean when done right. It is a little bit on the strong side, though nothing that can't be handled for the more seasoned drinker.

Out of them all, the choice was pretty much neck-and-neck in my mind, yet at the end of the day an animalistic instinct in my head that can't seem to resist a pancake meal which combines the sweet and savoury. O Canada, does the combination of bacon, and maple syrup hardly ever go wrong. These were big buttermilk pancakes, that came with fried eggs. All that was missing with the default recipe was some banana. As an addition to the meal, I went with some haloumi cheese.

Without any sort of joshing around, this pancake breakfast was all you could ask for. Among the first things that can be said about it, this meal was absolutely huge, plus the way it was prepared on the plate was something to behold. I almost forgot I had pancakes in the meal, and thought they were English muffins with the way the bacon and eggs were placed on top. What hinges it all together is the obviously the pancakes, which when squinting at them resembled giant piklets. These were light as a feather, and when drenched in maple syrup became even better. Just alone with the bacon and eggs on top - both at a high level of quality - this would have been a serviceable and filling meal. Both the hashbrowns and haloumi were delicious additions, with hashbrowns basically being what they are and haloumi having a unique taste and texture. Adding a small bit of freshness to the meal was a garnish of rocket and tomato. This meal really hit the spot.

Much like a lot of cafes and restaurants around the suburban western area of Brisbane, Cafe Europe is a lot less flashy than most other places and is in many ways more of a reflection on the traditional style of cafes and eateries along with being highly focused on just providing a good meal, along with amicable service. This is as opposed to having the most picturesque place, which in many ways allows it to have that traditional charm, and apropos to its name helps create the aesthetic of dropping into the nearby cafe in a European city particularly in the residential area. Putting it all into the big picture, Cafe Europe culminates very well into having attentive and polite service, putting forth big portions of wholesome, well made food, and keeping things to a much slower pace in which the latter might well be the gold star in this whole endeavour. For something that is more relaxed, less wanting to be hip, and just focusing on being as good as they can be, Cafe Europe is that under the radar gem that ought to be given a go.

The re-visit of Gas Espresso reminds me this Café, which I have been there but not reviewed yet so far; therefore dropped in this morning to refresh my mind on it food & beverage.
It seems that I was the first customer of the day being arrived at 6:45am in the morning. Took a seat at the corner and ordered my food & beverage from the friendly lady. Flat white came in very quick, which looked a bit weak to me by visual judgement; however, strength was not bad at the end. Brekkie of poached eggs with additional smoked salmon delivered a nice attractive picture on the table. Just the aesthetic effect is worth for the trip. Eggs were poached perfectly and smoked salmon were fresh. 
Overall, it is again another happy experience. Cheers!

Big tasty breakfast and reasonably priced. Suprising amount of options and coffee was good. Nice to see honest food in generous portions without the 'food fads'. We'll definately be back.

I dropped in for a quick bite when around the area and wasn't expecting much due to the initial perceptions given by their location and appearance. However they did surprise me with their quality and presentation when the dishes came out. Tastes were not perfect, but finding this place in this location is means a lot. Will not hesitate to return again!

Very nice food, I went there almost everyday while my boyfriend was working around

My family and I often come down here for breakfast on the weekends. This cafe is dog friendly and they offer water bowls too. The employees help us feel welcome every time, the food comes quickly, and the taste is immaculate.

I used to religiously go to coffee club on a Sunday until one day my friends and I decided to change it up a bit and head across the road to Cafe Europe, safe to say the cute decor and friendly looking staff drew us in. Since then, I quite frequently visit the cafe and bring new friends along all the time. Highly recommend this place! Great food, well priced and lovely smiley staff! 10/10 always a fav!