More on the back streets between the main part of Woolloongabba and Stones Corner sits what is slowly growing to be the next busy place for foodies, and shedding the remnants of anything industrial is one of many great and different places to grab a meal of many sorts. The Euro Cafe has the honour of being a seasoned veteran among its competition. It is a rustic looking, Greek cafe that has many of the same charms of similar eateries from around town.
The space of the cafe is really small, and the design of it is quite simple - plain white, heaps of exposed brick walls. Inside, the seating is really informal and sort of squashed in a bit with one big wooden table off to the side for communal meals. It is almost like a tiny house from around the heritage era. However, one thing that was noticed was that it is looking a bit worse for the wear especially with the floor granite. All else, this is probably to give it an aesthetic like you were eating in Greece.
Service is - again - the usual cafe style method. You order at the counter, pay for the meal then go and take a seat. Cafe Euro don't have table numbers, but with such as small cafe that is not the most overtly busy this is easily overcome - they memorise who is there.
As much as it refers to itself as "Euro", the main focus certainly has a Greek influence. Breakfast is more or less some of the basics to expect anywhere, with a couple of more innovative, and theme-central dishes being at the end (that is, using the Greek influence), and lunch is fairly similar with several basic cafe dishes (i.e. sandwiches and burgers), and most of the rest based on mezes and pita bread. So, basically pretty simple and rustic Greek food. That is also on top of all the goodies and sweets presenting themselves in the cabinet next to the cashier. At an odd turn, when it comes to dinner time, the menu transforms into having a combination of Thai curries and stir-fries along with a more general European menu. This is the black sheep in a generally Greek, home-style cafe. At all times, none of the items on their menu should break a budget; they have managed to keep the prices affordable.
Admittedly, even just after ordering and seeing what could have been chosen I was having "order envy"; and that is just from the sounds of it. If I had a dollar for every time that has happened - there would be a fair bit of change on me right now. Any way, my dining buddy and I were out for merely a coffee and to go with mine I got a "Kourabiethes" - or in a more general word a Greek shortbread.
This shortbread was pretty good, and reasonably well-sized. It was heart-shaped. The amount of icing sugar dusted on the top was less thick than most, so it did not make nearly as much of a mess as most shortbreads do; as usual, it was simple is design and composition - however, with the pleasant buttery texture, and soothing subtle flavour, it was a great little snack as always that pairs so well with coffee. Well baked, and did what it did really well.
The coffee that they use here comes from Schibello. This is a bean in which I do not recall exactly having a lot of experience with, therefore I am unfit as to critique it as a whole as of the moment. That is not to say, it is rare or hard to find - often it takes a back seat to various other blends. If the coffee that I had from here is anything to judge it on, it is perfectly okay. As usual, this was a doppio. Firstly, the coffee was a fair bit hotter than I am used to - though not quite at the scolding level yet. The flavour of the coffee was stronger, and maybe a bit too bitter for most people's tastes. As a place to judge it on with coffee, it may not fare as well, though having the coffee as an aside to the food here - which is good, homely fare - it does well enough. When I find more places that use it, and therefore drink more coffees made from it, a much better and more astute opinion will be able to be formed.
As a whole, there is a not whole lot wrong with the Euro Cafe. It exudes a certain homeliness that is getting a bit lost nowadays. Perhaps though, it doesn't quite have the spark that is necessary nowadays for a good place to eat. With a bit of a revamp to the aesthetics, it could transform gracefully to contrast with the other more flashy, open-planed places on the road. From the whole experience of this time around, it did well enough. I enjoyed it, but it won't stick out in my mind for very long.
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