Where one of the original hotspots for homesick students, Coffee Square does something (previously) unorthodox by bringing the Hong Kong style of Chinese food to town. It has been through a whole lot of renovations, and it is still standing like one of the great institutions of Brisbane. Once upon a time it was possibly unlike anything else, but as the culinary scene has matured, trying this for the first time makes it seem a bit archaic. And I want to like it a bit more than I did.
One weekend, I was not having anything to do and with one thing leading to another, I was meeting with the head of the Meatball clan (shortened to MBBC to make it easier to read) at Market Square for a round of the place. It was first at another place where I met him (already had tried it and reviewed it beforehand), before heading right to here. As per usual with Market Square and its surrounds, Coffee Square is definitely passable. In terms of being something authentic and like out of a Chinatown, it will do you well. As for how good it is, I did enjoy it. However, with such a rich array of choices around this is not among the choices I would make an immediate move to return to.
It does a nifty combination of being somewhat rustic, along with some glossy aspects. Each wall seems to have the design of a completely different place, with one being plain wooden (traditional), one having a choice red hue and the front on towards the entrance has three different televisions blaring something different programs, and there are pretty lights coming down from the ceiling. Also not to mention a section has big Chinese characters running down it. Yeah, it does sound a little strange. Tables are very simple, small and black with red chairs, and each one is fit with the necessities - tissues, chopsticks and condiments.
No real need to go into detail with the service here. It does what it needs to do more or less. It goes along efficiently, and meals are usually at the table within about 10 or so minutes. That is about the extent of it, and all that is needed to be known. This works in favour.
What might be the most notable aspect about the whole of Coffee Square is the size of the menu. There are more than two dozen pages of options, which practically means that almost everything is covered that you could want to eat. And they still have room to put up specials on the blackboards on the wall.
Whether it be Chinese roasts, all kinds of classic dishes, noodle dishes, noodle soups, curries, congee, rice dishes, rice noodles, Chinese-style spaghetti, Szechuan, fried rice, udon dishes, steaks and other Western style dishes, Hong Kong Western style dishes, and heaps of sides that includes toasts and nibbles, the chefs here have you covered. Heck, to even get a good portion of the menu finished, it will need consistent visits over a long period - and that is even coming in big groups.
That is not to even mention the amount of beverages that they have here. Like many such Chinese places, it is a weird mish-mash of everything (including something that sounds like either a strange combination, or a misinterpretation). All of them are non-alcoholic and include sodas, fruit juices, teas, and milk teas.
Out of all the meals that there was, the one that I settled on was on the first page. Mostly because of it being a chef's special, and to hurry the visit along. That order was the spicy pork and eggplant with rice, it might have had a different name on the menu. One definite plus about it is that the portion size was very generous. The meal was not unlike mapo tofu, with minced pork in a (supposedly) spicy sauce that is - as best describes it - at around an egg-like consistency. This was served rice enough rice to feed a whole family in a takeaway pack from the local takeaway, and mixed well with the stew. This was needed, since nearing the end the sauce was more and more thin and needing something to soak it up. The pork mince was decent, though the eggplant definitely could have benefit from more cooking, and it was not quite spicy enough for me. Passable, but I won't give it a recommendation or anything.
As for MB&BC, he was still reeling from his last meal and went to have a few nibbles here and there from here. Of course, all to share. What he got was some chicken spring rolls, and mini silver thread bread rolls. These were maybe a little better. Spring rolls are normally just there, and might have a bit of meat among the cabbage for the most part, but are usually just there as it was said. Here, they were better with a distinct hint of meat that was tender and juicy in them, plus the pastry was hot and crispy.
The silver thread bread rolls were very much like a sweet. These are mainly to be had on the side of a congee (there is a special section for sides for the congees, and this is one of them). As MB&BC has said, these were sort of like some dessert you get from a doughnut place, especially with the rich dipping glaze. These would certainly make for a good party snack, or something to share with a big group here. How they go with congee... I have never tried it.
On the side to drink, I managed to fish out the coffee-based drink in the form of a Hong Kong milk coffee. Basically, this was akin to a flat white if they decided to use condensed milk instead of cow's milk, along with mixing a little bit of tea in there to create that distinct flavour of a milk tea. Quite rich, creamy, and with a few different flavours abound in the liquid, this hit the spot for me. What a great accompaniment to the whole meal.
It is definitely got an authentic edge to it, and it is definitely rough around the edges in parts. That is something of a charm to it, and without the latter part it might have a completely different aesthetic going for it which might not make it the same; ironically, the score would probably be higher as a result if it were so. That is funny how thing work out like that. But that is, again, an aside from how good it was.
Look, this is pretty decent if you are looking for a meal that is both well portioned, and at a decent value. In addition to those two aspects, tying it together is the fact that the service here is pretty quick and to the point. There are some weird aspects - the one I noticed the most was already poured water glasses there to retrieve on the counter (that is a first for me, I believe) - but aside from that, it is solid and the food that they have is decent. It won't be a contender for the best in the area, even the close quarter around here, mostly from a more is less perspective. I did enjoy my meal here, and it had nothing particularly wrong with it.
The most effective way to describe Coffee Square is that it ought to be visited by all fans of Asian cuisine in Brisbane for a completionist sake. While it might not be in my favourites, why it is often visited is definitely apparent since it does what it needs to do effectively. It just doesn't have a lot of the flash, or presentation some of its competitors nearby do, and at the same time it does what some of the others do just as much. Take that how you will.
TL;DR: This isn't anything that is super flash, nor is has it got anything that is outright bad about it. There is a charm about it where it looks somewhat chaotic, and has a few strange idiosyncrasies with its designs. As always, it is fair to give it its worth and analyse from what their apparent approach to service and dining. Going in here, it is definitely got many aspects that are rough around the edges. For some real Chinese food this is one of the best and possibly most accurate examples in an already rich sea of options. Overall, the speed of service and the portions of the meals are the main selling points in which it excels in both regards. With more than enough choices in meals to satisfy a whole stadium, and delivering on what it needs to do, Coffee Square is certainly not going anywhere.
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