TL;DR: It is right on the backstreets, a bit far away from everything else in terms of eateries; however, definitely don't let that discourage you from going here. It is worth the trek to step a little far outside the familiar streets, since it has a charm unto itself. Delicious snacks for the price of pocket money, and I mean pocket money from 15-20 years ago. That, and the food is delicious and it reeks of an old country town-style charm, as a mostly nondescript eatery which offers snacks that will entice kids and big kids alike. Best of all, it is all delicious.
What feels like being out in the sticks, rather more just being a back road in the center of everything, one of the best finds yet is in the form of Buns and Expresso. Away from most of the big stretches of eateries, it has the added benefit of being quiet and relaxed being far from the rowdy crowd. If anything, this has its own vibe and use with all the schools around which is good for the students and parents alike. Best of all, the food is cheap, tasty, good quality and it all has an old school charm.
It was up coming to the weekend, and seeing that the plans were a bit changed from the norm it was decided to use the Friday as the time to do the grocery shopping. And if there is one adjective that could be used for both me and my housemate, it is opportunistic - that is for finding new coffee places. Sometimes it is planned in advance, others stuff sort of happens, and somewhere in the middle is also quite frequent. This was the case here. Half the time, it is circumstance and depends on the Aldi that we go to and it was the Cooper's Plains location this time.
After the grocery shopping, then it was on to the coffee place. There was one in mind initially, with me thinking of going a bit different for a change, but the idea was ending up going around the Runcorn area instead. That "something different" idea was still in tact, and after eying this place out of the corner of our eyes it was quickly thought that this was the place. And that was that. Plus, I actually had mentioned it a few times upon reading about it. Well, let's just say what a find it was.
To put it in brevity, this reminds me of something that would be found in an older and more rural Australia. Think of the old corner store cum takeaway place that would serve a motley crew of snacks and such, then put a Taiwanese flavour into it and that sort of sums it up. The sort of place the school kids would make a detour to after work, pull out the leftover lunch money and grab something to eat while heading home. It is right across the road from one school and a few roads over from another couple, so it would have a steady stream of business from that alone (and the lady there mentioned they do for a couple of hours on weekdays).
The cafe has a simple outlook to it. It looks completely unsuspecting and somewhat run down from the outside, which is probably more to do with the old building than anything. From the inside though, they make do quite well. It has that usual minimalism that is frequent in a lot of low-key Asian places. They have their beans on display with a high shelf, a few plants strewn around on the wall, and a heap of magazines to read. Seating is pretty minimal, though there are a few inside and a couple on the pavement. It is really one the places that makes do, and sees what can be possible. An inviting board on the pavement out the front displays a few specials, which ties it all together as an institution which knows an effective business practice.
Plus, the service here is high quality. I take it for what it is a lot of the time, so when the objective qualities come out it is a lot more stark. It is a family run business, so the vibe is a lot more relaxed and it does take a small while in some parts but will always go through. The lady at the coffee machine was a real work-horse, and this was a popular place. There were a couple of people near the counter when my dining buddy and I came in, and a few others came in during our visit, so that presented here with a juggling act. She was friendly, and hard-working. The food came out in increments, bit by bit, and it was done in a lightning quick manner.
As for what they offer, it is a mish-mash of options. Primarily it is a coffee house, done with some Taiwanese flavour, and then mixed with some familiar Australian elements. First is the drinks menu. They have coffee, all the usual kinds are there. Next door to the coffee is a list of cold, milk-based drinks. These include an iced coffee, milkshakes and ... bubble tea! Anything else, is it all next door.
The food is pretty simple, and doesn't go beyond general snacks. The mainstay is a small range of steamed buns, with both sweet and savoury options, along with Chinese style hamburgers (called bunwiches), some sweets and sandwiches are in the cabinet, and a range of fingers foods with both Australian and Asian backgrounds - you can get dumplings and chips as an example. This is a case where simplicity works well to its advantage.
The first thing that was noted before heading in here was the coffee that they use - Toby's Estate. Immediately, like dopamine levels and candy, the excitement was raised quite quickly. After looking at the menu for a while, my dining buddy went right for the usual order - that is a cappuccino. I got a taste of the cappuccino, and the texture was among the most well-textured that I have tried in recent times. The temperature was right, the notes of the coffee were seeping up into the milk and the extraction was done right. Strangely though, it was not very strong; Toby's Estate generally give out a pretty strong coffee. Still, it is a weak point but not enough to sully the rest of the experience.
I am one who can change his mind on a whim when it comes to food, and what is one offer at the place. As long as I can get a good feed, that is all. Initially the mindset was the usual coffee order until it was pointed out that they had bubble tea. Immediately, my mind locked on to another usual order. That was the coffee milk tea with pearls. A bit of confusion here and there first, but with adding an espresso to the milk tea, all was good. And it turned to be pretty nice as well. It was smooth, creamy and the coffee flavour really came through. They did not use too much ice in it, and the tapioca pearls were delicious as usual; they were small ones and a good bed of them was on the bottom. No complaints at all.
If there is one thing you can bank on, it is that I always have an ulterior motive in going to a few place for coffee. I will get a little something on the side in addition to that, and here was not an exception. Heck, it is all a-steal so I would have been a downright idiot not to have done it either. One of their bunwiches was going to do the trick, and I definitely wanted some fries to go with that.
I'm guessing the cooking method of the bun part of the bunwich was a lot like the many other steamed buns. It was light as a feather, yet was so hardy as well. I got the braised pork one. This was one delicious morsel, a good snack size from the naked eye, and when eating it was a good filling snack because of how substantial and robust it was. It was not just a small piece of pork, or a small tong-full of pork bits on the burger, but a solid and thick slice of pork belly that they presented. That piece of pork belly was so well cooked, that the fat was like a mound of butter going down the throat so readily. It was served with a small slaw, and a tangy mayo, and I have to say this is how you make a burger.
The fries were also really tasty. They were thinly cut and super crispy, along with having a decent seasoning on them. These were so good that it was hard to stop munching on them. For the good price as well, you know the school kids now have a good, quick bite to eat before heading off to sports practice.
There was one last morsel that my dining buddy got, and that was a pound butter cake. I got a try of it a well, and it was delicate, soft and had a nice buttery flavour. The best part about it was that it was a generous size, and would be a good snack to share with people. It was four for four with how food each one of the items were, and the effort coming from inside here is impeccable.
I had definitely heard about this place a lot while looking around Sunnybank for new places to eat at. This place showed up a lot, and I had oft mentioned it before. Well now, having finally got to it it was worth all that hype (at least in my head). I can tell you this, without a shred of exaggeration, that this place is good enough to be in Market Square. There is a distinct identity in its set up, the quality of service and food is meticulous, and the constant flow of people into the store ought to indicate just how good the food is. Bun and Expresso definitely needs to be given a go.
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