TL;DR: It is your standard sort of Chinese bakery here. If you like it, it is fantastic as a snack - as I do. For when business was not as good on the public holidays, this was a lifesaver and a random find to boot.
You know what you are in for regardless when going to a place like this, and with so many of them peppered around the place it is a good bet that they are doing something right. That they are, and Cafe de Ritz is no exception. Between all kinds of big noodle dishes and such, this is a great little place for getting something that is sweet but also light. It is an in between place during a big venture around Market Square, but regardless of the case, it manages to do well nevertheless showing no matter what the place is, there is a degree of care in attention to detail somewhere in the operations.
In Brisbane, it was a yearly public holiday (Ekka) in which most of the businesses close up for the day or have reduced staffing numbers working. That was apropos on my part, since the previous weekend had been busy and some usual errands were not able to be done. Using that opportunity, it was off to do grocery shopping as per usual - but the first order of business was getting them coffees. With all of that in mind, I knew where would be the reliable spot to be able to do all this ... none other than Market Square, which can buzz all day on a public holiday.
The first idea was to go a bit different with one of the dessert places which wasn't open for another couple of hours. Both of us are fairly patient, but there is a limit - errands needed doing, and both souls here are pretty adaptable. Hence, it was on to finding another place; the beauty of Market Square and the surrounds is that something will be open and there is always something new and unusual to be found. While there was a backup plan for a place already visited, that did not need to come to that upon entering here.
Only one question had to be utilised in order to finalise this as the choice, and that was whether or not they do coffee. If the answer is necessary, well am I not reviewing this place already? When trying this place out, it just went to show that even the smallest location here has a high level of astute focus with food and value even in the least ostentatious of places.
Let's just say that the menu is like any Chinese bakery. There are about a dozen different variates of buns, all sorts of pastries both sweet and savoury, plus some additional cakes and other bits and pieces to salivate over - specials will pop up frequent prompting many returns. In addition to that, they also do coffees, teas and milk teas to compliment and complete the chosen snacks.
On a quantitative level, there is not a whole lot of service. On a qualitative level, the service is not great in the case of the waitresses being a bit indifferent to the clientele but boy howdy can you rely on efficiency and them doing their job. Words are often kept to a minimum with orders, and they go for a straightforward method. When getting the food, all the items are in glass cases and clients collect their tray along with some tongs then pick and choose what looks good then go up to the counter - then maybe order something that looks good in the cabinet plus any wanted drinks - and then you pay and go on your way.
So it started off with getting the coffees, and it was a curious case here. As per usual I got a doppio, and when taking the first sip it did not seem very good. It was still drinkable, but there was something about the taste that seemed ... hard to put it, but we were not onto a good start. However, a free tip here is that often you have to take a few sips as the flavour of the coffee slowly changes and it did just that. Overall, the coffee is fine if it is given the chance, though it is nothing that will be sought out when other places are open at the time.
Between the two of us, five different items were ordered. These were four sorts of buns - pineapple, coffee, custard and curry beef - plus a coffee egg cake that took my eye and fancy. Although there is the case that some are better than others, all of these were tasty and moreish. One of the aspects about these bakeries definitely need attention, and that is because the items are so a-steal and cheap that more and more end up being gotten than they would be at other kinds of bakeries. Guess this is scales of economics.
For the most part, the buns are pretty similar to each other with the texture. Going from the worst to the best, it was pineapple, custard, coffee bun, coffee cake, curry beef. All the buns were soft in texture, moreish and were like sponges when bitten into. These manage to be both light but satisfying at the same time without overlapping the aspects. The pineapple was still good, though if it were not labeled as such I don't reckon I would be able to say that it was said fruit. The custard was thick, and a little sweet, with just a tiny bit in the middle. Going up, it was the custard bun which was thick and sweet with a huge blob in the middle. Showing just how effective it is, the coffee bun had a thick crust on it that is presumably made from a coffee syrup giving it a rich taste that is subtle and delightful. For the curry beef, it was spicy and mixed with a good selection of vegetables.
For something a bit different, it was well worth ordering the coffee egg cake. This was light as a feather, with a thick lot of cream that held it together so well. The texture practically reminded me of a cheesecake in how soft it was, and was close to being a milkshake with just how smooth, lithe and delicious it all was. And to think with all this being good, it is just a taste of what is on offer.
It should be taken was what it is, and for what it is is - to me - always pretty reliable as a snack. For the time, especially this one, it was right as a break between a hectic schedule and just being able to enjoy a good coffee with a few nice bits of cake. For what it is, it manages to do pretty well and ticks all the right boxes. If something is able to set out to do what it sets out to do, and definitely puts in a noticeable effort to their product, their service, and ultimately ends up being pretty enjoyable, then it surely earns its stripes with the 4.0-score to distinguish it well and give credit to the credit that it earns. Cafe de Ritz, in its somewhat grungy aesthetic and simple set out, manages to do just that.
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