TL;DR: It has hints of being quirky, Sister Cafe is just downright earnest with how they deliver the goods. A breakfast out is just as much about the surrounds, and taking your time on a less busy day, which they have fully figured out. So soon have they become the place to be, which they have earned. Let's hope they can keep that up.
I got to give it to the folks here. All this time, that pun playing of "sister cities" had been right there for the taking, and even in using the term so many times I had not remotely thought about some place snapping it up for the taking, and using it as a name. Sister Cafe in Hawthorne, which is - no other way to put it - the sister cafe to Miss Jones in New Farm, proving in conjunction that this area is a cluster of sister suburbs to the New Farm area incidentally enough. They got little to hide, and plenty to prove - the turnout of local clients should tell wonders on that front.
Either the tri-suburb area of Morningside, Hawthorne, and Bulimba had been hiding a wealth of good places to get a bite to eat, or many had been popping up in recency. Whatever one of those two is correct - or maybe a bit of both, which would be equally fantastic - my house mate had been seriously into getting to the breakfast places around there during the weekend breakfasts. Any out-of-towners need to be quickly informed that this is one of the best areas in Brisbane to get a meal, with not only a high concentration of choices, but also a high batting average. That possibly means more visits around here on the horizon.
This choice we got today was among the newer members to the very rich dining scene. My house mate is often trailing through all the usual websites to see what places get a consistent recommendation, then he looks even closer to gauge if they are worth the endeavour. Sister Cafe looked to be new enough, and quirky enough to justify giving an outing. So it was with that, that the general schedule of an early wake up occurred in order to secure a nice seat.
Like with a lot of the more recent breakfast places, when it comes to the interior design the k.i.s.s. principle is in tow. They choose peach as the hue for decorating the walls, and even for the coffee machine of all things. The seating is pretty low-key, where clients might either get a stool or a desk chair as their seat if sitting inside. Outside has plenty of seating as well, in close proximity to the doorway, and lastly there is the bar seating placed right at the front window. Wherever you are there, they have set it up nicely with the cutlery right there, plus the salt and pepper, and napkins. The whole place is open plan, has a good through-flow for air, a few plants around the place for some extra freshness, and the al fresco option is just as appealing.
Service right from the get go has everything right with it. Even just giving a peak into the place, the friendly young waitresses beckon you right in, and within a minute you re seated, and - best of all - bringing the water right to you. Without hesitation from then, they are taking your orders and upon placing those orders, the food arrives pretty quickly. When this is the norm, often it becomes not well appreciated. Lots of effort goes into something like this it make it look like it is all second nature. That makes a vast array of difference. This is all wrapped up beautifully with their demeanour - chirpy and welcoming through and through.
Through highs and lows in the previous couple of months, there had been something different from breakfast and the norm-style stuff for breakfast. Both are actually good to have to ensure the inventive ways are more appreciated. This possibly helped the impact of Sister Cafe a lot more, because a fair few of their meals were on the inventive side. These are the sort of meals you snap quickly with the camera to show off to friends soon afterwards, since they are aesthetically pleasing but also worth the buzz. Classics get transformed, with attention to detail for every ingredient being just as necessary as the last. Sweet and savoury alike are accounted for, which means most folk win. That even extends into lunch time, with many favourites being on the menu. And we haven't even addressed the treats in the cabinet.
Yet again, we have ourselves coffee being sourced from far and wide. The guys here have chosen a Sydney-based brew, Single O. For that, I have possibly drunk numerous cups using that brew, and if that idea is correct than more often than not it is pretty passable as a blend. Like with any kind of bean, when it is done right by a slower method of coffee making the brew really brings out milder flavours. Yep, it was a break from the norm with this one - I got batch brew. Filter coffee does not get the love it deserves. It may be a little mild at first regarding the flavour, and the strength is not so strong at first sip. However, this is one that demands an investment. Take your time with it, drink it slowly even if the temperature is nowhere near as hot as espresso. All the different notes, subtleties in how it presents itself, and even warming up the jolt associated with drinking really strong coffee. That is the beauty in filter coffee, especially filter coffee that is done right.
Quite a few times with breakfast, the choice of a carbonara has been staring me right in the face. Something about getting the morning twist on the Italian pasta recipe as a meal just seems like something to capture and talk about. One of these days, the opportunity possibly will come back - while we wait for that, something in that vein comes our way. It was titled "breakfast gnocchi", and mixed into everyone's favourite potato-based pasta was a mushroom ragu, with plenty of crumbed and crispy bacon. Even by my standards, the amount of pecorino cheese mixed through was generous, and they seasoned it with chives. Within the midst of this all was the main ingredient - a poached egg. Of course, this sucker got ordered soft, and that was able to make a sauce thus completing the whole meal. If I got your attention merely describing this meal, then I say no more.
As for my house mate, he went for their version of the old, reliable eggs Benedict. This time though, it was a low carbohydrate version of the meal. I say this is a sly sense of the word. Instead of being merely the meat of the meal, the pork belly they served acted as the bread as well. Stacked on top of the well done meat was spinach, mushrooms, and the very important eggs and hollandaise sauce. Got to love it when they think outside the square like this. The pork had both a tenderness to it with the meat, and a crunch from the crackling. I know full well this ain't going to be approved by any dietician, though honestly that hint of cheekiness makes it all the more enjoyable in the moment. The mushrooms were a good addition, cooked just to the right consistency pairing well with the meat. Even at the most primal and carnivorous, I doubt something like this would come to my mind. That means all the more credit to the cooks.
While I reckon I might slightly be out of the target demographic, which is more to do with how it is set up than the food - tantamount to everyone should find it appealing - I can wholeheartedly give Sister Cafe a thorough recommendation. Excellent food, a lovely atmosphere that tends to kids and dogs, plus the entire area is welcoming of those snaps. In a way it does what it does, but if it does what it does to the "extra credit" extent attention is certainly warranted.
Final rating: 4.5 - not only is the inventive approach not a facade in any way, the whole atmosphere with the food is a relaxed one that is sure to appeal very well among locals, and those across town alike.
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