TL;DR: American food again, and I am the last to ever complain about this. Instead of the usual barbecued meats, what we have here is regional street food from the streets of New York and its surrounds. And it all works out very well, with the quality of the food only being one factor in it all. Adapting well from the busy bustle of Stone's Corner, to a more leisurely environment in Bulimba, the same funky aesthetic is in tact, and even more on offer than before is right before you. Breakfast, anyone?
With enough of a following in the Stone's Corner outlet (it being a testing ground after the whole area was refurbished), bit by bit the New York-inspired outlet has expanded into other areas of Brisbane. Getting right into the psyche of street food that sells like hotcakes around town, this is one that replicates many bites that could be found around the streets of New York City. If there is any place where testing the waters is going to often get good results, they have chosen wisely.
For one reason or another, my house mate thought one weekend to go right into one of the richest parts of town for gourmands that is not too far away from the home turf. Once and again, it was off to the Morningside/Hawthrone/Balmoral area of town. If anywhere is gong to rock for many good options any time of day it will be there. Because of that fact, it was more on the fly than anything by driving around the place to see what looked good. What it came down to was checking three places that were in a closer proximity to one another. With a few factors in mind, each one has some aspects in their favour. The deciding factor about going here, one of the waitstaff saw us looking out being interested, came outside, gave us menus and beckoned us inside to have a meal.
Comparing it to the original Stone's Corner location, it is a lot bigger. With the size and location advantage being given to them, the ergonomics is set out very well; doors are open to a nice breeze, and the set up reminds me a lot of a bar - with the centerpiece being the bar itself. Right out the back is a courtyard where clients are able to enjoy the leafy green surroundings of this part of town, and inside there are several murals dedicated to showcasing New York; they range from having signs of subway stop names, to a unique mostly black-and-white photography style of the streets - yellow is a favourite colour around here it appears.
Now comes the service, this was a big refreshing breath of air. Not that I have had much service recently, but more so the way it was structured. It seems pretty commonplace to have it that you go up to the counter to place the order, and pay. Right here from the get-go, it is table service. Much of what makes the service good in the memorable way comes down the persona of the waitstaff. The young man that we were fortunate to have was really good at what he did. He was quite friendly, and came across as having more experience than many young folk around his age in the service industry, no nervousness from this chap in anyway. To put an example forward, when the water glasses were going down he was right there quickly to refill them. It came down to the small touches, and it might have actually been one of the better lots of service that was going around recently; nothing about trying to be too much, but just ensuring that the experience remained enjoyable enough.
It has been said before in some reviews I have done, and it will be said again - with such a rich, and unique vision of breakfasts being served up in the States, and the big popularity of going to brunch in Brisbane, using the surge of American eateries not that long ago as an example, I am surprised the combination of the two has not gotten more traction sooner. That is just one part of their menu, and possibly a distinguishing aspect from the other outlets.
If the memory serves me correctly, the breakfast options had a small array of usual fare that you would find anywhere - particularly ones of the bacon and eggs variety. What made them stand out for once, were two sections of that said breakfast menu - one that was for waffles, and another that was for eggs Benedict - with increasing experimentation on their part.
For the rest of the menu, it covers a big range of different sort of bites. Quite different to a lot of the American fare that is in town, this one - and its other outlets - focuses on an entirely different region. That is one around the north-eastern area, and particularly of New York as per the name. It all starts off with some good finger food and bar snacks, before segueing into salads and tacos. Bigger bites then follow suit, first having a range of burgers that has certainly grown in the past year or two, not to mention their specialty ones. Hot sandwiches are then the next specialty, before being in the big banana in the form of pork ribs. It is safe to say that meat still rules the roost right here. A few desserts manage to cool things off, concocting the makings of a hefty meal out.
As for something to wet the whistle, do they have the range or what? Appropriately to match up all that bar food, the first foot forward is a range of beers in different forms: mostly a rotating selection of ones on tap. It also has the range of bottled beer, and the menu almost reads like some collectors manual of ones to try; even as a non-drinker, that is something I can respect to attract those who are passionate about the hops. And they have not forgotten about the wine either, white, red or otherwise. Spiked milkshakes are right there as well, at an extra cost to the flavours on offer. Lots, and lots of liquor options possibly rivals what they have in beers to top it all off, before the range of bottomless iced tea, and the general range of sodas on offer. Right, and when it comes to breakfast, all the drinks that come to mind when thinking about breakfast are also there - fruits juices, coffee, and most likely even tea.
When it comes to the type of bean that they use for their bean, the one that they use is Di Bella. It is always a bit of a wild card in my opinion, never really one that delivers an awful coffee - provided the barista knows what he is doing. On the odd occasion it can make a really nice coffee, but what is apparent is that for those who like it a bit strong, a second shot of espresso is needed. Nevertheless, the doppio I had did what it needed to do, was a fairly strong one, and it presented nicely.
Appropriately with the breakfast choices that were made, what caught the eye about here was the breakfast deal. With any kind of Benedict that was gotten, they would give a free coffee on the side. That is another good point of service to tempt new clients in. A free coffee would definitely have done well by me, even though regardless I would have gotten a coffee on the side anyway. Nevertheless, getting onto the choice I had right as I was thinking it was strange they did not have the options for chicken and waffles - right there was something of a similar ilk: the chick-n-egg Benedict, which was the classic dish with two pieces of fried chicken being the meat. Perfect choice right there, eggs soft with a side of crispy bacon and it is among the top range right there for breakfast options.
Really, this is what I am talking about. One thing to really impress me by comes down to substantial portions, and that this definitely delivered on this front. Each Benedict comes with a side of potato hash, and this was well done hash; the potato mixture inside was that smooth texture that almost feels like you could drink it being that velvety smooth. On the contrast, it has the best coating outside being all solid, crispy, super hot, and with a decent little bit of seasoning. And that is just the starter, the big part of the meal is just as good.
Why eggs Benedict is one of the most common options could be down to a number of reasons. One of them could be how simple the whole execution really is with only a few components to worry about, and another one is just how versatile it is able to be with the meat of the meal. That latter part has become more apparent with eating some more unorthodox varieties, and this is one of them. Each component was delicious, most of all the combination of sauces with rich hollandaise, and the egg yolk once it is pricked (it acts like a sauce) making the thick toast be even more moreish. On the side, the crispy bacon was just as delicious as it always is, and in quite the quantity as well. This was all centered around two big bits of fried chicken, which were thickly crumbed, well spiced, and made from two good cuts of meat. They must have been thigh, since they still retained some juice, and were tender in the mouth.
In short, it was delicious. Plus to think it was pure luck finding this on the menu, right as I was wondering why no chicken and waffles were on the menu.
While I don't have the highest opinion about 5 Boroughs as a whole, I will land some respect for it. They have gotten quite the distinct goal in mind, and have managed to organise their eateries around an image in which they are maintaining really well. Plus it does not hurt that their fare is at a consistent quality, like it was right here. It is nothing super fancy or out there, but merely street food given its due. With the additional idea to attract a crowd at any time, business is in bloom for these folks.
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