Tucked behind and away from the main stretch of road in Mount Gravatt Central, where you have to drive down the alleyway to find the next up-and-coming coffee shop. It does have something of an odd choice in name (just think about it for a minute or two), but the namesake aside it is pretty good as a location. In many ways, the way it is set up is somewhat private and gives the people living on the back streets (or in the nearby businesses) a place to go that still feels somewhat like "the local". Good for them, because this really is not like most places serving coffee. While a lot of places want to be as bright, warm and welcoming as they can, this location is happy with having more of darkened, quiet, and secluded sort of atmosphere. If it were possible to label somewhere as either introverted or extroverted, than Steel and Grind would be the former without a doubt. Much like that friendly introvert folk you know, it grows on you in a similar manner - in other words, I quite like here.
After going to another place for breakfast beforehand, there was a bit of time before church. This was in the nearby area - in fact not far from why I reside - and was more or less brand new. It is a coffee shop, so naturally between the two of us curiosity gets the better of us and the equation basically equals an inevitable visit. So not that much time was left to sit in, but there was enough to grab it and go - and have it at home.
Paying homage to the previous steel industry, what I am gathering from the location was that it either used to be part of a steel mill building a long time ago, or that it is getting the feeling of staying in a steel mill. It could also be respect since steel was responsible for making all of the coffee machines. Whatever interpretation is correct, there are the old time photographs to enjoy with deference to the steel industry that built so many of the great American buildings.
The steel aspect aside, the whole aesthetic is something different as well. Not many places opt to be down in the basement - or not from my experiences anyway. This gives Steel n Grind a distinct characteristic right off the bat. While it does not have the most pretty or aesthetically pleasing of views from the table or front door, the touches that are being made including a pot plant out the front and some astroturf show that they are putting in effort. Heck, there are even a few tables just on the doorstep. I have technically eaten in the car park before (we are not talking in the car, mind you), but this is without the quarantined sectioning off. In fact, going back to the steel industry motif, perhaps this recreates the blue collar lunch which is in the middle of all the businesses, all the buildings, and among the cars and such - that is real savant work right there. Well done.
As of this review, it is still in some stages of development and they were quite apparent at the time. Just off to the side of the door, they are building a small booth where the espresso machine is going to go, so they can make coffee on the run.
The guy working here was a friendly and chatty fellow. Like what was just mentioned, he was talking about the plans that he has for this new place and ideas to build it up and make it more complete. With the choices in aesthetics to this place, the darker hues and cooler temperature from the shade, that helps have the service be more relaxed than anything. While the crepes and whatnot are being prepared, the folks here are definitely up for a talk and hopefully already there are people nearby making frequent stops. There were three people at the counter, and all were doing their job effectively. So, so far the service is also pretty good and well-matched to the surrounds.
When it comes to the menu, what they are doing here is keeping it simple and also making it eclectic. How does a combination of acai bowls, coffee, smoothies and crepes - both sweet and savoury - sound like to you? Well, that is the brunt of their offerings and it does not sound too bad to me. Some places overwhelm otherwise, but still something to have on the side of coffee is always nice. Here it is as a good compromise. And those crepes are made fresh to order as well.
So starting off is the coffee. At this location, it is all their blend that they use. And in all honest, this one ain't so bad. This is one that is preferable if you like it strong, does not have a sweet note to it - though it is far from astringent or bitter - and is slightly complex. What I got was the normal doppio, and in addition to what has been describe it was well extracted, the drinking temperature a tad bit hot, and the textural body of the beverage was pretty smooth.
While I would not have been hungry per se, and there was still time being of the essence, it is still a force of habit to get a sweet to critique the place. Definitely going simple, I went for the butter and jam variety. What I take away the most from the initial part was the individual packaging for the crepe; it was shaped like a slice of pie and I can imagine all the pizza places using that in the future for individual slices.
Getting to the crepe, it is actually pretty damn hard to find a good crepe in town and even when the word crepe appears in the cafe's name (or has implications of making crepes) there is something about it that appears to imply pre-made, or they are soggy, or something else. All of that is not present here, since it is all made on site and is hot and buttery to go when served on the plate in front of you. Finally getting back, upon the first bite this is pretty good as is. The butter was melted throughout two neatly folded crepes, plus they used strawberry jam in it. This is something that is a bit too simple to get into too much detail, so let's just say the combination did well, and the vital part - the crepes - were fresh, soft and light as a feather, and went down a treat.
It is suffice to say that I liked this odd little find. This is not one that you find every day, and with an approach that is often being left by the wayside these days it is great to see that a danker, quieter, and more secluded approach has its place somewhere.
TL;DR: Crepes, coffee, smoothies, acai bowls, the steel industry. An eclectic selection to make a relaxing and enjoyable coffee shop. It is like the anti-cool find among all the "hip" and trendy" which in turn makes it find its own worth in being cool. The service and the freshly made orders just top it all off. Let's hope to see how it improves in the future.
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