Braking for Breakfast

One of the best things I've gotten out of blogging has been meeting several lovely other food bloggers. Unsurprisingly, we've got a few things in common and they're always great to catch up with and also are always interested in eating out. Plus I feel slightly less awkward pulling out my camera and phone to take shots of my food when everyone else is too! A group of us try to meet for breakfast before work once in a while and the most recent suggestion was Asana at the new Capri by Fraser hotel on the corner of Margaret and Albert Streets in the CBD.

Asana has had more hype surrounding it that most hotel-related restaurants tend to due to the menu being designed by Paleo Diet advocate Pete Evans. As a result, the menu has a focus on having Paleo options but it not limited to them - bread lovers can breathe a sigh of relief here. While not personally a follower of the Paleo Diet, or particularly convinced of it, I do admit that the side effect of it being gluten-free is helpful as wheat does not appear to agree with me. While Asana offer an a la carte menu for lunch and dinner, they only offer a buffet for breakfast. However at only $25 for a full menu or $20 for continental, it is very reasonably priced.



I arrived just after 7 on my bike - Asana is easy enough to get to but the one way streets in the CBD can make it tricky unless you're coming from the Botanical Gardens. I couldn't see any bike racks nearby so locked my bike to a signpost across the street. Bookings for breakfast are not required and a few who arrived earlier were already ensconced at a booth table in the relatively empty restaurant. I like the comfort of booths but it can be tricky when in a group larger than four as there is always someone who has to get up for the middle person when they want to get out. There are plenty of tables at Asana and everything, being a new hotel and all, is modern, clean and colourful. After sitting down and catching up while waiting for a few others to arrive, we decided to take a look at what was offered.



The breakfast buffet options change daily and are definitely more interesting than your standard breakfast buffet options. The hot options include bacon, sausages, grilled tomatoes and scrambled herb eggs - all free range. If you prefer your eggs another way, they can be made to order as well as omelettes, as I was told by one of the very friendly chefs! And although there is a range of Paleo breads available, there is also a board of standard non-Paleo bread including sourdough, rye and fruit loaf which can all be toasted. Little jars of Hank's jam, tomato sauce plus containers of Beerenberg honey and small pats of butter are available as condiments.



I began with the continental bar where a large range of sweet and savoury options lay. As a massive muesli fan I was curious about the options. Mini jars of Bircher and two different types of chia pudding (chocolate with pistachio and coconut with blueberry) were available as well as a Paleo granola and a standard raw oat-based muesli. To go with your muesli there is dairy-free coconut yoghurt available plus a selection of add-ins including a range of fruit compotes, dried fruit, seeds, nuts and also a selection of powdered superfoods such as slippery elm powder. Healthy eaters will truly rejoice at this selection! For the sweet tooths with less of a disposition towards clean eating, there are Paleo muffins and a selection of non-Paleo pastries which seriously impressed my friend E, who said they were really fresh and delicious. Savoury items including devilled eggs, cured meats and salmon, which was impressively served with thin slices of raw beetroot and guacamole. Small bowls of fresh fruit including several types of melon were scattered on the bar amongst everything.



I grabbed a jar of Bircher, the coconut blueberry chia pudding as well as a thin slice of the Paleo banana bread and some fruit and coconut yoghurt. I also tried a few of the fruit compotes which I think were blueberry, strawberry and kiwi fruit. The Bircher was thick and delicious - I couldn't tell if it was oat-based or not but I suspect that it was Paleo so not. Served with a bit of Paleo granola on top, it was delicious with a bit of additional yoghurt and fruit. The chia pudding was moreish and I would have tried the chocolate one but felt it would be too much - which is a pity because D said it was amazing. The fruit compotes were lovely - not too sweet - and the fruit was fresh and sweet, even the watermelon which someone remarked upon as lately it hasn't been particularly good. The banana bread was as I expected and similar to gluten-free ones I've tried - very moist as probably made on almond meal and/or coconut flour but nice all the same.




I should also note at this point I did get a coffee which was from a self-serve Nespresso machine. I didn't mind that but for real coffee fans, you can order a proper espresso coffee at additional cost. There are also a range of T2 teas and juice.

After enjoying my sweet start, I moved on to savoury. I grabbed a bit of each of the hot items and got some prosciutto, salmon and a devilled egg. The bacon was good and not overly crispy, which is how I like it, and the sausage was tasty without being overly fatty. I was impressed by the scrambled eggs which were creamy and well seasoned. The devilled egg was intriguing with the filling being mixed with chicken and topped with bacon. For those who don't know, a devilled egg is a hard boiled egg with the yolk scooped out, mixed with other ingredients (usually mayonnaise and mustard) and replaced. They were popular in the 70s as a party canape but less so now. Unsurprisingly it was very tasty! The cured salmon was delicious but unfortunately they'd run out of guacamole when I was up so I went without but it was being refilled as I left.





Overall I was really impressed with my breakfast at Asana! Buffets are generally very dangerous for me and I don't know if it was trying to be restrained and not eat EVERYTHING or the fact that I was limited by the time I had before everyone had to leave for work, but I didn't leave feeling like my stomach was going to burst. I loved that there was such a range of healthy foods but it wasn't limited to them or Paleo-specific items. Considering that it's standard to pay up to $30 for breakfast if you get a few drinks these days, I consider this exceptional value. The staff were all very friendly and helpful and the atmosphere, despite being in the bottom of a hotel, is actually lovely with the room being warm and open. I would probably advise against sitting near the open bar area as its window is open for take-away coffees and on a cold morning, it can get quite chilly. I definitely plan on returning and am interested in trying their lunch and dinner menus sometime too. For those riding in like C and I did, there wasn't an obvious bike bay around but there were several poles around to lock our bikes to. Overall verdict? Paleo or non-Paleo, Asana is a great breakfast option in the city if you're looking for somewhere to sit down and have at least an hour to enjoy your food.

Details

Asana by Pete Evans
80 Albert St
Brisbane CBD
http://brisbane.capribyfraser.com/en/dining/asana-restaurant-bar.html

$$$
GF | DF | P | V | VV
Buffet

Ratings

Image taken from http://www.alteregomindfuleating.com.au/

What used to be Flute Food & Wine in the Rosalie Baroona Rd precinct has morphed into self-proclaimed boutique wholefood cafe Alter Ego. They promote mindful eating through a seasonal, healthy menu made up of quality ingredients with options for the gluten and dairy intolerant as well as vegans. 

Now I'm a bit of a sucker for the wholefood concept and with several other cafes doing it well (e.g Mondo Organics, Merriweather Cafe), I wanted to give Alter Ego a go. I arrived around 8am this morning (Friday) and several tables were already occupied. Given that it was only Alter Ego's third day of opening, I was impressed. There are some comfortable cushioned bench seats outside as well as some inside seating. A large rotating fan above the doorway keeps the outdoor area cool-ish, which was helpful on this humid morning but did have the disadvantage of blowing all of the napkins away... There's not a lot to the decor and the area it is in is somewhat sterile looking but they've made some effort on the inside with the now-standard blackboard inside. 


Glasses of water were brought to us soon after arrival and we were given the paper breakfast menus, which given the printed date must change daily. The menu includes the standard toast, muffin, muesli, avo toast, and egg options with a few interesting items such as Fifty Shades of Green (Tri Colour Quinoa Sauteed with Kale, Baby Spinach, Garlic & Chilli with Poached Eggs) and Not So Bready (Paleo Pumpkin And Almond Loaf, Smoked Salmon, Homemade Organic Labna, Zoodles).  The gluten free, dairy free and vegan options are clearly marked as well. The drinks menu has an extensive range of Blended (Smoothies) and Squeezed (Juices) drinks. The other side of the page had a list of their stockists and detailed explanations so I know that the ham is Gooralie ham, the dairy is from Barambah Organics and that the bread (which includes the brown rice and chia gluten-free bread) is from Sol Breads.

Daily seasonal menu

Unfortunately I wasn't feeling particularly hungry otherwise I would have ordered the Fifty Shades of Green or Not So Bready as both sounded delicious. I contemplated ordering a smoothie as they sounded pretty filling (e.g Berry Cheesecake - blended cashews, banana, mixed berries, almond milk) but decided to go with the Maple Toasted Coconut, Nut, Oat & Cranberry Muesli with Barambah Organics Cinnamon Yoghurt ($12.90). My dining companion chose the Fruit & Hazelnut Loaf with Honeyed Ricotta ($7.50). She also ordered a cappuccino and I went for my standard long black with some milk on the side.  

Cappuccino ($4.00)

Coffees arrived fairly quickly and were good. As much as I like coffee I can only categorise it into bad, not bad, and amazing and this one was in the not bad category. My companion enjoyed her cappuccino, which was made with Barambah Organics milk. Given the warmth of the day I was powering through my glasses of water which was filled up when someone noticed, which wasn't often. The service was friendly but I definitely got the feeling that the waiters were pretty new to the game and I had to flag them down several times. 

We had a short wait for our meals, during which I peeked at the meals being delivered to the other diners. The Mashed Up minted avocado on toast with Barambah feta and cherry tomatoes looked popular and tasty but on the expensive side for $16.90. My muesli arrived in a giant bowl which dwarfed the serve of toasted golden muesli served with runny yoghurt, passionfruit and sliced banana. The muesli was primarily nut and seed based and quite sweet but had a good crunch to it. Personally I prefer a higher ratio of yoghurt and fruit to muesli so asked for some additional yoghurt on the side, which was kindly given to me. The fruit was a nice addition but some berries or stone fruit would have been nice to freshen up the sweet muesli as the banana just added to the sweetness and there wasn't a significant amount of passionfruit. For $12.90 I thought it was a little expensive but that is pretty much the standard price these days. It was a nice lighter option if you're not feeling one of the more substantial meals but still quite substantial. 

Maple Toasted Coconut, Nut, Oat & Cranberry Muesli with Barambah Organics Cinnamon Yoghurt ($12.90)

Fruit & Hazelnut Loaf with Honeyed Ricotta ($7.50)

The fruit toast arrived as four toasted half-slices and had been slightly buttered with salted butter with a small dish of ricotta in runny honey served on the side. My companion commented that the ricotta was grainy and that the honey had pooled in the corners of the dish, but I think she was just being a little picky. The toast was also toasted darker than she would have liked. Perhaps it was the humidity of the day but I felt that everything was just warm and could have used some extra refrigeration, such as the yoghurt and the water.

Outdoor seating area

A decent breakfast but I'm more likely to go to one of the other offerings in the area over Alter Ego again based on the overall package as there are just a lot of good options around there. 

http://www.alteregomindfuleating.com.au/

Although well and truly within walking distance from my place, we drove there and found a park on Princess St, just outside the cafe. It's a narrow street though so I'd suggest parking in the Taringa train station carpark and just walking up the stairs. The cafe is tiny with only three tables inside and a few low wooden crates with stools outside, plus a few bar height benches along the side. The all-day breakfast menu is simple with the usual bread, avocado toast, muesli, bacon & egg roll type options and range from $4 for toast and condiments to $15 for the bacon or haloumi and egg stacks. As for drinks, there are the standard coffee and tea options plus they do cold press coffee, frappes, milkshakes, smoothies and even a Virgin Mary. When asked about the frappes, the standard is a mixed berry frappe on coconut water but they are really flexible and are happy to do whatever they can with what they've got at the time. It looks as though they try to use organic ingredients where possible with organic yoghurt and muesli featuring on the menu and they use Barambah Organics milk. I decided to try the cold press coffee ($6), which is usually done on milk but I asked for it to be black with just a dash of milk which they were happy to do. Mum wanted coffee but something cold so although not on the menu, she was offered an iced latte. Meanwhile Dad had no such problems with the heat and went with his usual cappuccino ($3.90). I also ordered the House made Bircher muesli with coconut, mixed fruit and nuts and ground cinnamon ($8).

After ordering at the counter, we went to sit down but unfortunately all the inside tables were already occupied so we sat down at one of the outside crate-tables. Luckily not much later one of the inside tables became available so we quickly nabbed it and shifted all of their plates and glasses to the side. The cafe has a cute retro look with timber furniture, some vintage posters and props about the place and and the drinks menu is written up on a blackboard on the wall. There's also plenty to keep you busy if conversation just isn't cutting it with a selection of reading material including newspapers and Frankie magazines stacked on the tables and a few board games like Connect 4 set up and ready to play. The open 'kitchen' at Scatter Bean consists of a portable hot grill plate and a toaster and a impressive looking espresso machine takes pride in the window corner. There were three staff working when I was there - one manning the grill, another working the espresso machine and the the other serving customers and handling everything else it seemed.

Cappuccino & Iced Latte

Drinks took a while to arrive considering there weren't a lot of customers eating in but there were a few take-away-ers who came in to order. Both the iced latte and cold press coffee arrived in the now-standard glass jar with a handle and a straw for easy drinking. The iced latte was creamy and very milky, although not surprising given the size of the mug! The cappuccino arrived with fresh chocolate shavings on top which is a nice touch and something my mother loves so she'll be back for that. My cold press coffee was a little weak and watery tasting as it was made by adding a shot size of the cold press brew to cold water and then a dash of milk. Exactly as I ordered but I'm used to my cold press being stronger. Still it was a nice refreshing drink on a warm day. They ran out not long afterwards and it sounded like they only brew a jar of it a day. 

I was told not long afterwards that there was not enough Bircher for a full serve so would I mind muesli with yoghurt and fresh fruit? I thought that she meant that I'd get a smaller serve of the muesli and just with extra yoghurt and fruit but when it arrived as a bowl of dry muesli with yoghurt, blueberries and chia seeds, I questioned whether it was possible to get the remaining Bircher muesli instead. Oddly I was told that actually the Bircher had gone off and thus had been thrown out. I was a bit disappointed but dug into my muesli anyway and was provided with extra yoghurt and milk. It was a untoasted muesli with some sultanas and lots of nuts and seeds. Once I'd mixed in all of the yoghurt it became semi-Bircher like anyway and was rather delicious. I couldn't detect any vanilla bean in the yoghurt and tasted like natural yoghurt but I was happy with that. The fresh blueberries were lovely but there were only a few and could have done with a few more or some additional other berries to lighten the dish. I later asked if the Bircher version was similar but was told it was actually just oats soaked in almond milk and served with grated apple. I'll have to go back and try it but would happily also order the standard muesli again. It was a large serve and unfortunately meant I was full when I arrived for my not-much-later brunch date!

Organic yoghurt & muesli ($8)

Scatter Bean is a great addition to the Taringa area and is already clearly popular with the locals with many people dropping in for the coffee, which is great. The other cooked food options look tasty and they have a few baked goods available on the counter too. If I caught the train, I imagine I'd be stopping in for coffee there regularly! There may be a few service-related things that could be improved, like with the mixed message about my muesli and also no one came to clear any of the tables while we were there, but the people are friendly and clearly accommodating which is nice.

https://www.facebook.com/scatterbean

Simple all day menu

Cold brewed coffee with a dash of milk,

Additional outdoor seating