Braking for Breakfast

A lingering leg injury has meant for discomfort while sitting, countless trips to the physio (oh, my wallet) and, most upsettingly, no cycling. The upside to this is that I'm becoming a more confident driver and thus exploring a larger distance range of Brisbane. And by exploring, I of course mean eating. Goodness Gracious Cafe has been popping up on my Instagram feed for some time with pictures of their menu offerings piquing my interest and making my mouth water. With a tagline of 'fresh and local food' and with several gluten-free options, I was sold.

I made a breakfast date with Y for a Sunday morning and with both of us being early risers, we aimed for an early one and arrived at 8am. Goodness Gracious Cafe defines suburban cafe with its location in Graceville in a cottage-style shop and busy patronage at this earlyish hour. Although there is a carpark behind the cafe and ample street parking, the closest park we could find was at least one hundred metres away. When we entered the cafe, it looked as though all of the tables were already taken but luckily there was one table for two by the window that had just become free. It was a hot Summer day but thankfully the cafe is air-conditioned.

drinks menu

After being given water and handed menus we placed our coffee orders - I ordered a long black and Y, being a new convert to it, ordered the cold drip coffee. As we waited for our coffees, we perused the menu. Apart from her excellent company, what I love about breakfasting with Y is that she also likes to share meals so we tend to share and often one savoury, one sweet. The all-day menu at Goodness Gracious changes seasonally, as per their ethos, and the current menu includes the general breakfast staples plus a few extras, all with an interesting twist. For example, the Avocado on Toast ($12) comes with almond and dill butter, creme fraiche and lemon dressing. We were tempted by the Spiced Chickpeas with sauteed spinach, slow roast tomatoes, haloumi, puffed wild rice and poached eggs ($16) but the corned beef hash that was in the Green Eggs and Ham ($16) along with the salsa verde scrambled eggs, peas and jamon crumb won me over. Both of us being mad muesli fans, we also decided to get the Granola and Fruit with honey chia Coyo, ginger ancient grain pecan granola and poached fruit ($12).

cold press coffee; long black

Despite the busy nature of the cafe, our coffees didn't take long to arrive. My long black was nice and strong without any bitterness and Y appeared to enjoy her cold drip. As we waited for our meals, we chatted and watched several plates of delicious looking meals go past which did not help with the mounting hunger we felt! It felt like forever before our meals arrived but in reality it wasn't that long, especially given how busy the place was and I think it just felt long because everything going past looked amazing! Eventually our meals did arrive and on particularly pretty plates too and we eagerly dug in.

I'm pretty sure even Sam-I-Am would approved of these Green Eggs and Ham. Based on the description, I thought that this would be a very loose interpretation given that the jamon crumb was the only ham-like part of the meal but it arrived with several slices of leg ham tucked underneath the scrambled eggs laced with the green salsa verde. The eggs were soft and creamy, as scrambled eggs should be. I don't recall the salsa verde adding a strong additional flavour but regardless, they were decent eggs. The corned beef hash had a good ratio of shredded corned beef to potato and had a nice crispy exterior. The vibrant green pea puree was silky smooth and my favourite part of the dish - well seasoned and brought everything else together. I really enjoyed eating all of the components of the dish altogether. The only thing missing for me was some kick and so I asked for pepper as it wasn't available on the table. The waitress came back and told me that it was currently being used and would bring it over as soon as it was back....but it never arrived. I attempted to slowly eat the meal in anticipation of it arriving but in the end gave up. While still delicious without, I think some freshly ground pepper really would have made the dish for me.



After scraping every last morsel of my plate of Green Eggs and Ham, I moved onto my 'dessert' of Granola and Fruit. Presented in a large stoneware bowl, it was visually appealing in a rustic way with a translucent half poached pear poking out and several stalks of pale pink rhubarb laid on top of the golden toasted granola. Underneath the granola was a generous serve of creamy white CoYo (coconut yoghurt) with chia seeds mixed throughout. I'm very specific about how I liked my granola - crunchy, not overly sweet, a good mix of grains, seeds and nuts, and just a sprinkling of dried fruit. This one ticked all the boxes for me with only a light honey flavour and a great mix of what looked to be oats, quinoa/millet, buckwheat, almonds, pecans and dried cranberries. The heavy use of grains and nuts ensured that there was good textural crunch factor to complement the soft coconut yoghurt and chia mix. The perfectly poached pear added a light sweetness and held its shape well. The rhubarb was only lightly poached to ensure its shape was held but it did make cutting it up tricky. However, once managed, the tart flavour offset the richness of the coconut yoghurt perfectly. Altogether it was another perfectly put together meal with all components marrying well with one another.

Green Eggs & Ham ($16)

Granola & Fruit ($12)

The cafe was still pumping when Y and I got up to leave, with a short queue waiting for tables. According to @yelpbne, who I ran into on the way out, the cold press had just ran out so you may need to get in early if you want it! Although their Instagram indicates they've got new bigger brewing equipment... Overall I really enjoyed my breakfast at Goodness Gracious Cafe and am eager to return to try more of their delicious sounding menu.

The menu, current at the time

http://www.goodnessgraciouscafe.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/goodnessgraciousbne

Despite being willing to travel all over Brisbane to eat breakfast, I seem to have neglected my own local area and was looked at incredulously the other day by other food bloggers when I admitted I hadn't visited a popular cafe in my own suburb despite having lived there for five years. To be fair, it's up the hill (i.e. not easily cycle-able) and not easy walking distance (plus there's that hill...) but still I have been meaning to get there for a long time! A few months ago I noticed that a tiny cute cafe had opened near Taringa train station called Scatter Bean and thought Finally, a decent looking place near me! and then never went there. But when I was looking for a nearby place to have coffee and small bite to eat with my parents before meeting a friend for brunch, I thought of Scatter Bean.

I don't like beer. Well, I thought I didn't like beer - experience had told me that beer was bitter, made me feel icky and my face bright red (damn Asian genes). Altogether it was not something I would choose to drink if I had a choice. Then microbreweries started to pop up around Brisbane and craft beers began appearing on drinks menus and being the sucker for trying new things that I am, I gave beer another try and discovered that not all beer was completely awful. Still makes me red and I'm tipsy after half a glass so I'm not rushing to down pints of it but I like to try them in places like Green Beacon,  Fortitude Brewing Co. and even visited several when I was in Bangalore. I'm especially a fan of the places that offer small tasting glasses - perfect Gabi size! Anyway when Brisbane hosted Brewsvegas in March this year, I was intrigued and looked into the events that were on. While I didn't get to any of them, I discovered the Beerkary Bakery which is a concept bakery combining beer and baked goods, developed by Ben Devlin (Chef at Esquire and recently awarded the Good Food Guide's Young Chef of the Year) and Yen Trinh. So despite the fact that both beer and bread don't generally agree with me at all, it really appealed to my love of combining unexpected flavours and ingredients. During Brewsvegas they created Beercarons, beer-flavoured macarons, and some delicious sounding beer-infused baked goods at Bosc one morning. I was disappointed to miss out and so when I heard that they were doing another event at The Scratch at Milton last Sunday, I knew I had to be there. I roped in beer lover I, who is a big fan of The Scratch, to accompany me. 

Line on arrival outside The Scratch

The event began at 10am, which is brunch time in my mind. I ate a light breakfast in anticipation but a busy morning cooking meant I didn't actually arrive at The Scratch until close to 11am. When I arrived, there was already a line of about fifteen people. 



The Beerkary was setup outside in front of the bar with a long table displaying freshly baked treats and loaves of bread. The menu was written on a large chalkboard and there were takeaway menus in the form of Beer Bingo. Four Brewtal beers were featured and each were incorporated into a savoury and sweet item. The savoury items were essentially sandwiches and included hot smoked beef on oatmeal stout sourdough, Welsh rarebit (grilled cheese) on brown butter brioche, pork jowl on sprouted grain and honey sourdough and cured trout on a hopped-up croissant. Chocolate oatmeal brioche with caramelised milk, brown butter grilled pear and caramel scroll, honey sourdough croissant with spiced custard and a lemon and wild flower layer cake rounded out the sweet options. 

Beerkary Bingo

By the time I arrived the cake had sold out and the croissants and brioches were selling quickly. The Welsh rarebit was the next item to sell out and I was starting to worry that there wouldn't be anything left by the time I made it to the front! The meats were cooking on Baby Webers and the smoky scents were doing nothing to sate my growing appetite. I was torn between the smoked beef and pork jowl sandwiches and in the end decided to go with the smoked beef and then share a pork jowl sandwich with I. By the time I made it to the front of the line, the line had doubled and since I had no intention of lining up again we also ordered a brioche to share. I was tempted by the sweet croissant as well but restrained myself knowing I wasn't quite that hungry!

Meats cooking on BBQ

The sandwiches were made to order so while they were being prepared we went inside to find seats and get some beers....it was close enough to lunchtime that it didn't feel too early. The friendly bartender allowed me to sample all of the options and while I really liked the Brisbane River Brown, I ended up getting a small glass of the Bloody Good Stout which seemed appropriate given that I had ordered both the matching savoury and sweet items. Plus I actually really like stouts. 


After choosing, our sandwiches arrived and I eagerly took them and carried them to one free table that we found at the back of the bar. The sandwiches looked small but it was all deception. The bread was sliced thick and stuffed with meat and the accompaniments. I bit into the smoked beef in hungry anticipation and was hit with a flavour sensation. The freshly baked bread had a crunchy chewy crust and a strong almost-rye-like flavour which married perfectly with the tender smoky rare beef. The stout flavour was present without being overwhelming. The menu said that it came with pickles but I tasted something creamier and there were some spinach or similar leaves poking out. Whatever was in it was absolutely delicious and it was absolutely the best sandwich I've ever eaten! 

Oatmeal stout sourdough, smoked beef and pickles

Sprouted grain and honey sourdough, honey glazed pork jowl, apple and mustard seeds

I would call Corner Store Cafe at Toowong my local breakfast place. Although not the closest breakfast offering, it is the best around in close proximity. Located on Sylvan Rd, Corner Store Cafe happens to be right on the path for cyclists heading towards the Bicentennial Bikeway from the Westside/Mt Coo-tha. If you get there early, you'll join many a lycra'd up person and see several bikes outside. If you get there after 9:00am, prepare to line up unless you are a group of 5 or more and have had the forethought to book a table. Corner Store Cafe is an old converted corner store (hence the name) with an add-on large outdoor covered area. Inside, is the kitchen and counter and the small store where they sell some gourmet grocery items and basics such as milk and vegetables. There are also a few large tables inside but the majority are located outside.

When deciding where to breakfast with my friend H, I asked H if she would mind going somewhere close-ish to me as I've hurt my leg recently and wasn't up for a long ride. I threw out a few nearby suggestions including Corner Store Cafe and after taking a look at the menu. she chose Corner Store. Knowing that she would be a little exhausted after being at Soundwave the day before, she requested we meet at 9 which is a little later than we usually meet. I decided to try to get there early in case there was a line up so I arrived fifteen minutes early and in the two minutes it took to lock up my bike to a signpost outside, two couples had arrived and gotten in the queue before me. By the time I got to put my name on the list, I was told it would be a twenty minute wait. After H arrived, it was just a five to ten minute wait before we were ushered to our outside table and handed menus and given water in a cute white pitcher.

The cafe changes their menu seasonally and the current summer menu has the usual toast, bircher, muesli, eggs your way offerings plus more unusual options such as Green breakfast (quinoa, sauteed kale & spinach, poached eggs, herbed yoghurt, dukkah), Corned beef with colcannon cake, poached eggs, parsley hollandaise and the Quesadilla with slow cooked pork, white beans, manchego, red pepper jam, scrambled eggs, chipotle mayo. Meals range in price from $5 for toast and jam/nut butter/vegemite to $10-$15 for eggs your way, bircher, granola or smashed avocado on toast to $17-19 for the more unusual options. The price points are at the higher end at Corner Store but their portions are large. They also have a large number of gluten-free options (5 out of the 12 options are GF and 2 have a GF option) and all of the sides are gluten-free.

I am a sucker for corn fritters so I went for the gluten-free Corn & feta fritters, poached eggs, acovado puree, tomato salsa and opted for the smoked salmon over the bacon ($18.50). H chose the Smashed avocado, sourdough toast, heirloom tomatoes, shaved parmesan, aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil ($14.50) but asked for no tomatoes and haloumi instead. H also ordered a flat white which arrived about five minutes after ordering. It didn't seem that long afterwards that our meals arrived although there was no offer of cracked pepper so I had to go and ask for it afterwards. H's smashed avocado was two large pieces of sourdough with avocado and the most giant slab of haloumi placed on top. I thought that there could have been more avocado (although this seems to be the case generally at the moment with avocados going out of season) as it seemed a little thin and due to the haloumi being so thick, it looked too solid on the inside and didn't have that nice melted texture that a few thinner slices would have had. My meal was enormous. The fritter was more of a frittata filled with sweet corn and bits of feta and was on a smear of smooth avocado puree with tomato and red onion salsa scattered around the plate. A large pile of smoked salmon sat next to the fritter and two poached eggs sat on top of it with a sprig of parsley offering the only non-avocado green on the plate. I would have preferred the avocado to have been chunky rather than pureed and there was possibly too much smoked salmon for the rest of the dish but corn, eggs, smoked salmon and avocado has to be one of my favourite combinations for breakfast so I was happy. The poached eggs were perfectly poached and runny. I could have easily done with about half the portion however, being the glutton that I am, I finished off the entire plate. H only got through about 3/4 of hers and there was a lot of haloumi left on her plate.

Corn & feta fritters with smoked salmon, poached eggs, avocado & salsa

Smashed avocado on toast with haloumi

Corner Store Cafe is definitely not the place to go if you are looking for a small light breakfast but they do offer tasty food and some great breakfast options. They also serve lunch and have several baked goods for sale. I would advise that you go early or else be prepared for a long wait! When we left at 10, there was a line of about 15-20 people. However it is an excellent breakfasting option and I am certainly glad it is so near me!

BIKEABILITY

Ease of access: 9/10 
(Extremely close to Regatta exit off Bicentennial Bikeway and then up Sylvan Rd)
Parking: 8/10 
(No bike racks but plenty of signposts to lock your bike to)

Corner Store entrance

Some of the fresh produce and grocery items available

Delicious looking baked goods

More baked goods

Drinks available for purchase

http://www.cornerstorecafe.com/

 Soon after they opened I made the mistake of clicking 'Like'on Two Wheels & A Handlebar's Facebook page. Day after day I have had their amazing sounding lunch options thrown in my face via my Facebook feed and had daily regret that I work in the CBD and therefore haven't been able to sample any of them. However, they do open on Saturday's so their food isn't completely unattainable (unlike their neighbours, Mrs Luu's...) Today I at finally got to try their equally delicious sounding weekend breakfast menu.


Two Wheels and a Handlebar are a small setup with only a few large tables and a tiny kitchen. There is bike paraphernalia all around the place, including handlebars attached to the outside table and a vintage bike at the front. There is also a crate of cookbooks on the bench which would no doubt be good reading if you were waiting for your takeaway order. Their menu, headed Hungry? (oh yes!) changes daily and today's options and has both sweet and savoury items. The drinks on the Thirsty? menu include the usual coffee/mocha/tea options and Thai Fruit Shakes (seasonal fruit blended with ice and coconut water). I chose the Sporky (smoked pork fillet with yoghurt, dukkah, pickle red cabbage) which usually comes with sourdough but I opted for the gluten-free bread ($14) and C had the Tradie (spicked paprika potatoes with fried eggs, pork sausage and focaccia) for $13. The gluten-free bread is made in-house and so I assume the other bread is too. We also ordered a long black with cold milk on the side and a short mac.

The drinks arrived quickly and in BioCups with cute bicycles stamped onto them. I'm not sure what beans they use but it was a little sour to me, but I prefer a creamier taste. There isn't water around but you can ask for it. The meals arrived shortly afterwards on environmentally-friendly-looking disposable plates and bamboo cutlery was available on the table. My Sporky originally came out with a giant piece of bread but soon afterwards I was informed that I was accidentally given sourdough and it was very quickly replaced with the gluten-free bread which was about half the size which was actually perfect for me. I was given the option of having my entire meal replaced but my intolerance is minor so I declined.

The Sporky w GF bread

The pork in my dish was in chunks underneath the mound of crunchy red cabbage with the dukkah scattered around it. The pork was tender, but a little dry as pork tends to be, and had the most delicious smoky flavour which completely made the dish. The red cabbage wasn't strongly pickled but it worked well with the pork and the yoghurt added much needed moisture. I wasn't entirely sure how to eat it all with the bread though. I ended up shoveling bits of everything onto the bread and eating it with my hands. Perhaps I should have tried to make a sandwich instead somehow although the GF bread wasn't large enough to cut in half to do so. The cutlery was difficult to use given the delicate nature of bamboo and wasn't really strong enough for meat. Unfortunately I lost half my yoghurt in the bread switch but the chef was very obliging and gave me more in a small espresso BioCup and I noted they use Barambah Organics natural yoghurt, which is my favourite.

The Tradie

The Tradie came out with a giant pieces of foccacia topped with garlicky potatoes and a slab of sausage and a slab of fried egg. The sausage had been cut in half and fried to make the slab. The fried eggs were well cooked with the yolk a little hardened but C enjoyed it that way. He loved the potatoes, mostly due to the large amount of garlic they had been fried with. C really enjoyed his meal but also noted the difficult in using the cutlery to eat it.

Overall we really enjoyed our meals at Two Wheels & A Handlebar and would return. I liked the interesting menu and the feel of the place. The meals aren't huge but often that's what I want in a breakfast meal and the prices are lower than the majority of other breakfast places around today. The disposable plates, cups and cutlery are an interesting touch and there is a bin that you throw them into at the end of your meal. I assume this is due to not having a dishwasher/not having to have one. The environmentally-friendly nature of them is clearly not too much of a focus for them as I ended up with about 4 cups and 2 plates at the end of my meal. I'm hoping that one day I get the opportunity to try their lunch menu now!

The available seating

Namesake handlebar

Coffee in takeaway BioCups

The Sporky with sourdough (before the bread switch)

Bikeability

Ease of access: 8/10 (Bicentennial bikeway, Little Cribb St exit -> Little Cribb St, R -> Cribb St, L-> Railway Tce)
Parking: 10/10 (bike rack out front)