Blackwood Cafe

Where: Blackwood Cafe (32 Blackwood Street, Mitchelton, Qld)

For: Breakfast

What: Eggs Benny with Bacon

From the Menu: All eggs benny’s come with sourdough, spinach and hollandaise

Cost: $19

Eggs Benny with Bacon, Blackwood Cafe (Photo by the author)

The Review:

Another Mitchelton based venue for this review. Blackwood Cafe is the heart of the Blackwood Street Precinct and always seems to be busy whether for breakfast or lunch seven days a week.

I can not remember the last time I had breakfast at Blackwood Cafe and did not have the Eggs Benny with Bacon. It is simply consistently one of the best breakfasts I have had.

The eggs benny eaten for this review was no different: the eggs were perfectly poached and the hollandaise creamy. I prefer bacon with my eggs benedict (not being a salmon eater and preferring bacon to ham at all times expect for Christmas) and the bacon with this eggs benny had just enough crisp to give a satisfying crunch.

The piece of this dish that really pulls it all together for me is the sourdough. The bread is lightly toasted and the perfect amount in proportion to all of the other parts of this dish.

I keep coming back to this cafe and this dish because it is consistently spot on. The reviewed eggs benny was no different.

On the side:

I paired this dish with an iced long black.

Will I be back?

Yes

The Last Word

If you are looking for a quality and reasonably priced breakfast or lunch in the inner northern suburbs of Brisbane you should look no further than Blackwood Cafe. Those attending on Saturday or Sunday mornings should plan their attendance at this venue well because tables fill up quickly on both days.

The Woods Bar

Where: The Woods Bar (37 Blackwood Street, Mitchelton Qld)

For: Lunch

What: Cajun Cauliflower Koftas, Popcorn Chicken, Sautéed Chorizo, Fried Pickles (all sharing plates)

From the Menu:

Cajun Cauliflower Koftas – with salsa verde

Popcorn Chicken – drizzled with ranch and buffalo sauce

Sautéed Chorizo – leeks, garlic, tomato and fresh herbs

Fried Pickles – with cheddar aioli

Cost: Each plate was $8 each except for the Chorizo which was $10 for the plate.

The Review:

As a local in Mitchelton, trying out any new venue along Mitchelton’s Main Street, Blackwood Street, is always a high priority. Having watched the Woods Bar come to life over the last month and launch last night today presented a great opportunity to test it out.

The menu, if anything, a little limited but only in number of items available. The Lunch / Dinner menu and the Morsels menu (from which we ordered) both contain dishes that look to be of the highest quality.

We ordered four plates to share (between two of us). To say I was impressed with the quality of each dish would be an understatement.

The Fried Pickles where an absolute standout. Sliced and lightly battered they were cooked to perfection and tasted great. Matched with cheddar aioli they could be a smart entree, an accompaniment of a larger main or a great snack if you happened to drop in for a drink at the Woods.

The three other dishes were also, as noted above, of a high quality. The highlights of each where:

The Cauliflower Koftas where perfectly cooked and had a unique flavour that actually made me enjoy eating cauliflower.
The Popcorn Chicken was combined well with the drizzled sauces and were so moorish they nearly demanded a second plate be ordered.
The Chorizo, much like the popcorn chicken, was perfectly accompanied with leek and garlic and was not too oily as one oft finds a share plate of chorizo.

This is another dining experience I can not fault. The Woods Bar has only been open two days but already seems to be dominating Blackwood Precinct with large crowds being seen each afternoon / night at the venue. With a great fit out and a significant range of beers and other beverages on tap I do not see its immediate popularity waining any time soon.

On the side:

I paired today’s lunch with a pineapple juice which was the perfect accompaniment.

Will I be back?

Absolutely – great venue, great food and very nice people.

The Last Word

This is the venue that Mitchelton’s Blackwood Street has been screaming out for: a well fitted out, dare I say “funky”, bar selling a limited but absolutely quality menu. Locals will flock to it and I expect it will become a must visit venue for those in the inner suburbs of Brisbane.

New Farm Deli

Where: New Farm Deli (900 Brunswick Street, New Farm, Qld)

For: Lunch

What: Spaghetti All’ Ameriticiana

From the Menu: Diced Bacon, Napoli Sauce, Red Wine and Chilli (best served with spaghetti which I had)

Cost: $16.50

Spaghetti All’ Ameriticiana, New Farm Deli (Photo by the author)

The Review:

I have long been a fan of New Farm Deli both for its exceptional food and, as the name suggests, it’s deli counter. A regular breakfast haunt, this week I had lunch at this venue and it did not disappoint.

My “go to” pasta dish has long been an Ameriticiana sauce done with spaghetti (or any other type of long pasta), so, it being lunch, there was only one choice for me to make from the menu.

This was a wonderful example of my favourite dish. The bacon was very well cooked and slightly crispy. The Napoli sauce was smooth with a strong tomato flavour and just enough chilli to “clear the sinuses”. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly.

It is fitting that my first review on “What I ate this week” is from one of my favourite dining venues in Brisbane and it definitely did not disappoint. I can not fault this dish!

On the side:

I paired this dish with an iced long black which, to be expected given how good this venue is, was spot on.

Will I be back?

Yes: probably next week!!!

The Last Word

Brisvegans and visitors to Queensland capital, if you haven’t been to New Farm Deli yet you need to make your way there without delay. It is a Brisbane institution and a must try (and repeat).