Mitchelton Bakehouse, Mitchelton

Where: Mitchelton Bakehouse, Blackwood Street, Mitchelton, QLD

For: Breakfast

What: Plain Mince Pie

Cost: $4.20

Plain Mince Pie, Mitchelton Bakehouse (Photo by the Author)

The Review:

Mitchelton Bakehouse is a new bakery that opened in Mitchelton (in the inner north west of Brisbane) today and, being a local and a lover of a pies, I could not resist checking it out.

I have long been a fan of meat pies and for a long time searched for Brisbane’s Best Pie (check out http://www.brisbanesbestpie.com if you are looking for a pie recommendation in Brisbane) and quipped upon the first bite of the pie I ate “Shit this is a good pie!”

What was it about this pie that made it so good? I thought I would apply the same metrics to this pie as I did when looking for Brisbane’s best.

Taste: This was a hearty pie that tasted quite meaty with a touch of pepper.

Meat and Gravy: The gravy in this pie was thick and mixed well with the mince. The mince was abundant and had been very finely minced.

Pastry: The Mitchelton Bakehouse plain meat pie’s best element was its pastry. A light and flaky lid of the pie was complimented perfectly by a well cooked base which did not break up during eating.

Temperature: The temperature of this pie was perfect. It was easy to eat (it did not burn the skin from the roof of the mouth).

Size: This was a largish pie.

On the Side:

I paired the plain meat pie from Mitchelton Bakehouse with a vanilla slice. It was excellent.

Will I be back?

I live in the neighbourhood and always seek to enjoy local businesses where possible so it is a given that I will be back. Equally, given how good this pie was, I would have been prepared to travel some distance for another visit!

The Final Word

By any measure this was a good pie. All of the elements were spot on. The vanilla slice I had with it was also spot on. I am looking forward to getting back to Mitchelton Bakehouse to test out the other pies on the menu as well as the other bakery products sold. It is a winner!

The Woods Bar Redux: When one plate of fried pickles isn’t enough!

Last week I reviewed lunch at the Woods Bar in Mitchelton (the review is here https://wiatw.com/2019/07/06/the-woods-bar/) and I wrote that I absolutely would be back. Today I went back!

I am not going to do an “update” or “redux” review every time I revisit a venue but had to write about this experience simple because it was so good … again!

This time we ordered everything the same as the lunch reviewed save that the Cajun cauliflower Koftas were replaced with the pork belly bites. The other thing we did differently was order two plates of fried pickles.

Commenting on the second difference first: the only explanation needed is the fried pickles are the best thing I have eaten since I have been writing this blog. I will be back to the Woods Bar if only to have more fried pickles.

The pork belly bites, which came with a sherry glaze, were outstanding. So good were they that they did not last long enough for me to get a photo. The pork was cooked perfectly and the glaze sticky whilst being a spot on accompaniment.

If anything this visit to the Woods Bar only solidified my view that this bar, if it is not already, is about to become the next “big thing” in Brisbane’s north side. Get around it people!

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.