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Breakfast at Little Loco Cafe | New Farm

Location: 121 Merthyr Rd, New Farm QLD 4005

Meal: Breakfast

Price: $4 – $20

Overall Experience: 9/10

Food: 9/10

Service: 9/10

 

Little Loco Cafe, a cute, humble food destination that has made its’ mark in the Brisbane food scene by providing fresh, healthy and affordable food to the New Farm community. The space is a personal favourite, to a grab a coffee and escape the bustle of the city with my novel. The Brisbane Food Lovers crew took on their breakfast menu and left with happy bellies.

Here are some of the options we tried out:

– Avocado $16 (Avacado Smash, Tomato, Feta, Radish, Lemon & Basil on Sourdough with 2 Free Range Poached Eggs + $4)
If you have previously read some our posts, you would know that we have an absolute obsession with the humble avo on toast. The dish itself is so simple, that is very hard to hide behind. The presentation of the meal was flawless, and the flavours together worked well. For a more filling option I would recommend adding some poached eggs. The only negative I would say, is that the dish is fairy pricey but it tasted amazing so justifiable.
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– Coconut Mango Panna Cotta $14.50 (Coconut Panna Cotta, Mango, Loco Granola & Orange Blossom Yoghurt)
The picture perfect Panna Cotta was light and silky paired with crunchy granola; the contrast in textures worked wonders. The yoghurt was a little sour for my liking and could have done with some additional natural sweetener. The mango, even though delicious, lacked practicality and would have better suited the dish if cut more appropriately.
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– Breakfast Board $20 (Sourdough, 2 Free Range Poached Eggs, Avocado, Spinach, Tomato Relish, Haloumi and Bacon)
One word for this spread, amazing! Simply amazing. As if 2 beautiful poached eggs weren’t enough, they added haloumi and bacon too with avocado, oh my! The tomato relish however, did not work so well as it was more of a sauce. I would recommend an onion jam instead or perhaps eliminate this component all together.
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– Nutella Loco Shake $10 (Nutella Milkshake topped with a Gluten Free Donut and Nut Crumb)
Okay so Nutella is probably one of the most overused menu items for 2016; I have to take my hat off to these guys for creating a Nutella inspired menu creation that actually tastes like Nutella. The milkshake itself was delicious, however I wish they had a regular doughnut option in addition to the existing gluten free inclusion.
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– Greenie Smoothie $9.50 (Spinach, Kale, Apple, Mango, Lime & Coconut Water)
Mmmm $9.50 for a smoothie that’s a bit excessive if you ask me, I would round it off to around $7. But in saying that, it tasted delicious and was packed with natural sweetness. A light, refreshing option in this warmer weather. Perfect for on-the-go chills at New Farm Park.
Thank you to @mykefrombrisbane for attending on our behalf
View his blog work here.
Follow Little Loco here.
Curated by Aliyah Ravat
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Northshore Harbour Cafe | Summer Menu

Location: 297 Macarthur Avenue, Hamilton Reach

Meal: Breakfast / Lunch

Price: $9.50 – $27.50 (Kids menu available)

Overall Experience: 9/10

Food: 8/10

Service: 9/10

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We recently had the pleasure of trying out Northshore Harbour Cafe’s new summer menu. The cafe is located at Hamilton Reach, Northshore. We had never ventured out this way and were pleasantly surprised at the location of this cafe on the river side. Northshore Harbour cafe has a relaxed atmosphere and is the perfect location for a weekend breakfast. They have got you covered with  plenty of (free) parking onsite, we all know theres nothing worse than driving around in circles trying to find a park on an empty stomach!

Now lets get to the important stuff – the food! There were many options on the menu which had us spoiled for choice, however we were already won over with the all day breakfast menu! Here are the dishes we tried:

 

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Potato and persian feta hash cakes with smashed peas, poached eggs and herbed hollandaise with bacon. This dish was perfect! The crunchy hash cakes oozing with cheese were complemented fantastically with the herbed hollandaise, the eggs were cooked perfectly and I had to order a side of bacon because, well…. i’m greedy. Initially we got food envy seeing all the other wonderful dishes around us but as soon as we took a bite we knew we had made a good decision!

 

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Now for something a little different… House made waffles and spiced fried duck breast with sriracha maple and thai basil. This was the dish that had us talking – duck, waffles, maple, sriracha? How? We just had to give it a try. This was a very impressive looking meal which  had our tastebuds equally as impressed. The sriracha and maple made a sweet sauce with a spicy hit, the waffles were soft and fluffy and the spices that coated the duck paired with the other components well – the only downside to this dish was that the duck was a little bit chewy and difficult to cut, however it was still a great meal.

 

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Overall we had a lovely experience at the Northshore Harbour cafe and will definitely be back to try out some more of their extensive menu!

View their full menu here

Written by: Charlotte Louise

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TOOWONG FRENCH PATISSERIE

Location: 9 Morley Street, Toowong

Overall Experience: 10/10

Service: 10/10

Food: 10/10

We were lucky enough to be hosted by the Toowong French Patisserie for an impressive Blogger Breakfast. Next year will mark their 31st year in operation and I can definitely see why they have been around for so long. Their passion and enthusiasm is evident in all their delectable treats.

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Each and every one of their creations is nothing short of perfect! With options that are designed for ‘on the run’ the patisserie is ideal for morning breakfast. I wish I lived closer to Toowong. Some of their popular options include: The Exclusive Ham and Cheese Croissant made with leg ham encasing a neufchâtel cheese,  folded and rolled into a buttery croissant pastry; The Croque Monsieur, baked ham sandwhich with cheese (yes it tastes as amazing as it looks); and the Almond Croissant. 

Suburban Cafe | West End

Location: West End

Price: $9 – $22

Meal: Breakfast

Overall Experience: 9.5/10

Food: 9/10

Service: 10/10

Suburban Cafe in West End has launched their new mouth watering menu. They are located in the heart of West End, only a stones throw from the Cultural Centre Busway and South Brisbane Train Station. If you are looking for a new Sunday breakfast spot, I would add this one to the list. Oh and best of all, if you take a photo of your meal and use the hashtag ‘#suburbancafe’  you will go in the draw to win a $40 voucher (drawn monthly). They also offer a 10% student discount which I would encourage using.

So, here are are the items we selected off the menu:

CHICKEN WAFFLES 

Delicious, golden fried chicken with candied bacon and maple syrup, served up with waffles. I don’t even need to elaborate on this dish. If you are a lover of comfort food like myself, this is the option you will choose. The waffles were perfect, not too sweet, not too big, or small. I loved them. The candied bacon was my favourite element of the dish. I could eat it all day long. This baby will only set you back $16.

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AVOCADO STACK – with extra bacon

Yes, we love our bacon, breakfast is not complete without some meaty goodness. Delicious poached free range eggs served with tomato, greens aioli and dukkah on sourdough bread. The avocado was creamy and worked a treat with the aioli and dukkah. Loved that the bread was easy to cut through. This is an ideal vegetarian option, if you leave the bacon out. Cost: $16.

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Find out more info on Suburban Cafe here 

The Stores | West End

Location : Montague Road, West End

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Heaven is probably the best way to describe The Stores. With a room filled entirely with local cheeses (my idea of heaven) and an array of cured meats and wines, The Stores has something for everyone. It is a one stop location,show casing some of Queensland’s best produce.

I was particularly impressed with the muesli and healthy snacks on offer, consuming the space of an entire room. If you are considering taking up clean eating or if you like to maintain a healthy lifestyle, I would recommend popping by and checking out their snacks and muesli as it the best and broadest selection I have ever seen.

To paint a picture in your mind, The Stores can almost be compared to the James Street Markets (built by the same developers) except their is a level of wow factor to the layout and products on offer. I would recommend heading over and checking it out for yourself.

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Avocado On Toast | Brisbane’s top 5

Avocado on toast is a personal favourite. Light and refreshing but substantial enough to keep you full. I have gone  out in search for 5 of the best avo on toast offerings in Brisbane.

Buzz Bistro Emporium 

buzzPicture perfect avocado on toast from Buzz Bistro, served with feta. The toast was perfect, yes, for me this is a big thing! There is nothing worst than having hard toast you cannot cut through. Buzz delivered a lightly toasted bread with perfectly soft avo that worked really well with the combination of herb marinated feta.  Simple but delicious.

Laruche Kiosk at My Bakery Lane 

bakery_laneThis flavoursome avo on toast left me in awe. Perfectly soft avocado with feta and hints of spice, ah the perfect breakfast on a Winter morning. The only thing that let down this amazing breakfast was the terrible service.

Little Sista Cafe

littlesista1Of course, our favourite breakfast spot would make it onto this list. Served with almonds and chilli jam this one is a definite winner.

Sol Breads

sol_breadsHealthy and delicious. This breakfast was amazing combined with haloumi which I absolutely love. Once again, the toast was easy to cut through and the avocado was well seasoned. The serving portions at Sol Bread are very generous.

Little Clive Cafe

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Little Clive presented me with a spectacular plate Avo on toast; brought to life with the flavours of dukkah and chilli! Yum!

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Jan Powers Farmers Markets | Top Picks

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If you had $100 to spend at the Jan Powers Markets, how would you spend it? Brisbane Food Lovers took on the challenge to find the best produce at the markets and here are our top picks:

  • Smoked Salmon

If you haven’t tried the smoked salmon from the Jan Powers Markets, you are really missing out on something spectacular. Made fresh whilst you wait, choose from a herb crust salmon or if you like your food spicy, opt for the red hot chilli pepper. Priced from $7 to $25 the smoked salmon is our favourite. I had to get 3 of these babies (just had to).

  • Traditional Wood-Smoked Chorizo

Okay, another favourite, that you have to try. The Chorizo and smoked meat selection. I picked up a few of the hot smoked  chorizo and God Father salami. Both work a treat on toast with avocado. The chorizo was $15 for 3.

  • Fresh Juices

By now you have all probably seen pictures on social media of the amazing juices topped with fresh fruit. Yes, well they taste equally as amazing as they look not to mention they are really good for you. I opted for a berry & mango smoothie.

  • Cheese Sticks

A table full of cheese sticks is the kind of magic I see in my dreams, oh, and at the Jan Powers markets too. They are amazing! Ideal for curbing your hunger whilst you stroll through the markets.

  • Fresh Fruit & Veg

Naturally if you are going to go to the markets, one cannot simply leave without taking home some fresh fruit & veg. I got a hold of some avocados to have with my chorizo, some beans for my salmon and a few other fruits for my dessert.

The markets are on every Saturday from 6am to 12pm at the Brisbane Powerhouse; every Wednesday from 10am to 6pm on Queen St in the CBD; on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month at the Manly Harbour; and on the 1st Sunday of every month at Mitchelton.

Let us know of your top picks and finds.