tl;dr: "hunter and scout" wears its heart on its sleeve. aiming to please is about as standard as saying "we serve food", with the operations realising that and opting to go those extra miles. each component with decor and with the food they serve up gets a close inspection to ensure it is top value. add the layer of hard-working, meticulous customer service, and it is no surprise many people are flocking here.
too many times, the trendiest places and the ones that get the raves wind up having something a bit bland about them. that is despite a possible chance of good quality somewhere in the midst. it is not the case with hunter and scout; in fact, it is another place that could lead the pack to represent graceville in brisbane's dining scene. the contrast between the clicking trains going by, and the serene courtyard out the back certainly helps.
for this time around on the weekend, it was back again to graceville. it has proven to be a bounty for gourmands alike, with the surrounding locales contributing just as much. my housemate is approaching it less ad-hoc for now and planning each week alongside the next. after a beautiful meal down the road, it took us to another popular place on the same stretch, and that was hunter and scout.
a quick way to summarise the overall experience is this - the surroundings have you feel you are spoilt, it is with the aesthetics and the level of attention they give you. it is about the last place you might think such a fancy looking garden would be. the food is top-notch quality, that even when many of the items are standard fare, they don't feel like standard fare. the cooks give the dishes their due, as quality makes everything seem more wholesome and inviting.
as a rarity, i can now critique both the surrounds and customer service during the usual play-by-play style. when you get to the shopfront, there are two entrances - in which initially i thought they went to different locations. the first section of hunter and scout is a hybrid of patisserie and bistro, with definite european influences - all the typical european cities you hear about on vacation. it has that aesthetics that manages to be simple yet elegant at the same time; with it sharing a wall with the nearby patisserie - methinks that is no accident.
my housemate and i were in the doorway, looking in with interest. a lovely young lady saw us and gave the option of an inside or outdoor table. my housemate opted for an indoor table, which proved to be the better choice. without any hitch, she beckoned us down the side alleyway; this led us into the back courtyard, and it was a surprise to behold. it is the perfect set-up to mitigate the hot queensland weather. the square was a lot bigger than i thought it would be and is an ideal size for hosting functions of all kinds - which hunter and scout do on a frequent occasion. around a 270-degree perimeter is all sorts of plants, ferns and shrubs and the ilk. just this touch alone lowers the temperature along with creating an atmosphere of ease. after that, you are receptive to the customer service that comes ahead. waters were gotten immediately - points already are in order - and then they jumped right into the action, with menus and everything. i will give credit that will go by a lot of people - while this has a relaxing atmosphere once infused, behind the scenes would be one of the hardest working around this nape of the woods. it was within a short wait that the food orders were out and looking freshly prepared.
i have seen lots of efficiency in customer service. a lot of it is through being well-trained, some of it you could swear it was a german expressionist film from way back, whatever it may be efficiency is always welcomed. no matter how many times you go around the block, something new will pop up - that is the beauty of it all. right here, there are enough waitstaff members for someone to step up to the plate for any task. it is about seeing a mission to be done and stepping up to the plate.
overall i would give the customer service around an a- overall. when it comes to being professional - that is getting the job done - there is barely anything to warrant a complaint. the operations are persistently prompt, where many waitstaff are scouting the area and ensuring everything on the table is in place for the next client to walk in. throughout the years, i have observed differing levels in being prompt once the client has left the table; at hunter and scout, there is next to no dilly-dallying. when i was up, paying for my meal, someone had already cleared the table, set up the cutlery and everything, plus there was a new client seated and waiting for service. a bit of personability was gone though, as they could have asked about the meal - that often equals a chance to upsell. always go for the upsell, customer service 101.
with what they serve up, it is less about the type of food and more how the type of food is - if that makes any bit of sense. coming around to breakfast time, what offer is not anything that is out of the ordinary - at least on paper. the cooks have taken some breakfast classics, noted each component that makes them, and built them up to be the best they can be. lunch also has a similar philosophy, and that extends to the sides and snacks section - when some duck liver pate is an option, it is apparent someone has taken the bar and raised it. you don't have to be a hatted chef to give respect to that.
all the attention to detail is still going strong with the beverages, making a real mark of difference. it starts with both the tea and coffee, both getting given the due they deserve. after that, it is not merely the checklist of the usual extras - innovation is occurring. the menu will change from time to time, but a present consistency is that instead of "smoothies" or "milkshakes" they will present "breakfast mocktails". these could be milk-based, or any other liquid. however, milkshakes are likely there since they are hard to beat. additionally, there is a range of cold-press juices. for later on in the day, it rolls in all the beers and wines.
the first order of business will always be the same - and that is drinks, particularly concerning breakfast. by now, there is no other choice but coffee, and we were in for a treat by the mere sight of fonzie-abbott alone. whenever somewhere chooses them as their source for beans, you know they are down for serious business. hunter and scout had earned some points right out of the gate.
without any hesitation, i went on to order the usual beverage - that was the trusty doppio. from what i can recall, when it comes to places that utilise fonzie-abbott as their beans, there has not been a bad result yet - that trends, the undefeated streak, continues. most of their blends have a chocolatey base within the notes, can be relied upon for a smooth texture that slides down the throat, and will wake anyone slightly sleepy out of their stupor. for those reasons, a cafe is already getting brownie points right out of the gate if they select this choice. pun intended or not, it is undeniable that their coffee would be fantastic when paired with the pastries they got - these sweet suckers are courtesy of jocelyn's provisions. if there were a brisbane institution that deserves to be world-famous, that would be a contender.
breakfast once again came down to a variation of a classic - the good old eggs benedict. this time, the noted variation was in the bread. this time around, the cooks whipped up something akin to a rosti meets a hashbrown - homemade that is, none of the greasy triangles from the freezer. it had the usual poached eggs (which i ordered them soft as always), hollandaise sauce, and spinach. when it came to the meat of the meal, i went with smoked salmon.
and without any surprises, it proved to be a winner once again. the potato hash alone would work itself well as part of a big breakfast, or as the basis for a breakfast of its own. not that the diet comes to my mind much, but it would be a more choice option for vegetarians than some others out there. it even looked like toast cut into right-angled triangles, which was an aesthetic touch that merely added. the cheese melted right through, plus the potato was soft and well-seasoned. all of that made a solid base for tasty breakfast.
those other components were also on the mark. the portion sizes were generous, each piece contributing in part. with the salmon, and we are talking about smoked salmon here, it was thick pieces that were thicker than a cracker - not thin enough to hide between two. it had that distinct flavour smoked salmon is known for having, along with its tender texture. those eggs were as good as they could be - essentially what you could say about eggs. as per requested with soft yolks, they were the perfect texture - prick with a fork, and the yolk runs out, creating a sauce in itself. it was also thankful that a lot of spinach was there to compliment the generous amount of thick hollandaise sauce. heck, i might even suggest to anyone ordering the benedict to request a side of toast or something, to mop it all up at the end. nevertheless, it rounds to be a filling meal that left me satisfied for the rest of the morning.
i could almost swear that i was eating at the next level when dining here. this nape of the woods, you might get a pleasing interior design when you strike lucky. if someone were to have shown me photos of the courtyard without context, before i went, i could have mistaken it for holiday snaps in europe. that whole set-up has many makings of a hidden gem or the place further inner-city that you need to be in the know to access—all to think that this is just along the train line.