tl;dr: it is more about the vibe here than the overall product, but even then it is really about coming here for the coffee. friendly and much like the neighbourhood locale, there is definitely an apparent reason why mean beanz has persisted as it has.
who'd a-thunk that even in one of the most central areas of the city, especially in a well-planned, well-lauded project such as the kelvin grove urban village, that serenity was able to be found to some extent? just a stone's throw away from the main part of the university campus, along with being in and around a bunch of the apartment buildings, means beanz is the hidden gem among the good array of eateries and coffee shops to be found here. like many of the foodie suburbs that are around town, even if these finds aren't the top of the line there is still something about them that is hard to describe, being away from the main drag and having some sort of charm to them that is easy to spot but hard to describe. that explains this little coffee shop in one brief sense of the word.
so far i have been here about three or so times, with a couple of them being with a fellow colleague and another one while taking a bit of a walk - each time it was during the mid-morning coffee break. holding off the final judgement for a while until now, the decision has been made that this is a worthwhile coffee shop and it acts just as well as the local cafe in addition.
if any place around here were to give you the relaxed coffee shop aesthetic, then this would definitely be it. the interior is simple, cosy and has a number of cute comics and cartoons as the tabletops. looking outside to greenery and suburban style streets, if it were not for that image, with the set up of it taking place of a loading dock and being in the side street, this could be the set up to a downtown bar. it has the exposed brick interior inside, the small and efficient use of space - that includes expanding out where there is opportunity - and posters on the wall for upcoming performances and acts that all give it a potential inner-city vibe.
service is good and quick, especially going by the takeaway route. the first time that i was here, the order was for merely a coffee and a sweet. that was within a couple of minutes that i was walking out with both of the items; it was a co-operative and co-ordinated effort by two of the young women who work here. you know place has it together when something like this happens. outside of that, if it is sitting down to eat it is fairly standard in the friendly and efficient demeanour. this is one place where it feels authentic and real as opposed to measured and professional.
for the offerings that they have to eat and drink, it is possibly more for the drinking than the eating that they offer. the food options are essentially an all-day brunch that offers a range of standard breakfast favourites from cafes around town, and it is pretty easy to eat relatively healthy here. among the brunch options is an array of different blt kind of sandwiches. in addition to those, the cabinet also has some other items - a mixture of sweet and savoury with various kinds of pastries and desserts.
going onto drinks, it needs to be put out right away that they make a good cup of coffee here. all the usual favourites are one display, as is the sister counterpart tea. adding onto that though are the cold drinks, in which aside from the usual water, juices and sodas in the fridge is also the sheer range of milkshake and frappe flavours. as a weird touch, the prices do vary with flavours, and there should be something for every taste here.
well, with me it is only about the coffee that i can tell you - as tempting as a milkshake often is. there are some blends of coffee which when you see them you know you are off to a good start and that is the case with mean beans. they have chosen belaroma, in which has one of the best coffee shops in all of town. at that place, they know how to make and sell coffee, so it makes sense that anyone choosing them has similar dedication to some degree. all the times that i have been here, the coffee has been up to standards. though maybe not quite the memorable cups i remember from the mothership location, it is still apparent that this is the place for those who like a good cup of coffee. the strength of each shot is pretty noticeable, the extraction is on point, and this particular blend from belaroma has a bit of a chicory note to it. not really bitter, perhaps a little on the astringent side, this is one that is for those with a little bit of an acquired taste. they also serve it quite hot.
let's say with the brownie, i had it once and have been back for it. it is enjoyable enough, and a solid little sweet. not super thick nor is it crumbly; the texture is gotten somewhere around the middle and they have put in a good amount of chocolate - a combination of dark and milk, making it balanced in flavour and aroma - which gives it a good flavour, and it does not come across as being too rich. this is nice with their coffee, and should be recommended if you are in the mood for something sweet.
another time that i was here, i got a bit of something savoury to eat. this is also in the cabinet, the lamb and rosemary pastry. it was not too bad, the pastry was cooked well and the amount of meat filling in it was generous. this was hot, well minced, and maybe a bit tangy as well; you could easily taste the rosemary in the mixture. for what it was worth, this little morsel did well enough on its own merits and was served with a side of fruit chutney.
so on the four-front, the score indicates more about the vibe and the outlay than the overall product in itself. even then, the coffee is the draw for here. for all that it is worth, mean beanz is the sort of local that the residents of kelvin grove need as opposed to another place that is catering for the student crowd. with it being tucked away even more so than some of the other finds within this village, the whole outlay and feel of it is much like the local coffee place in suburbia. at times many people appear to know about it, and it deserves the recognition because of how good it is; mean beanz is easily one of the most inviting coffee shops and places within the whole of kelvin grove and it has a simplicity to it that is missing from a lot of coffee shops that are around suburbia.