where everything seems out of the way, a bit isolated, and somewhat rough-as-nails, there is a definite reason why people toutroguebistro so much, and for that why it gets such a good reputation which further spreads and becomes the place to be. it is definitely apparent why it is as well-received as it is, and getting it off the to-do list as soon as possible ... just do it, you won't regret it. the only real tip is to get here early, and have a bit of patience.
plans here from the week beforehand were to go here along with my dining buddy, his daughter, and a friend of hers up from sydney. well, they were taking a bit of time to get ready at home which made us run a bit behind the times, and because this place is so popular, it was packed to the rafters with clients - and there were a few waiting to get in. a key difference between us brisbanites to the sydneysiders is that while the former definitely have a friendlier demeanour, we don't take well to waiting in line for food - maybe in sydney, but not here (it's too weird for us). so off it was to somewhere else ... but that's the week beforehand - we are on the story of now.
learning right from that, the weekend afterwards the dining buddy and i were planning ahead for getting here, and being able to get in. people not only stay in line for this place, but they also book ahead to get in. we weren't quite that far ahead in thinking, though there still were tables available. all that had to be done was to be out by a certain time, and that was no sweat at all. as per usual, it was getting woken up early - this time being a sunday, and therefore not as early as usual - throwing on some clothes and then getting on the road. simple as that.
again, the persistence all had to do with how well it was received on this website. if somewhere is with the 4.0 range - and getting towards the high part of that number, damn well nearly the perfect score makes it even more noticeable - then the interest of mine will certainly be peaked. more votes supporting the score will just add fuel to that fire. all of this combined was the deciding factor for a couple of weeks to try and get here, and no matter what the origin story is, the ultimate outcome is that i got to try it and that is all that.
so right off the bat, the service is professional and planned to the t. from the last minutes before the restaurant is open for business, you can see the boss lining up the proteges and instructing them to do really well. the whole process is done a lot like clockwork, and the young waitresses put in a admirable effort. all that has to be said is that it is a well-oiled machine, the way that the service and delivery is working right here. get them in, allow them to have a nice time and not be rushed before they are out again and some new clients come in and get to experience the efficient - if slightly impersonal - service and high-quality food. something about how it is organised with the fairly minimalistic look about the place does create a characteristic juxtaposition (to be fair, the ipads can do the work of a dozen tools seamlessly). which leads us to the next point, the decor.
if you were not looking for it ... or heck, even in the situation of trying to find it, this would be easy to drive past without any notice. we are in the backstreets here, among the car dealerships, warehouses and whatnot. in fact, come to think about it, it might have well been in the alleyway of the adjoining building and they have converted it quite well complete with some astroturf and a few plants to cool it down significantly. the vibe is a real combination of atmospheres, and can easily be accustomed to whatever it is going for - whether it be trendy or relaxed, what matters here is the general care and welcoming attitude can fit most to all potential clients.
from the looks of the menu, it does have the appearance of being a place to be. by that, what is meant is each menu item specifically spells outs all the components a bit like a hatted restaurant; this isn't though, maybe not - certainly not at breakfast. the breakfast menu is a small one, divided into sweet and savoury with five choices each. from those choices, they are either inventive or twists on old favourites. drinks are additionally put into two categories - cold (juices, iced teas and such) and hot (coffee and tea).
get to lunch/dinner time, it becomes a bit more fancy and focuses on sharing. much like most of the upper-class restaurants i have noticed, they seem to designate one meal for each kind of meat that they have - plus token vegetarian - and make each one unique and distinct from the others. again, attention is paid and given to each component and through the descriptions, the meals each give their own character right out. they have a decent selection of sides to spruce up the meals plus the odd few desserts to round it all off.
afterwards, what we have is the beverage menu. this takes up damn well half of the menu. there are all sorts of spirits, cocktails, wines, beers, spirits and ciders. each one of them has a good selection, and sometimes even subsections to get an even bigger variety. from the perspective of coming here for breakfast, that might not look to much like it (never mind the beer taps adjacent to the table) it is definitely one of those places to come and have a good time. it almost combines the craft beer bar with top dining, and it is in the guise of a fairly smart casual place.
it is likely that it changes from time to time, so this was correct at the time of writing.
so the first things first again. we are at breakfast, and that means getting the coffee orders done. it was the same kind of thing for me, a doppio. this isn't anything too new here, they use blue sky coffee in their blends. maybe from some years back i have tried coffees from here; that was before i really knew about the different blends and that. blue sky did stand out because of how the places that used it advertised them out the front - nothing which is ultimately unique. nevertheless, i was never here nor there with blue sky namely because i hadn't tried it from many places, they did it very well here as it was strong, tasted good and had a smooth texture. i was perked up from it, so that is enough for me.
long, long before i was even stepping in the door, i knew what i was going to order. that is not something that happens that often, but if there is some food on the list for me to try and it presents itself right in front of me and the opportunity is there, well i grab the bull by the horns. it was so here with the breakfast menu in the form of chicken and waffles. this is one sonuvabitch that has been evading me for a long time, even with chances that i might have had in the states. at some point in time, it was perpetual that i was searching for somewhere in town that would do it, or wonder where it was possible to score it somehow. with no hesitation, that was locked in mentally and all was planed well and the hunt was laid to rest - for now.
this was a fairly straightforward meal. they made the buttermilk waffles, had bits of popcorn chicken around the plate, along with a fried egg, knobs of duck fat aioli and some carrot jam, and a small thimble of maple syrup. and as always, almost every breakfast could get improved with bacon, crispy bacon that is. and this whole damn meal was bloody delicious.
it started off good, with a soft waffle that had a good crunch on the outside which was completed by a slight sugar coating. the bits of chicken were tender and well cooked, only real complaint was they ran out because they were so tasty. the meat was tender, the coating was beautiful and it went together well. also, the fried egg was soft and definitely an organic variety. the next step was pouring the syrup all over, and that made it better - from the sounds of it, all of it should not go together but somehow it all comes together in the end. this was really sweet, and must have been authentic syrup since it had the viscous texture plus was sweet - but not cloyingly sweet. it went well with the chicken, surprisingly well with the sharp-tasting aioli and the sweet carrot jam. on the side, there was several bits of bacon as requested. and this time, they must have taken the "crispy" request very seriously; my dining buddy reckoned that they put it in the deep-fryer. if so, only one word needs to be used for it - awesome!
i look forward to plenty of this sucker when back in the homeland. it sounds like the most slap-up of slap-up meals, and spaghetti is permanently stuck on the walls - that is how much it works. finally, some place in this town understands just how much that creation - with the infatuation of american cuisine and all that - is just asking to be put on the menu at breakfast.
as for my dining buddy, he went with their omelet. it was filled with pork belly, mushrooms, a harissa yoghurt, baby spinach and onion jam, complete with a top up of balsamic aioli. this was also really good, the quality of pork belly was fantastic with the right amount of cooking, plus the fat was like butter going down my throat. they beat the eggs into a great consistency that was very smooth, and with bits of spice and sweetness from the various ingredients, it was just as good. they are going very well do distinguish themselves in many ways, and it is definitely not through an accident that it has done so well.
after all this time, finally getting to theroguein newstead, it certainly lives up to the hype - at least as far as breakfast goes. it is certainly worth waking up early to get in here, as it is all done right and everything is in the right place. within this central area of brisbane, so many of the markets are saturated with competition that greenhorns have to fight tooth and nail to get noticed and succeed; newstead is a bizarre case where one now more or less has the monopoly and it runs the show very well - the food and the whole vibe is a case where it cannot really be pigeon-holed. this is all-up, an admirable effort.
tl;dr: trendy to the point that it has people lining up, and as welcoming and laid back as to the point that walk-in appointments are just as possible,roguebar and bistro has gotten a unique reputation in brisbane that would not be out of place in a more trendy, fashion-based city elsewhere in the world. regardless of whether it is breakfast or dinner, they aim to both please and surprise which is often lacking in most of the breakfast hotspots around town. the only substantial way to get the message across is get here as soon as you can.