westendcoffee house - brisbane. this place works on a number of levels that creates a paradigm that could only exist in one of the colourful, characteristic and alternative suburbs that are situated in the inner city. decor is oldern-style and minimalist. music is relaxing and done through vinyl with actual record players.
just outside the door is busy and bustling, but in here many people are either just hanging out and socialising or are on a work break by catching up on a bit of reading. it has that real feel of a cafe. what makes this place one that would only exist in such a suburb that it does is along with the basic breakfast selections, coffee and coffee accompaniments is that this place also has a thai menu (light options, no curries here).
most importantly, it all works - surprisingly well. this seemed to be the go to place for the office to get coffees (they are just down the side street) and having a look at it thought i might try this place for a lunch if they did takeaway. they did do takeaway.
the thai menu is modest but all the items sound really good. i settled on getting a beef larb, a spicy minced meat salad originally from laos. since it was a new place to try coffee i also got a coffee and sweet to go with it.
the coffee i chose was called an iced cuban which is a nifty little concoction. it was a double shot espresso poured over some ice with a bit of milk and sweetener; a healthier version of the slushie for hot, humid days. to go with the coffee (or eat it later) i got a piece of date slice.
all three of these items were pretty good.
the larb was made from good quality beef mince and they had all the spices you could expect in an authentic larb from a thai or vietnamese restaruant. the rice they used was steamed really well, being the clumpy texture known in thai cooking. overall, the meal was light and tasty and could fool anyone that it might actually come from a thai place.
the iced cuban was the right drink at the right time of day. they used a really strongly concentrated blend for the espresso which took me by total surprise on the first sip, and i had already had a surprise in strong coffee already that day. you can say it is an iced black coffee, and it is absolutely worth trying even on a not-so-hot day.
finally, the date slice was tasty. it was not overtly sweet - the sweetness only came from the dates as much as dates can be sweet in themselves. the texture was hard and chewey initally but became really satisfying later on. it was welcome as a cake that was not cloyingly sweet and felt like it could be good for a diet.
westendcoffee house has its appeal and it became obivous when visiting for a coffee run. as it was said, only here would such an idea exist and be readily accepted.