XS Coffee - Westfield Carindale

XS Coffee

Carindale Shopping Center

Coffee: 2 

Blend: 2 Di Bella                 (Modena)

Menu/Food: 4

Staff: 2

Vibe:  2 

Today, I caught up with my Mum for a quick coffee, so we met up at Cafe XS at Westfield Carindale and had coffee and cake.  Their display case of assorted desserts had us intrigued.

Coffee

The coffee brand they use is Di Bella and today they were making coffee on Modena Blend.  The Manager/Owner advised me that he prefers strong tasting bitter coffee 3. Once again, I ordered a warm Cappuccino, and it came a lot hotter than I have had in a LONG time. This coffee did have a bitter taste about it.  Not a fan of the coffee and would not go back to this venue and I would definitely choose another venue.  I know that I have described myself as a food snob but the fact that my Mum was in agreement with me means that I wasn’t being too picky.

Menu

My Mum and I both have a huge sweet tooth so whenever we catch up – something sweet and delicious is always ordered.  Mum decided to have the Apple Muffin.  I had a sample and found it to be very dry almost like pastry.  It wasn’t at all muffin like.  Looking into the dessert case I was tempted by the Raspberry Charlotte.  We ordered these at the same time as the coffee.   Unfortunately the coffee’s arrived with the muffin but my dessert went astray.  I had to follow up with the staff and finally received it without an apology.  “Sorry” doesn’t cost anything.  The dessert looked great and presented well.  The top layer was a jelly raspberry and then cream underneath, once I got through the overly sweet jelly taste, the cream was the only good thing out of this cafe.

Staff

The staff seemed very rushed.  Also once receiving my order, I prefer staff interruptions to be minimal so I can enjoy the company of whom I am with, but today they keep interrupting us. This was irritating as they often disturbed us midsentence which affected the follow of conversation. 

Vibe

This was your standard run of the mill shopping centre coffee shop.  It was not situated in a store but rather in an open area similar to a food court.  

It was busy, open and lacked character.  It is definitely not a place I would go to again.

Value for Money

The price of the coffees and cakes were good JUST over $15 for the both of us. On this front I feel that the pricing is competitive in the suburban cafe market.  My advice - grab something else where! 

BarMerlo - Market St CBD

Coffee: 4 Merlo         Private 

Blend: 3

Menu: 3

Staff: 3

 Vibe:   3 work

          2 personal

Today, I had time to sit down between meetings to dosome paper work and test another cafe. This time I went to a BarMerlo on Market St in Brisbane CBD, what drew me here was that it had an outdoor area which was perfect on such a nice day.

Coffee

The coffee brand they use is obviously Merlo being a BarMerlo and today they were making coffee on their Private Blend, in which I was advised by a staff/manager it was a 3 country blend. They did not know what countries they came from, nor did they know the percentages of the bean mixtures. Once again I ordered a warm Cappuccino,  it did come in a take away cup and they did not ask if I was going or staying there, which was a little annoying when seeing proper coffee cups available as well. The coffee did come the way I ordered and quickly  and as well.

Menu

To be open and honest I didn't have the time to spend looking at the menu but when walking in there, I noticed they did have a cold style counter fridge. I also saw a young chef that looked like he did all the preparation of the meals and treats in the counter, but his kitchen also looked a little small. 

Staff

The staff  seemed very relaxed and friendly, maybe relaxed due to the fact that I did come in just after 9, in which I could see them have a rush on. Once receiving my coffee I headed out to the front court yard and found that just under half the tables had a mess on them. Thankfully I was able to find a spot so I could focus on myI work.

Vibe

The cafe had a very relaxed corporate vibe, but it is not the cafe that I would like to go to  with friends, given the fact that there are cooler looking cafes in the area. Once I got my head out of this vibe I was easily able to get back to my focus on work. So work wise I'd be happy to go back there as I was able to get my job done, but it is certainly not a place I would take the GF on a date!

Value for Money

The price of my coffee was a good in comparison to city rates and would be happy to come back here when I am in the CBD. As I didn't eat there - I can't comment on the value for money of the food.

Green Door Cafe - Stones Corner

The ratings below are out of 5.

Coffee: 4    (Vientiane brand)

Menu: 4

Staff: 5

Vibe: 5

Value: 4

This morning I checked out one of my local cafes Green Door Cafe at Stones Corner with my GF and my best mate and fellow food snob who I will refer to now as Belayer.

Coffee

The coffee brand used is "Vientiane" and the blend that they have is a smoother style coffee.  I ordered a cappuccino and Belayer ordered a flat white.  I order my cappuccino European style and prefer it warm rather than hot.  It was beautiful - really smooth and the temperature was perfect to me.  I also like the quirky side of an individual tiny teddy.  Belayer was happy with his flat white and my GF liked the heart that they created in the foam (Girls!!  What this has to do with the coffee taste only they would know!)

Menu

The menu is simple but has all your standard breakkie options are on there.  Be warned though - only on Sunday at this stage do they provide a larger range of breakfast items.  I ordered the "Hottie" with a side of grilled haloumi.  The eggs were poached really well.  The bacon and haloumi where cooked nicely as well.  Belayer went for the "Benny" which is Green Door's version of Eggs Benedict - which he stated were the best he ever had.  The GF was happy with the 3 egg omelette as they were able to cater to her dietary needs and was served with a tasty relish.  We also ordered freshly squeezed juices and they were delicious.  The cabinet inside had lots of lunch options and sweet treats as well as gluten free alternatives.

Staff

The staff are very friendly and relaxed.  The owners who were in the kitchen this morning had a bit of free time and came outside and were happy to interact with us.  One of the owners is also a photographer and his pieces are sometimes on display in the gallery upstairs, but they were not aware that we ran this review.

Vibe and Ambience

The cafe is very chilled and relaxing without staff trying to hurry you out the door.  The furnishings are eclectic.  Outside you can sit on covered and padded milk crates or on a benchstyle table overlooking the street.  Inside there are some lounges or your standard seats and tables.  There is a variety of art on the wall which changes regularly.

Value for Money

The menu value is great with some options under the $10 mark.  The coffee could be a bit cheaper but for the standard you receive it is good value.

Welcome to Cafe Tested

Hi!

Thank you for checking out my blog!  How did this come about?  Yesterday after a trying a cafe that I hadn't been to before, after reading a review online and complaining that I was disappointed with my experience - my GF who often teases me for being a food and coffee snob said  "You go out for breakkie every weekend - do your own blog!!"  So after taking her advice on board - here I am!

I am a bit of a contradictory foodie - I love eating out and have eaten at top restaurants and cafes around the world but cook simple meals at home.  My general rule when discussing food - is that when I go out it needs to be better than what I can cook at home!

So what to expect from my reviews?

• Review of the coffee and the blend they use
• Menu options and how we felt about the food ordered
• Service
• Vibe and feel of the place
• Value for money
• Straight forward and witty reviews with occasional input from my mates
• Reviews that are in context with the cafe

So I hope you enjoy my frank and honest reviews and it helps you to choose a cafe that meets your satisfaction.