Republic Coffee Traders - Carindale

First time dining at Republic Coffee Traders this morning, and after impatiently waiting for a good opportunity to brunch there, I can safely say that it was well worth it. Food is excellent, coffee is excellent and service is friendly. We had a bit of a wait on our food, but it was busy so no dramas there. <br/ <br/ The locals love this place and I can see why. Great for group meals, family get togethers, or solo coffee while tapping away on your laptop or tablet.<br/ <br/ I'll definitely be back.

Quietly on the east side of town, here is another promising coffee roaster doing what coffee roasters do. Like each one, there is enough hype around it to arouse interest and it will inevitably have its share of fans. That being said, coming here was because of hearing so much about it and it being so close to where I reside. <br/ <br/ So, the usual Saturday schedule that is getting into gear. Church is around the mid morning, and the weekly breakfast date with my dining buddy and I is the go. With the surrounding suburbs, and the inner south area, it is starting to expand and already has quite a good selection of options breakfast or otherwise. Let 's just say, he has a list of places to try out and get there so he is often prepared on the fly. This was one of them, and being coffee lovers, it was certainly on the fringes of his mind as well as being open suitably early, all was good to go. What has been built up a lot did not really fall flat, but was sort of a fizzer. Elements should work, but something underlying about it made it not seem as good as it should be. <br/ <br/ As central and rich with great places as Wooloongabba, much like some other places I have tried out it is a bit off to the side. On what is quite a quiet road, it is across the street from another business and does see a little bit of business from clientele during the peak hours. This is more modest in size than other roasteries, not having the wide open spaces and getting more of an L shape section in the building. Giving them the credit, they do create the look of a roastery the strange mix of urban and rustic, going for little in the way of decorations. All of the tables are set up with the serviettes, cutlery and salt and pepper. When it comes to the counter area, it starts to be a bit more set up like a bar (honestly, not a bad hook it is something to run with) where it is around the corner and central to the main area. So props to go to design and decor. <br/ <br/ I don 't often have qualms about service unless it is really bad. Though from experience, all the small aspects start to become a little more apparent and quite a few of those stem from the involvement from the waitstaff. Walking in, they sort of just go through the motions with the ordering process. Getting the meals is quick enough and efficient, so I won 't say they aren 't good workers. However, much like anywhere, small aspects are what builds up the experience and not a lot of that was present. It was not even busy, so there was a lot of opportunity to check up on the meal, or even explain the blends of coffee. Heck, it edged closer to apathetic than anything else. <br/ <br/ The menu is one that changes regularly. Heck, from when I went the real time menu and the one that was under the menu section were completely different. Some items weren 't there, there were new items in place. Whether it is more of the same, or an odd one here to there is put on is completely up to chance. This time, it was a bit boring to be honest. <br/ <br/ Instead of being distinctly breakfast or lunch, the menu is a compact one that is simply 'all day '. You can have something light, or a more substantial meal whatever the case. As well as that, they have pastries on the counter. When it comes to drinks, tea and coffee are the mainstays. Other choices are juices, smoothies, and iced drinks. To avoid a wild goose chase about the coffees here, there is only one blend and one mode of preparation (with exception to pre made cold brew) that is pretty lame. <br/ <br/ So this is their own blend that they are using, and it is alright. It is a little less strong than some others that are around, but it was not too bad. I have had worse before, and it did do the job of waking me up before Church. That doppio I had here was competently made, and there decent notes to it. On top of it was a good crema, that was lighter in colour to normal, so this appeared to be a more medium roast with the blend used. The coffee was decent, however it lacked something that normally is to be expected from a roaster. It is hard to put my finger on, but this certainly is not among the most memorable from around here. It could be up to taste. <br/ <br/ As for the main breakfast, most of the time it is hard to go beyond something that is tried and true. That is an egg 's benedict, with the choice of meat being ham. Let 's just say that the benedict overall was not an awful one, but to put it as memorable as some others that I have had over the years (and let 's just stick with the traditional varieties) that is not the case. The ham was a decent cut, plus the eggs were well cooked with the yolks runny (no other way). Adding onto that, the hollandaise sauce that was poured on top was thick, and had a slightly stronger flavour than usual. Giving it a bit of freshness was the rocket, which is a nice touch here and there. <br/ <br/ What was really missing from this was the bread, or how it was done. I am sure that the bread was good quality, however I don 't think it was toasted beforehand. The bread went soggy, plus it was cut a bit thin to be able to withstand the sauce. What would help in the future, is a thicker slice and a bit of a light toast. This was not awful overall, but the bread really brought down what should be an acceptable dish. <br/ <br/ Well that was Republic Coffee Traders. If this were a mere cafe, I would be giving it somewhat of a pass. The atmosphere has a slightly urban/rustic look to it, the coffee was not so bad, and even the food wasn 't awful though it did look like something that could be made in your home kitchen quality was still there, so it was not like they were not trying. Portion sizes were also decent enough. Plus, what also stuck out like a sore thumb was that the baristas and cooks did not seem as involved as they usually are. This did have a number of aspects that could work for another great roastery, but ultimately it lacked the overall character and charm that distinguishes them from an average cafe. <br/ <br/ TL;DR: This is far from awful, and would be passable as its own little cafe. However, going into something that advertises itself and dresses up like a roastery, I really expected to have something a bit more involved. What I mean is maybe having a couple of different blends, or one or two more methods of coffee preparation for keen coffee lovers to try, plus interaction with clientele would not hurt either.

A cool cafe tucked away in an industrial part of east Brisbane. The cafe suits the location and has an industrial feel about it... aka... it's in a massive shed. This is great but it when we visited it was a very hot summers day and no air was moving around even with a large ceiling fan spinning. This made for a very hot and sweaty breakfast.<br/ <br/ It's an order at the counter venue and the staff were very friendly and offered menu advice. The coffee is delicious and a long black for $3 is a bargain in Brisbane these days, especially for such a nice roast. <br/ <br/ The menu has a lot of options and offers a few twists on the standard breakfast/brunch fare; from something light all the way to a full breakfast. I went for the <br/ sweet waffle and it was beautifully presented but most importantly delicious. One large waffle made in house to order, it had a sweet caramel taste and was cooked to perfection. The cherry chocolate sauce was divine and not overly sweet which combined well with the acidity of the fresh fruit. Toasted marshmallows on the side  will keep those with a sweet tooth happy. The only thing I was unsure of was the lemon myrtle pana cotta. Although very tasty it didn't work with the rich flavours of the choc cherry and the freshness of the fruit. It was a bit of an afterthought on the plate and didn't suit the waffle. On it's own a delicious dessert. <br/ <br/ My dining partner went for the Republic Breakfast which had all the elements of a full breakfast and was very happy with her choice. The portions were good and everything cooked well. <br/ <br/ A great place for the lovers of a good brunch with all the classic favourites plus some more exciting options. Great coffee and reasonably priced, with lovely staff.<br/ <br/ Coffee A <br/ Service/Dining experience B<br/ <br/ Food quality B

Stopped in for brunch to fuel us up for some post Christmas shopping. Started with an excellent flat white made on their house blend. Then went for my staple Eggs Benny.<br/ <br/ An outstanding version perfectly poached eggs with runny yolks, rich hollandaise, and awesome bacon (you could also opt for ham or salmon . Wifey went for the waffles, which were amazing they came with a lemon myrtle panacotta, seriously good!!<br/ <br/ This was our first time visit, but won't be our last! :

Republic Coffee Traders seem to be one of the few cafes that open on a public holiday. They have an all-day menu and I certainly had a difficult time deciding what to have for breakfast! Everything just seems so interesting and attractive. Anyhow, the word 'crusted egg ' caught my attention and I could not steer away from it. Mom and grandma shared the omelette with pulled duck.