breakfast

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Local &/or General story but with my new found freedom, I have been hitting the footpaths of the suburb. The premise of Local &/or General is simple: local coffee shops within walking distance of my TIFFIN HQ in Camp Hill. Jacu Espresso is hardly a new addition to… Read more

Lady Marmalade Cafe has been around for several years, started by Brisbane My Kitchen Rules competitors Mal and Bec but has since changed hands to Howard and Sonja Searle. It sits in an absolutely tiny triangular shaped shop right on the tip of the Stones Corner shopping area. The building was once, amongst other things… Read more

After all of my bold promises about visiting cafes whilst we were on holidays, we barely visited any. Mainly due to the fact that every morning I kept saying ‘Look, I can make us a nice breakfast. We don’t need to spend that money – we just blew heaps on the house.’ The planner vs the realist. There… Read more

There’s quite a lot in the Tiffin Box so best not to waste time and share what’s happening. Date Claimer! Paniyiri 2016 This year is a biggie for Paniyiri, the Brisbane Greek Festival, as it’s their 40th anniversary. They’ve come a long way from a small celebration within the Greek community to a huge festival… Read more

You’ve heard me complain often enough about crowds and queuing and parking and all the things that come with trying to enjoy breakfast at a café on the weekend. I have previously suggested that one solution is to get up early but I find that a rather extreme measure. An alternative is to take some… Read more

It’s early in the year but I’m calling it. I just had the best breakfast I’m going to have all year. I wasn’t planning on eating but when I saw it on the menu and asked the waiter to explain, he didn’t even get to finish his sentence before I was ordering it. Last weekend… Read more

I’d read reviews of Samson & Sophie. People loved the eclectic air of the cafe; the quirky furniture and re-purposed BBQs as tables; the recipe card as table numbers and the giant pegs to hold them. They weren’t so in love with some of the meals and service. Aren’t those last two the things that… Read more

‘Bada duh duh duh duh duh duh, duh duh duh….’ When you read the title of this post, was the guitar riff from Neil Diamond’s Crunchy Granola Suite reverberating in your head? If not, why not? Listen to it here whilst you read this post. A few weeks ago I visited an organic grocer in the… Read more

I love the idea of going out to breakfast with friends and family.  You can catch up and still having the day ahead of you.  I love the idea but the reality if often very different.  Many places do not take bookings for breakfast, instead preferring to make their valued customers queue. Even if you can get… Read more

This week it’s about all things Vintage.  Once upon a time we talked about antiques, about things being old fashioned or retro.  Shabby Chic is out and Vintage is in.  Here’s a week in the life of TIFFIN’s Vintage Brisbane.Today we visit a haunt from my youth.  At the time, I thought it was the… Read more

The Northshore Riverside Cafe is a bit of a hidden destination at the moment.  You’d think the words ‘North, Shore & Cafe’ would be enough to provide a clue about its location but you’d really have to be looking. Situated near Portside at Hamilton, it’s a little further along the river bank, towards the Gateway… Read more

There’s a new kid on the block every week isn’t there? The newest kid on our block is Shady Palms Cafe & Bar in Stones Corner.  Not quite on the block but not far away at all.  Stones Corner is going through its umpteenth urban renewal.  As a Southside stalwart, I’ve seen it as a… Read more

Last weekend I found myself going solo for a few days whilst Anthony lived it large in Sydney.  After sliding down the hallway in my socks and over sized busin   ess shirt and putting marbles under the welcome mat to booby trap the house for potential burglars, it was time to head out into… Read more

Local &/or General is the title of a song by The Models.  Not when they were in their chart topping phase but earlier on, in their edgy, urban grit phase, prior to James Freud joining.  It’s a song that’s always stuck in my mind and it seemed like an appropriate title for this occasional series of reviews… Read more

There are times when you are travelling when you just can’t take another breakfast of slightly stale bread rolls, butter and jam, bitter coffee that you could stand a spoon up in and watered down Tang masquerading as juice.  On such a morning, you need to seek out something familiar and have a splurge.  This… Read more

Local &/or General is the title of a song by The Models.  Not when they were in their hipster ‘Outta Mind, Outta Sight’ phase but earlier on, in their edgy, urban grit phase, prior to James Freud joining.  It’s a song that’s always stuck in my mind and it seemed like an appropriate title for… Read more

At first glance, Entice Me Cafe looks a lot like the Lanford Lunch Box from Roseanne.  You know the sort of place.  A typical blue collar snack bar in an industrial estate with a name like ‘Tuckerbox’ or ‘Lucky’s Grill’.Well, looks can be deceiving.  Once you walk inside, the illusion is shattered and you can… Read more

The crowd, the crowd!The ‘Premium’ being that dreaded wait for a table.  We’d walked to Auctions Rooms from the CBD and on approach, we could see a crowd outside.  On this Melbourne adventure, I had a partner in crime and my solo dining theory (no waiting, tables always available for one) had to be parked… Read more

I was originally going to call this post ‘Holy Trinity’ but if you follow the series, you’ll find out why there was a name change.  I’ve spoken before about how I’m a big fan of Andrew McConnell’s work, both in the kitchen and in service at the table.  A trip for work gave me a… Read more