Frontier Coffee House, Capalaba

Nothing gets me more excited than a new coffee shop in town. I’ve lived in my area for near on 15 years now and where I used to live, there was already a thriving coffee culture. I was spoilt for choice for a quick takeaway coffee or a lazy Sunday morning brunch while I read the paper. Up until recently, Capalaba only had the major chain coffee shops which usually serve up bitter coffee prepared by 15 year old baristas and over priced food.

Frontier Coffee House is, literally, the new kid on the block, situated on the corner of Redland Bay Road and Andrew Street, Capalaba. Having only opened recently, I knew my lovely group of school Mums should add this one to our list of ‘must visits’ this school term.

The menu is pretty limited with a few breakfast, brunch or lunch items featuring Turkish bread and a few other things like mini quiches and salads or a sweet treat but you go to Frontier Coffee House for the coffee. Frontier Coffee House uses Dramanti roasted coffee and they are part of a larger group of Dramanti owned coffee shops in Brisbane and other areas of Queensland.

You can purchase the Dramanti coffee beans from the shop plus grab a takeaway on your way to the shopping centres. It’s in a great location for retailers and other business plus us busy Mums who want to sip on a decent, not bitter coffee from time to time.

The menu changes monthly so I might just have to pay another visit and check it out oh, and grab another excellent cup of coffee.

Frontier Coffee House

145 Redland Bay Road

Capalaba   Qld  4157

Review: SVL Souvlaki Bar, Capalaba

Oh what a pleasant change it is when you can go to a restaurant in a shopping mall that serves ‘fast food’ that tastes absolutely delicious, is fresh, comes out fast and is healthy. Such a place is SVL Souvlaki Bar in Capalaba Central Shopping Centre.

Who would’ve thought if you serve simple, great tasting, fresh food you’d be on a winner? There’s rarely a spare seat in the house and the food is prepared fresh on the spot. There’s not a lot to choose on the menu but it’s enough.

I’ve been going there a while now and always get the grilled platter ($13.50) which includes two grilled skewers (I get chicken and lamb but you can also choose from pork, sheftalia or sausage), a warmed pita bread with your choice of dip (I get tarama but you can also get tzatziki) and a freshly prepared Greek salad which tastes so fresh and it’s prepared as required. The meat is ‘lick your lips delish’ and so full of typical Greek flavours, moist and tender. This platter does come with chips (fries) but I don’t have them.

The restaurant has just become licensed and serves beer and wine so makes the perfect venue for a quick lunch or a date night dinner before or after seeing a movie in the cinema complex in the same shopping centre. They also serve Greek inspired breakfast dishes or you can get a coffee and cake. The owners are Greek and really friendly. The SVL Souvlaki Bar is my type of restaurant. If only other restaurants and cafes would think to serve well priced, fresh, tasty food. Who knows? SVL Bar might have some competition but I don’t think so.

SVL Souvlaki Bar

38-62 Moreton Bay Road

Capalaba Central Shopping Centre

Capalaba  Qld  4157

Ph:  3823 3204

Review: Whisky Business

Who doesn’t love homemade baking? That soft, buttery goodness in cakes. A natural flavour and taste that can only be found in home baking. I found this in “Whisky Business“, a pleasant new addition to the ever growing cafe scene in Capalaba in the east suburbs of Brisbane. Up until recently we’ve had your standard coffee chains with over priced slivers of cakes that have been sitting in shop windows for days and bitter coffee made by underexperienced baristas. 

Tucked away in the small shopping complex where the Golden Circle factory outlet is in Capalaba, Whisky Business is full of delightful vintage one-off pieces and all things pretty. The coffee is really good, the tea blends are from T2 and the sweet treats are to die for. 

I had the opportunity to visit just before the kids broke up for the summer holidays last December and on offer was a $10 per person morning tea comprising a mini scone with homemade strawberry preserves and chantilly cream, your choice of macaron, a meringue and choice of two cupcakes. We all opted for the carrot cake cupcake which was baked fresh that morning and topped with cream cheese frosting.

 They don’t skimp on the special touches like the little macaron teabag infuser and mini milk bottles for serving the milk. (I love all that kind of stuff.) And macarons are what they are famous for. You’ll see their lovely range of macarons popping up in a lot of eating establishments in the Redlands too but why not visit Whisky Business and try to decide which flavour ‘Whisky Mac’ to try and experience the vintage charm and ambience on offer. With flavours like Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Pineapple Lump, Kahlua and White Chocolate or Banana Lolly, you’re really spoilt for choice.

Whisky Business has also been having a High Tea every few weeks at $40 per head. The menu changes each time but check out this menu for what’s on offer.

Like their Facebook page to keep up to date with weekly specials. They’ve kindly put on a $2 coffee happy hour between 9am and 10am (starting Tuesday, 28 January) for back to school week next week and the girls and I will be there with bells on!