Tuesday 22 January 2019

Huskk Café - Review

The eating place formerly known as Brew Masters - home of burgers and beer, has now morphed into Huskk café.  Previously a bit gloomy and unprepossessing, it is now a bright, light space, which welcomes you in.  The new owners bring an ethos of fresh, seasonal food sourced locally, and made with care.   




looking inside from the deck

Hubby and I headed here for lunch not long after it had opened.  Ever keen to find a great milkshake, Mr P. had a strawberry one (surprise!), while I went for an iced mocha.  Sadly his drink was not icy cold like a good milkshake should be, but mine had lots of ice to cool it down, and a good flavour.




strawberry milkshake $5
       


iced mocha $5

I went for the steak sandwich special of the day, while hubby chose the slow cooked garlic mushrooms.  I loved the toasted Turkish bread topped with seeds, but the steak oddly was cooked rare-ish and yet it was very hard to chew.  Sadly I left quite a bit of the meat on the plate.  The chips were fabulous though - crispy outside, soft inside.  The accompanying aioli was thick and lush but had little (no?) garlic that we could discern.  I wish that cafés would trust the eater with that wonderful rich garlic flavour, but I guess it's not to be.  Maybe they could serve aioli and aioli lite? :-)  The onion jam however had a good sweetness, which went well with the steak. 



steak sandwich special of the day $25


Mr P.'s mushroom dish with asparagus was a winner.  The seared asparagus was a bit crunchy still (a good thing), the polenta chips were golden and crunchy on the outside, with a soft centre. The tangy mushrooms came with a truffle cream and slow-cooked garlic.  He was a happy man.   



garlic mushrooms $20
  
Hubby couldn't resist some chips for himself, so he ordered a side of golden, crunchy chips with that (sorry to say) bland aioli.  He hoovered them down without a problem though.



chips with aioli $6

Friends just happened to be lunching at a restaurant next door so they stopped by to say hi.  Miss M. grabbed herself a takeaway coffee; the beans for which come from Bear Bones in Fortitude Valley, a nearby coffee roasting house.  



$4 or $5? - I didn't ask her :-) 


Service was friendly and prompt, as was delivery of the meals.  Even though the café fronts a busy road, we didn't feel overwhelmed by it at all.  The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing, and we enjoyed our lunchtime break.



casual array of cutlery and paper napkins


I tootled down there again for lunch a few weeks later, with my blogging friend Sandra (yes, she of the coconut candy fame.)  I chose a replenishing Blood Bank, made on betroots, ginger, cucumber, lime and green apple.  It tasted earthy and fresh, but as it came out of a bottle, it was not quite as fresh as I'd hoped.  I had assumed they would juice it freshly in-house - my bad.



Blood Bank $7

Sandra's iced coffee was icy and made of coffee, so all good.:-) 


iced coffee $5

I ordered the potato and leek hash, which came with Bangalow pancetta and poached organic eggs.  I added mushrooms for $4 extra.  The pancetta was crispy, and the mushrooms were plentiful.  I enjoyed the potato hash, though it was more like mashed potato than the grated potato I always assume it should be.  (Is it just me, or is $19 a fair whack for that hash without the added mushies?)   



potato and leek hash $19 with mushrooms +$4 


Sandra chose the Reuben but asked for a white bread rather than the rye bread on the menu.  They were happy to oblige.  It's filled with pulled corned beef, Russian dressing and sauerkraut.  And cheese (?) by the look of it.  It was thick and chunky, and she was happy with this one.



Reuben sanga $17



All in all, we had a pleasant and relaxing lunch.  And I am planning to go back to try the Eggs Benny and the corn fritters.  I would love to see freshly-made juices, (and icy cold milkshakes), but in the main, Huskk is a fine addition to the local food scene.  They are open daily for breakfast and lunch.



looking out to the side deck



8 Days Rd., Grange 4051
Ph: 07 3356 7702
Open 7 days a week



Huskk Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


12 comments:

  1. The restaurant does sound good even if some things could use a little improving. Perhaps with time and a few comments from customers, that will happen.

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    Replies
    1. hi karen
      thanks for dropping by. yes it is a good place but needs tweaks like everything i guess:) cheers sherry

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  2. I feel your disappointment about the bland aioli. I always expect a satisfying hit of garlic when I dip into aioli :)

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    Replies
    1. Yep it’s so hard to get good strong aioli isn’t it?:)

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  3. Your reviews are fun even though I am a million miles from the dining places and unlikely to get to try them.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you are too kind Mae. what a shame you can't come out here and try them with me. :) cheers S

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  4. Sounds like this has the potential to be a really good place! Basically good stuff, just need a bit more experience with their customers to give them what they want. Starting with actual garlic. :-) Fun read -- thanks.

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    Replies
    1. hi KR
      yes it is a pleasant place to lunch with a mate but i do wish it was possible to get a fabulous aioli with oomph! cheers sherry

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  5. Always nice to read a good food review Sherry. This makes me wonder how cafe chefs cater to suit all palates. Some must just stay safe, as with the aioli, which is a shame.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Pauline
      I understand that they have to cater to a large range of tastes but it would be lovely if you could get a decent aioli with a bit of punch to it :). It’s like when you ask for a medium rare steak and almost invariably they give you a medium if not well-done. Grrrrr:)

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  6. Those chips and the leek/potato hash would be my choice.

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  7. Good choices Liz - as the waiters always tell us :)

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