Sunday 24 February 2019

Brooks & Stain - Restaurant Review

Brooks & Stain? - Bumbling detectives?  Laundry powder?  Nope, a new(ish) kitchen/bar in the local village of Wilston.  The owners Bis and Steve have returned to their old haunts to start up a new restaurant, just a few doors away from their previous incarnation.  Hubby and I headed down for lunch recently to check it out.  

And this is what we had:  vanilla milkshake for him; iced coffee for moi, along with crispy fried squid (me), and a bean and beetroot burger for him.



iced coffee $6; vanilla milkshake $6


Our thoughts?:  our drinks just weren't cold enough.  Mr P. and I find this is a common issue with Brissie cafés.  I'm not sure why, but it seems that the milk is never cold enough.  My coffee had good, strong flavours but was verging on unpleasantly warm.  I had to ask for ice cubes!  The vanilla milkshake was similarly afflicted. :-(  But yay for the bamboo straw rather than plastic.      



crispy fried squid $22


I enjoyed the squid, which came with two sauces (aioli being one of them) and a rocket salad.  The fried green olives were a lovely, sharp contrast in amongst the tender squid.  The baby rocket gave the dish a bit of texture and freshness.  Tried and true dish maybe, but it went down very well with me.



bean and beetroot burger $17.50 

Mr P. once again went down the vego route, as he often does.  The fries were thin and crispy, the bun was not sweet (yay) and the pattie was hearty and beany.  He said he loved this dish; it had lots of relish, and lots of flavour, so he was a big fan.  He remembered it with fondness, even as I asked him to remind me of its qualities. 



looking out from the patio/deck


On a recent Friday night on the spur of the moment, we visited again for dinner.  We sat outside on the patio/deck thingy, and lo and behold, our good mates turned up by sheer serendipity.  (Other friends strolled by with their dog and children.)  So we and our friends with the ravenous teenage man-child sat together for a chinwag and some good food.  Mr P. and I had already ordered, and were downing our drinks of Five Geese Rosé for me, and a lemon, lime and bitters for him.



Five Geese Rosé $8.50

Not so sure about the wine tumbler, folks:-)  It just ends up looking a bit ... sparse, don't you think?  Even though it is the regulation 100 mLs (maybe 150 mLs?).  A pleasant rosé though.  



lemon lime and bitters $4


Mr P.'s drink came out a bit anaemic, but Bis the owner quickly rectified this by getting the waiter/drinks guy to fix it up with extra - well, everything.  You can have this based on soda or lemonade.



mushroom risotto $24


The fellas both chose this mushroom risotto, which also had prosciutto and crispy pancetta.  It was fabulous - creamy and flavoursome and delicious.  And the crispy pancetta on top was a great accompaniment, adding texture and more flavour.  It is sometimes a dangerous move to choose risotto (or cook it in a Masterchef competition) but this was another winner. 



confit duck leg with fried cauliflower $28

I love duck!  The sherry vinegar jus added interest, the cauli was delicious (and tangy), the pear was a soft counter-point, and the duck was well cooked with a crispy skin.  Restaurants sometimes charge what seems like a huge amount for duck, but this was good value.  The confit duck dish on the current menu is without the cauli, but with ratatouille and enoki mushrooms, just so you know.




truffle and parmesan fries $12

Does anything need to be said about these wonders?  Yum to thin, crispy fries with shaved parmesan and truffle oil.  Anyway, these were delicious and moreish, but I'm sure you guessed that.



chicken pork and pistachio terrine $16


This came with hunks of thick, toasted Turkish bread, and tomato jam.  Our friend wasn't very hungry so she ordered the terrine from the starters menu.  She found it a moist and well-flavoured dish, with a good relish and soft bread with a good texture.  (Excuse the night-time shadows, please.)



fish and chips $32 

Mmm, is this a bit expensive for a plate of fish and chips?  I'm not sure, to be honest.  Yep, I know there's a small Asian salad with it, but ...  Anyway, the teenage lad (of great appetite) enjoyed his fresh and moist local fish, and the crispy fries with aioli.



Asian salad accompaniment



looking into the clean, white space 


I love the clean, white, open space inside the restaurant.  It is pleasant to sit inside, or outside on the patio which overlooks the bustling village.  Mr P. and I enjoyed our lunch and dinner here.  Indeed, we are about to head here again for dinner as I write this (another Friday night).



potato rosti with eggplant and beetroot $28


Delicious!  Perfectly grilled eggplant, fresh, zingy salad and the best rosti ever.



slow-cooked beef cheeks $32

I just had to finish by showing you what we had for dinner last night (last Friday by the time you read this).  Oh my word!  Hubby and I were in heaven.  We shared the beef cheeks and the potato rosti.  As I said to Mr P., this is the best rosti I've ever had!  And as for the beef cheeks - these were melt-in-your-mouth, tender, delicious ... I'm drooling here.  The rosti was a delight, and so clearly not just out of a packet in the freezer.  The chargrilled eggplant, and the roasted beetroot were just the right texture, and full of flavour.  The salad was fresh and zingy.  Well, you get the idea, folks.  In fact, I bumped up my rating from 8/10 to 9/10.


The Picking's Verdict: 9/10 -  great food; nice space; attentive service; good value - and did I say great food?:-) .  And it has table service at lunchtime, which is hard to find these days.  So why Brooks & Stain?  Check out the address below:=)  


They're open Tues to Sun 7am to 3pm, and for dinner Fri and Sat from 3pm till late.

  
Ph: 07 3356 2179
102 Kedron Brook Rd., cnr Stain St., Wilston 4051


(All meals were paid for by me and Mr P.)



Brooks & Stain Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

16 comments:

  1. A truly great Wilston local restaurant - 9/10 from Mr P too. Still dreaming about the cheeks, risotto, rosti and it goes on. Good indoor and outdoor areas too.

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    1. Yes it was fabulous wasn’t it? Thanks for coming along :)

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  2. It's so nice when you bump into friends and make a fun meal of it. And funny how you say the drinks are never cold enough in Brisbane. You'd think they would be all on top of it!

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    1. I know Lorraine. It’s so weird that milk drinks here are not cold enough. I have a horrible suspicion it is because they use the big milk bottles left out near the coffee machines ! and they are only lukewarm of course after sitting on the bench for a couple of hours Yuk!

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  3. It's a shame the drinks weren't the right temperature but I think the food looks really good. I too, love duck and that confit looks magnificent, as do the truffle fries. I'd also really like to try the beef cheeks and potato rosti - so well presented xx

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    1. oh yes they were all delish dishes charlie! thanks for dropping by.

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  4. Interesting name for a place - here in SA "brooks" mean unerwear ;) I cannot understand warm milkshakes but your food looks amazing :)

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    1. Fabulous food. But the warm milkshakes seem to be a common thing around Brisbane ...

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  5. Hi Sherry! A great and thorough review! That risotto looks great!

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  6. I would love to visit the place! Food looks really great, my favourite is those squids and that beef cheek sounds really marvelous too. Thanks for sharing, sherry.

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    1. hi angie
      thanks for visiting the blog! appreciate it. cheers sherry

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  7. Sounds like a fun place! And it must be good -- you visited three times in a fairly short period of time. Love thin, crispy fries. And beef cheeks -- so much flavor. Interesting read -- thanks.

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    1. hi KR
      in fact hubby has been here 2 more times for breakfast over the last couple of months! thanks for dropping by.

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  8. The food here sounds and looks great Sherry, wish I could just pop down there for dinner. If enough people mention it the drinks should get colder. Wilston is next to Windsor isn't it? That's where we first lived when we got married. Memories! Thanks, Pauline

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    1. Yes you’re right Pauline. They are adjacent suburbs. It was delicious food indeed. Cheers S

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