Sunday 15 December 2019

Industry Beans - Review

Industry Beans?  What does it mean?  Dunno, but I do know that this is a Melbourne-origin business, who sensibly have opened up in sunny Brisbane also.  It's a purpose- built space, with a café, brew bar, a roastery and an open-plan kitchen.  And it's full of trendy 'grammers, taking lots of selfies inside and out.  Mr P. and I felt severely underdressed here:-)  Man oh man, all that bling!  And that's just the mamas!  And it was only lunchtime! 



looking in

From the get-go, we were not feeling the love.  Staff were invisible, so we grabbed a table, and Mr P. went off in search of menus.  A not terribly happy waitperson came to our table, to take our order.  He seemed in a rush to give us the lowdown on their coffee, so we listened patiently, as it went in one ear and out the other. 



yuzu cascara spritz $4.70

This cold, refreshing drink was made with a yuzu syrup and a cascara cold brew, which is the berry of the coffee plant.  Not bad, though I expected a bit more - oomph.



Mr P.'s iced coffee


iced coffee $4.70

Mr P. had an iced coffee, made with their cold brew and housemade icecream.  This is a DIY job, like an affogato.  He found this nicely refreshing.



cutesy little bowls for seasonings and sugar

sous vide salmon garden $25

Sadly, I liked the idea and the presentation of this dish more than the actual food.  While it looks pretty, the taste ... mm, not really my thing.  I don't really understand the value of using technique over flavour.  The salmon was incredibly bland, and the texture was weird.  I'm not sure how to describe it - gelatinous, odd, strangely unappealing to my palate.  The samphire was twiggy; like eating twigs off a bush; not pleasant.  Dashi sea foam?  Yuzu gel? Just - why?  



coffee rubbed wagyu burger $22 + $4 for 3 polenta chips

Mr P. liked this burger a lot.  The chargrilled brioche bun was not too sweet - yay! (sadly a common fault these days); the wagyu pattie was good, and the chilli jam was really excellent.  The polenta chips were okay, if a wee bit bland (and expensive).  I have to say we both expected a few more.  (Jamie Oliver, where are you? - tee hee.)



inside the burger - fab chilli jam


interior space
The interior looks fabulous with that high, open space above.  We did hear a waitress telling people that it was much cooler in the outer part where we were sitting.  Thank goodness for air con!  Perhaps it just doesn't work well in that huge space?  To be honest, we won't be rushing back.  But I wouldn't say no to trying it out for dinner sometime, once we get ourselves blinged up:-)



looks super trendy from the outside

The Pickings' Verdict:  6/10

Ph: 07 3180 1190
18 Proe Street,
Newstead Q 4006


Industry Beans Newstead Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

26 comments:

  1. An interesting name for a restaurant...that wagyu burger sounds really good though.

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    1. yep hubby liked it a lot angie! thanks for dropping by.

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  2. Coffee rubbed Wagyu burger?How does that work? Damn it, I made steak burgers for lunch today and didn't think to rub them with coffee. Sounds all very city trendy to me, particularly in that part of the town. Perhaps it's just Christmas bling Sherry.

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    1. yes i think coffee rubbed meats have been around for quite some time pauline:-) not that i do it! we don't even eat a lot of red meat. but hubby enjoyed this burger so there you have it...

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  3. I truly appreciated your description of the salmon dish. I do not understand the whole sous vide craze. As you say, it’s all about the process and not the flavor. Sorry it was disappointing for you, but if it’s a good excuse to buy some bling, why not go back!

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    1. Hi david
      Yes for some chefs it’s all about them! But if it doesn’t improve the flavour why bother?

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  4. You don't seem impressed at all. And did you really only get 3 polenta chips? :o

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    1. yep 3 measly chips! we just couldn't believe it! and we had paid extra for them. i think the burger and chips - all up $26 - was pretty darn expensive.

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  5. I do have to say that the presentation on that salmon was really nice! However, if the taste can't live up to the presentation, then it's not worth it. I do agree that this place seems rather expensive for what you get. I don't know how it is down there, but the restaurant competition is intense here. If a place charges that much for blah food, then there are 100 other places I'd rather try. Glad Mr. P liked that burger though! :-)

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    1. yes david it looked great but what's the point if the flavour is off?:-) this whole ' you eat with your eyes' rubbish really annoys me. i don't really care what a meal looks like; it just has to taste good. same with techniques. needs to taste good first!

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  6. I can't believe you paid $4 and only got 3 chips. What are they gold plated?! It all looks a bit poncy and more than a little exxy for my palate but I hear the coffee is great. We have a branch in Sydney now and apparently there's always a queue out the door for the brews.

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    1. i know! gold plated chips indeed. just not our thing i reckon. too trendy for words. and so many grammers taking selfies. it was kinda ridiculous.

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  7. Sherry, I'm a huge fan of sous vide salmon, but you have to get it right and I can see by looking they didn't get it right. Also, the foam doesn't work for me. Perhaps it was there to coverup the unappealing looking salmon.
    The place would likely be popular here with the IG crowd. $4 AUD for boiled and fried cornmeal seems a bit pricy to me as well.
    Thanks for sharing your dining experience...

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    1. hi ron
      this was my first ever sous vide salmon and it put me right off! yuk. and the foam is just plain silly. and those twigs... and such expensive polenta chips. all up - grrrr

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  8. Its funny the vibe you can get from some restaurants. Sometimes they look a bit too perfect for instagram, but scratch under the surface and you at let down. The Salmon does look quite cool, but I've never understood the whole foam aspect some chefs use. Also, three polenta chips for $4!!! I'm not surprised at your ratings! At least the restaurant looks kinda cool!

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    1. yep those 3 measly chips were such a let-down! they didn't even taste that good !

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  9. Doesn't sound like my sort of place at all. And I haven't heard the word "'grammers" before -- thanks for expanding my horizons! Happy Holidays!

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    1. you know - instagrammers! maybe i spelt it wrong? :-) have a great Xmas break. cheers S

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  10. Hmm, I don't think I would fit in there at all. LOL! I don't like having to get dressed up too much to have a meal during the day.

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  11. I listed visited Melbourne 10 years ago so I wonder if this place was there then? I might have visited it? Anyway I hope you have an amazing Christmas!!

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    1. thank you very much 'unknown'. i hope you have a fab festive season too. cheers S

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  12. I would love this meal for lunch, provided the burger is gluten free. Polenta fries and chili jam - oh my Goodness. This is yum, Sherry! Thanks for sharing this. Your restaurant reviews will be helpful when I come to Vancouver. My in laws family loves in Melbourne.
    Happy Holiday!

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    1. hi balvinder
      i'm not sure my reviews will be much use to you, all the way from australia to canada!:-) but thank you anyway. cheers and happy holidays.

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  13. Mr. P's iced coffee sure looked good.

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    1. i think he enjoyed it! thanks for stopping by. merry christmas.

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