Breakfast Series - Shucked Coffee House

http://shucked.com.au/

It seems like after every heavy rain a new cafe or breakfast spot is opening up around Brisbane and given the amount of rain we have had over the last two years, that's a lot of cafes!  You have to be really careful if you are keeping track of these things otherwise it's easy for a couple of great new spots to open up and you miss them!  What's more interesting is some of the crazy locations that these cafes are opening up in, taking any nook or cranny around town.  Shucked Coffee House is just such a place, it has opened up a little bit out of the way and is squeezed into a semi industrial area in Newstead.

Once we became aware of Shucked, we started to notice the buzz surrounding it and decided that we would venture out to Newstead and see what all the fuss was about.  I had a rough idea where Shucked was but the human GPS unit that is SC directed us there within minutes.  We had heard that Shucked can get super busy and as we hate waiting in queues for breakfast, we made sure that we got there right on opening time at 7:30am.  We actually had a minute or so to spare, so had a look down the laneway next to Shucked to take in the street art that makes up part of the cafe.  It was pretty cool.

The first thing I noticed when we were ushered into Shucked was how cool the place looked, with a really eclectic look and feel.  None of the tales or chairs matched, there were benches for larger groups, a lovely looking deep lounge to slouch in as well as great looking art around the walls.  I also noticed how surprisingly big the space was inside, so it looked as if it could pack quite a few patrons inside comfortably.  Then there were the little things, the crazy looking light fittings and the little touches of art deco hap-hazardly placed around the cafe.  I immediately felt at home and really comfortable here, this was a place where you could linger!

After taking all this in, we were told to take a seat anywhere we wanted, then were given the menus to have a look over.  The wait staff on hand were friendly and took our drinks orders while we thought about what to stuff our faces with.  SC ordered her customary half strength latte and I went for a banana and berry milkshake.  Being a coffee house, SC had big expectations about the coffee and was glowing in her praise about the quality of the blend selected and the coffee itself.  My milkshake was large, cold and delicious, with a quiet sweetness from the banana along with that tartness you get from berries.  Yum.

The breakfast menu at Shucked is really cool with a broad selection of contemporary breakfast choices, all with names referencing popular culture.  Items like French Kiss, Smokey & the Bandit and Stone the Crows represented Brioche, Smoked Salmon and Corn Fritters respectively.  One thing I noticed was that there was not a simple scrambled eggs and bacon option but after a quick chat with our waiter, I was confident that I could order pretty much anything I wanted and they could accommodate!

SC being the more adventurous of the two of us at the breakfast table chose the French Kiss - eggy brioche with bacon, caramelised banana, maple syrup and toffeed nuts.  This was a huge plate of food and SC didn't think she would be able to eat it all, but after a few mouthfuls was sure that she would polish it off.  The brioche was beautifully cooked and lathered in maple syrup and then mixed in with caramelised banana, which added a different type of sweetness.  Bacon and maple syrup are normally a great combination and this was the case here too, with the bacon adding the savoury element that the dish needed.  SC absolutely loved it and finished off the lot!

My made up breakfast for the morning consisted of scrambled eggs, grilled tomato, mushrooms, bacon and chipolata.  The scrambled eggs were bordering on being an omelete but were delicious none the less.  A weird element about the eggs was the seasoning.  Normally eggs have the seasoning added during the mixing process, but in this instance the salt was added after they were cooked.  It mean that some of the eggs were super tasty and some a little bland.  The bacon was cooked well and had just a hint of maple syrup flavour running through them, I'm not sure if they should have, but the flavour did not detract from the bacon.  While the components were nice, the real star on the plate for me was the mushrooms, which were rich and earthy in flavour and were just yummy.  The only let down for me were the chipolatas, which didn't taste quite right and I left them on the plate.

For breakfast, SC and I normally like to get into a place, eat and get out again as quickly as possible and we didn't feel that way at Shucked.  This is a good thing because it took a while for our breakfast to come once we had taken our order.  While we were the first in, it didn't take long for people to start wandering in and taking seats and by the time we left it was starting to hum.  I could see how you may need to wait in a queue here if you came too late for your "kick start to the day".

Another thing that I loved about Shucked is their adoption of Social Media as a mechanism to promote their business.  You can score yourself a 5% discount by tweeting or posting on Facebook and use the hastag #shuckedcoffeehouse.  When I went up to pay the bill, the team asked to see the post as evidence of the posting and I was able to run through about 6 posts that we had made during our short time there.  Funny really, between SC and I we had posted on just about every social media platform known to man!

I am not sure how Shucked escaped my attention and that it took me so long to get along and check it out.  We really loved the experience we had, with the super friendly and accommodating staff combined with great coffee and superb breakfast.  I do know that it's not an easy spot to find or get to, so the fact that it's so popular is a testament to the great environment the Shucked team have put together.  This is a place I can see myself coming back to regularly.

@FoodMeUpScotty

SC thought the coffe could have come straight from heaven

The banana and berry milkshake rocked.  Some great art in the background

Smart move, promoting the business and helping people indulge in their addictions

Is this the coolest salt and pepper shaker set you have seen?

True for Shelley, but I have given up my caffeine addiction! 

The laneway next door has some cool art and is a great spot to while away the day

This is a great piece of wall art and shows the comfy couch in Shucked