In Short: Frankie & George is a little oasis of coffee and nutritious goodness in the heart of the Brisbane CBD. Their specialty coffee was an absolute delight for the palate, and you have to try their own ‘Frankly George’ cold brews.
It’s always a treat for us when we can mix a little work in with pleasure on our many business trips around the country. Typically, we’re so pressed for time that it’s a mad dash in and out, and then back to life in Melbourne, supporting our clients here before we get ready for the next one! But on this trip, we decided to spend the weekend, taking a little reprieve and staying to spend much missed time with our family up there. So on an atypical sleepy Saturday morning for us, we wandered down the road from our hotel to experience Frankie & George, that kept consistently coming up in our research as a ‘must-do’ in the CBD.
We weren’t disappointed either, as we headed down towards the back of the cafe and into the courtyard. Open air, with exposed red brick, festoon lights, and a touch of green, this was certainly a little oasis away from the busy-ness of George St. We were drawn in by the lure of specialty coffee, and the promise of a foodie menu, which I had been craving after two days of training in the back of nowhere with canteen-only food.
Wasting no time, we ordered a flat white, and with the heat and humidity of a typical February day up north, it didn’t take much to be sweet-talked into trying Frankie & George’s own bottled cold brews, under the label ‘Frankly George’. The Single O house-blend, Killer Bee, is a smooth with the right level of acidity to dance across the tongue, coupled with an expertly frothed milk, that made this cup deliciously creamy to the last drop. I was warned about the size of my cold brew latte and that it might be ‘too much’ for one sitting. But, with the lightness of oat milk and a slight hint of sweetness, I smashed down that bottle like it was cordial…coffee buzz for the weekend totally sorted!
To soak up the caffeine, it was the potato hash served with poached eggs, wilted spinach, smoked salmon, and sriracha mayo that did the trick. All those beautiful array of textures and flavours in one meal was a stand-out. And, what’s a breakfast these days without the quintessential acai smoothie bowl?! Frankie & George’s version of the summer goodness bowl, was just that; every bit of goodness with rich acai, wholesome granola, fresh fruit, and coconut yoghurt. We were totally set for a day of walking and exploring.
As I sit here writing this post, this last trip up to Brisbane, just a little less than a month ago seems like a long distant memory with so much of the world changing between that time and now. Back then, it was just a background discussion, a comment on the drop in the number of people we saw on the plane, in the hotel, on the typically busy streets of Brissie. How much, indeed, has changed.
Importantly, for us here at Coco & Vine, the love of our foodie and coffee community and all those incredible, passionate, committed people behind their menu and venue creations, was the biggest reason we wanted to share our experiences with everyone. That doesn’t change. Rest assured, all you proud owner-operators and friends in this industry, we see you. And, when this is all over, we’ll be ready as ever to continue sharing your passions…
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