A Blooming Good Choice for Coffee - Room with Roses
Room with roses
Gallery Level, Brisbane Arcade, 111-117 Adelaide Street, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane, QLD 4000
Ph: (07) 3229 7050
'Out at Coffee' - Venue 2 State Election Day
26th October 2024
Caffeine influenced spontaneity is one of the hallmarks of being ‘Out at Coffee’ on a Saturday morning, and today is no different!
We’ve just voted in the State Election and received our own personal security escort to the Hamilton Lounge, for post-voting coffee and cake. And as we head away from City Hall, Lee takes the lead and calls an impromptu mini referendum!
Within seconds the results are in! There’s no need for; lengthy campaigning to attract potential swing voters, bipartisan preferential wheeling and dealing, or even a long, excruciating nail-biting wait for the outcome… it’s a landslide decision, as we all give a resounding ‘Yes’ to his idea of a second coffee … I do love democracy in action!
Recently celebrating its 100th anniversary, the shopping arcade is the city’s oldest. And as you enter the art-deco influenced building, it’s like being transported back to a bygone era, with ornate, light filled passageway home to upmarket shops on both sides. They include; jewellers, couture fashion and other quaint, traditional retailers, many of whom make their goods on site.
One of these established Brisbane businesses is ‘Room with Roses’, located on the gallery level and specialising in ‘High Teas’.
For the second time today, we feel a little underdressed in shorts and tee-shirts. But hell… we’re considered smart for Queensland standards, so we head up the stairs in the hope of ordering coffee… foods not on the agenda, as we only had carrot cake and muffin 30 minutes ago!
And we’re in luck! Despite most tables being reserved for ‘High Tea’, we’re early enough to grab a table.
A professional, well-dressed waiter, shows us through in to the elegant, main dining room, our table adorned with linen table cloth, bone china crockery and, stainless-steel cutlery.
The waiter hands us menus and being inquisitive seagulls, we can’t help ourselves, as we squawk through page after page of family inspired recipes. Which includes, delicious tasting; ‘Chocolate’, ‘Ultimate Chocolate,’ and ‘Deluxe’ ‘High Teas’.
OMG… what is a seagull with a full tummy to do!
We feel a little under pressure to order something! Well, that’s our excuse anyway! So, like any good colony of gulls, we adapt to our environment, and work together to order a share pack of homemade Afghan biscuits, with Lee opting for a serve of crepes.
We devour the scrummy goodies as soon as they arrive… in fact, we demolish them so quickly, anyone would think these seagulls hadn’t eaten in days!
‘Room with Roses’ is a beautiful restaurant, with attentive staff. The ambience of such formal surroundings, steers our conversation towards English high society, fine dining, and a recent party attended by some of our group, which was themed around the movie ‘Saltburn’.
The fictional film, released last year, is about a quirky, aristocratic family, and it gained notoriety for its dark plot and shocking, risqué content.
At the party, most guests dressed as aristocrats, but some of our group took the theme a little too literally. Needless to say, they spent most of the night having to explain the meaning of their obscure props, to the other party goers, who clearly hadn’t watched the movie. And to avoid any embarrassment, I won’t reveal that it was Lee and Pete … oops sorry guys!
This week’s coffee catchup spanned two historic locations and has been longer than usual, but we’ve had great fun sharing stories… what better way to celebrate a day of democracy with extended time with friends!
Now, I did think of ending this week’s blog with some wisdom around gluttony, but as Stephen and I are now heading to the ‘Food & Wine Show’ at the Convention Centre for more treats… it would be a tad ‘pot calling kettle black!!’ So, I’ve refrained from being a hypocrite and all I can say is; ‘Thank goodness these seagulls can still exercise regularly, otherwise we’d be unable to take off!’
I love sharing our coffee escapades with you, so please help me share the joy of coffee and friendships. Like, follow and share the ‘Out at Coffee’ Facebook page. And if you have suggestions for a great coffee venue in or around Brisbane, please drop us a line via the Contact page, we’d love to add it to our caffeine calendar.
Allan
I'm proud to state that all content on this Blog is written by me and all photos are originals taken by our group.