The Priory - Brisbane

TL;DR: Now this is the place where it is for sure that they know their regulars well, and that there would be a number of them from close by and far around. It is all in order here, with effective customer service, good quality food that is wholesome and inventive (you will be coming back) and an environment that definitely an appeal to it. With where it is, and being somewhat representative of the alleyway projects around the country, this is the paradigm of eating in the future. Right down the deep end of the newly refurbished Trafalga Lane is the place that is like the hidden bar right in the middle of the bustling area of town, and the one that is more or less opening its arm welcoming all kinds of new clientele. That is the best way to describe the Priory in a nutshell, with enough space so that you can waltz on in here at a moment's notice yet it is still a manageable enough size that it allows clients to feel welcome and get a high level of service from the many staff on hand. It had come to Sunday morning again, and that meant the usual schtick for me and my house mate. Somewhere for breakfast that day, and with the previous week's one not being up to scratch - especially in comparison - somewhere better was in mind, and this time around he was going to make sure that it was going to be a big and efficient meal this time around. What that lead to was him remembering Trafalga Lane, and having tried one place out there beforehand as well as being aware that some well-received places were nearby. That led us to none other than the Priory, which was already contemplated and planned. It is suffice to say that it worked well in the end. The whole look of the place can be summed up quite quickly - it is bright, it is spacious, and there is quite the amount of seating all around the quarters - from tables to barstools, each with enough room to spread your elbows and swing them around. With so many places being small and pocket sized, this takes advantage of the space it is given and makes it is own character. All that adds to its dynamic atmosphere. At any point in the day, during each of the major meal times, it can be guaranteed that you are offered a good range of meals, all that are wholesome in presentation, and interesting to behold. It is possible that the menu changes from time to time, but as of writing this review there is a breakfast menu that spruces up a number of the common favourites, a lunch which more or less has the cafe staples on hand, and from the mid-afternoon it gets a little more exciting. Adding onto that, there is the usual dessert cabinet that mixes it up a notch with what is offered. Plus, they don't relent when it comes to the drinks menu either. Whatever your go is, they have something too suit that. It can be a range of ciders, beers and wines, or it can be sparkling mocktails, or perhaps freshly squeezed juices, or a smoothie, or a milkshake, or just a good cup of tea or coffee. Whichever one it is, the quality has definitely had attention paid to it, or it won't be there. Starting off the meal as per normal was the coffee orders. The coffee that they use here is courtesy of Bear Bones Society, and from what I can recall about this coffee is that it is pretty consistent, though not one that often comes to mind when I think of the blends I take a particular liking towards. Nevertheless, the coffee here is done pretty well with the extraction, the flavour, and the texture all being good - it was probably around the middle regarding strength with some tipping towards stronger, and the temperature was a decent one to drink it quick. Looking at all the interesting choices that were for breakfast, the one that was the hardest to pass up was without a doubt their take on having chilli for breakfast. That was a combination of beef cheek and refried beans, and a couple of poached eggs - which were requested as soft a per usual, on top of corn bread with avocado and salsa. And as the usual extra touch with me goes, there was also some crispy bacon requested on the side. This has got to be one of the best breakfasts out in quite some time, since it was substantial in portion, but also very tasty and good quality. My goodness, the real issue is where to start - getting to the meat of it helps, and that is what it hinges on. The beef was cooked slowly, and was some of the most tender that I have tried and it mixed well with the beans making the distinct taste and texture combination. On the side, the avocado was rich, smooth and creamy, plus the salsa added some spice to it, and best of all the bacon being requested crispy was delivered as such. All of this on top of some buttery cornbread made for it to be one that is recommended; this belongs in an American diner, I am sure of it - everything that would suit it well is right there. With the usual switching around of items between the plates, from my dining buddy's meal I got to sample a bit of the rosti and some pork belly. With the pork belly, it is often at a pretty high level of quality as of late, and somehow, somewhere, someone has managed to make it taste just as good if not better than what is already expected; the bit of pork belly that I tried here was small, with the flesh being tender, and the fat - which made up over half the cube - was pretty much like butter and went down a treat. The rosti was crispy, salty and delicious. These two dishes are what I am talking about when it comes to having a decent breakfast out. Not only were they quite inventive, all the components were given the due attention; what makes it even better is that they are still pretty simple and straightforward, with no need to innovate upon the wheel. From the looks of the menu during both the lunch and dinner time rushes, a similar sort of thought process is in place. Also for a last try of this place, before coming here I had noticed a couple of less usual flavours of milkshake on the menu, and that is always something which piques my interest to this day. For this time around, that happened to be an iced vovo milkshake. This was done the classic Australian style, where the streaks of syrup - and I think they might have used strawberry syrup here - hugged the side of the glass, and a whole lot of whipped cream was on the top plus an actual piece of iced vovo as well. This was quite sweet, creamy and cold - more or less what would be expected from a milkshake. And it was with that last go that another solid meal out was experienced. We have yet another winner here, where more or less everything is being done right, with the addition of an identity on top of that being present. This is partially a bar, partially a laid-back cafe, and one where they are aiming to fire on all cylinders to provide a good experience for each client. It is pretty close to being as good as it can get, and hopefully with quite a bit of planning it will be staying here for quite a while longer.

TL;DR: Now this is the place where it is for sure that they know their regulars well, and that there would be a number of them from close by and far around. It is all in order here, with effective customer service, good quality food that is wholesome and inventive (you will be coming back) and an environment that definitely an appeal to it. With where it is, and being somewhat representative of the alleyway projects around the country, this is the paradigm of eating in the future. Right down the deep end of the newly refurbished Trafalga Lane is the place that is like the hidden bar right in the middle of the bustling area of town, and the one that is more or less opening its arm welcoming all kinds of new clientele. That is the best way to describe the Priory in a nutshell, with enough space so that you can waltz on in here at a moment's notice yet it is still a manageable enough size that it allows clients to feel welcome and get a high level of service from... read more

The Priory's Instagram feed has been giving me #foodenvy for months, so I threw it out to a vote for a recent girls' Sunday brunch date. Not only did they win the vote, but I'm pretty sure they've won our hearts too! Situated opposite The Gabba in the boutique Trafalgar Lane dining precinct, The Priory is the newest venture from the team that brought us New Farm's Pablo. The Priory packs some seriously good flavour into their food and are known to be pretty popular on weekends. The decor is simple woods and whites with plenty of natural light streaming in through the windows. Pots of hanging pothos and other indoor plants keep this natural theme going throughout the restaurant. Walking in the door, you're greeted by the most delicious looking display of sweets in the cabinet; the muffins that Sunday looked phenomenal! My usual vanilla flat white presented beautifully and arrived quickly. Taste-wise it started out well, great strength and flavour of vanilla. However it developed into something quite bitter the further I got into my cup. A little disappointing but at least I got my caffeine hit for the day. For food, my friends ordered the Eggs Priory with the ham and the Avocado Toast. Both of them highly recommended their meals in their post-brunch food comas, but I couldn't look past the Brioche French toast - blueberry compote, pistachio gelato, spiced poached pear, fresh and homemade honeycomb, toasted nuts and maple syrup. Oh my stars, I was one happy foodie! Just fabulous from start to finish and not overpoweringly sweet. Perfectly poached pear and beautifully cooked brioche. I found the blueberry compote to be a nice savoury contrast to the whole dish, really balancing out the plate. The standout, for me, was the gelato; amazing flavour! The homemade honeycomb and nuts were a great textural element on a plate that would have been pretty soft without them. And I'm always a sucker for fresh honeycomb; there's nothing better than popping it into your mouth and just having it melt - Perfection! The service was great for us. It was moderately busy when we arrived but we were seated immediately (thank you pre-booking!), given menus and chilled table water, and asked if we wanted to order coffee. Our experience with the staff was friendly, not intrusive, and well-timed. Overall, The Priory scored a 4/5. Great food, an inventive menu, good service and a relaxed atmosphere. We'll be back to try out the new winter menu soon!

The Priory's Instagram feed has been giving me #foodenvy for months, so I threw it out to a vote for a recent girls' Sunday brunch date. Not only did they win the vote, but I'm pretty sure they've won our hearts too! Situated opposite The Gabba in the boutique Trafalgar Lane dining precinct, The Priory is the newest venture from the team that brought us New Farm's Pablo. The Priory packs some seriously good flavour into their food and are known to be pretty popular on weekends. The decor is simple woods and whites with plenty of natural light streaming in through the windows. Pots of hanging pothos and other indoor plants keep this natural theme going throughout the restaurant. Walking in the door, you're greeted by the most delicious looking display of sweets in the cabinet; the muffins that Sunday looked phenomenal! My usual vanilla flat white presented beautifully and arrived quickly. Taste-wise it started out well, great strength and flavour of vanilla.... read more

Great decor and ambience. We ordered char grilled steak with chips and salad and a chili breakfast with latte and homemade iced tea. Everyone was impeccable made and very tasty. Reasonably priced.