- Having grown up in Brisbane, I remember the days when the main strip of West End was easily the go-to place for a good coffee and creative meal. Well, things have changed a bit since my early 20s (despite that being just a few years ago… obviously… *cough*).
These days, you need to meander off busy Boundary road to find such a café, but once you know where to look, you’ll be seeing West End again with new eyes.
Tucked away on Browning Street is Duo Bar and Restaurant, which is exactly the type of innovative and trendy café you’re looking for when you visit West End.
But does the food actually taste as good as the menu suggests? Let’s take a look.
I’ve already touched on how inventive the menu is at Duo so that seems like a pretty good place to start. When you open the menu here, try not to drool pavlov-style.
Decadent-sounding-delights include Chicken ‘n’ Waffles (marinated chicken bites, Cajun, maple, harissa, fresh lime), or Beetroot & Chickpea Bruschetta (braised beetroot, chickpeas, haloumi, gremolata dressing, house made orange ricotta, beetroot balsamic, toasted ciabatta), or also a Savoury Salad (chat potatoes, broccoli, roast capsicum, chorizo, mixed greens, house made dukkah, fattouche dressing).
I couldn’t go past one particular menu item and when you read its description you’ll understand why.
The French Toast Burger was sold to me with its haloumi, bacon, berry compote, maple syrup, cinnamon, and pistachio praline.
It was, in a word, epic.
There was a generous amount of crispy bacon and grilled haloumi within the eggy bun. Adding in the sweet elements of berries and maple syrup made each mouthful ridiculously satisfying. The crunch of the pistachio praline brought in a great textural element too.
This dish is a menu staple at Duo and it’s not hard to see why. There’d be a small protest in 4101 if it ever disappeared.
Decadent-sounding-delights include Chicken ‘n’ Waffles (marinated chicken bites, Cajun, maple, harissa, fresh lime), or Beetroot & Chickpea Bruschetta (braised beetroot, chickpeas, haloumi, gremolata dressing, house made orange ricotta, beetroot balsamic, toasted ciabatta), or also a Savoury Salad (chat potatoes, broccoli, roast capsicum, chorizo, mixed greens, house made dukkah, fattouche dressing).
I couldn’t go past one particular menu item and when you read its description you’ll understand why.
The French Toast Burger was sold to me with its haloumi, bacon, berry compote, maple syrup, cinnamon, and pistachio praline.
It was, in a word, epic.
There was a generous amount of crispy bacon and grilled haloumi within the eggy bun. Adding in the sweet elements of berries and maple syrup made each mouthful ridiculously satisfying. The crunch of the pistachio praline brought in a great textural element too.
This dish is a menu staple at Duo and it’s not hard to see why. There’d be a small protest in 4101 if it ever disappeared.
To even things up health-wise, I opted to wash down my meal with a Green Envy Smoothie, which blended up banana, mango, spinach, and coconut water.
Green smoothies can be hit and miss with the ratios of green to non-green things needing to be really in balance.
This particular smoothie was a hit.
Subtly sweet, the mango was a great way to make liquid spinach really tasty.
Duo’s reputation as being one of the best places in West End for coffee proceeded itself, and so I also couldn’t leave without a caffeine hit.
I had high expectations for my latte and they were well-met. Bare Bones Specialty Coffee is used here, and makes for a very well-rounded cup. The bonus house-made bickie was a lovely touch as well.
Green smoothies can be hit and miss with the ratios of green to non-green things needing to be really in balance.
This particular smoothie was a hit.
Subtly sweet, the mango was a great way to make liquid spinach really tasty.
Duo’s reputation as being one of the best places in West End for coffee proceeded itself, and so I also couldn’t leave without a caffeine hit.
I had high expectations for my latte and they were well-met. Bare Bones Specialty Coffee is used here, and makes for a very well-rounded cup. The bonus house-made bickie was a lovely touch as well.
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With both a cozy inside seating area or bright and sunny courtyard, you can enjoy your inspired meal in whatever ambiance strikes you at the time.
Duo can also be booked out for groups and functions if funky eating is how you like to celebrate.
Duo can also be booked out for groups and functions if funky eating is how you like to celebrate.
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West End is synonymous with being fearlessly unique and creative, and Duo fits right in with this reputation.
It's a slight detour from mainstream eating. Literally.
It's a slight detour from mainstream eating. Literally.
