This Japanese dessert house has mastered the savoury quiche
This week's Table for One: A Runcorn patisserie with a 10-canelé menu, a city wine bar reviving creative small plates and a West End cafe that forgets to say hello
Mountain River Patisserie
Across the road from Fruitgrove station in Runcorn is an elegant Japanese cafe and dessert shop that likely has one of the biggest and most creative cake menus in Brisbane. When I visited, they had eight cake options from chocolate chiffon black forest to a green cake version of mont blanc. This is also a place that could double as a canelé shrine — they have 10 different options and the entrance doorknob is a canelé mould!
In a surprising turn of events, I came for the cakes but stayed for the quiche. Unlike most quiches, which are served lukewarm with slightly flaccid pastry, Mountain River’s quiche improved every disappointing aspect. The house-made pastry was flaky and buttery while the filling is a great consistency. The bechamel “lid” of the quiche was unconventional but very delicious. I will be re-ordering the wagyu one very soon — it’s like a breakfast version of a braised beef cheek.
We also sampled the takana chashu (ramen inspired) and takomeshi (octopus) onigiri. Unlike the onigiri I am used to with white rice on the outside and filling on the inside, the “filling” was combined with the rice. Both rice balls were unfortunately quite dry and bland — the seasoning needed adjusting post-mixing with rice.
The ‘napoli mafia’ cake — is inspired by Culinary Class Wars' Napoli Mafia’s winning dessert from the convenience store challenge where he used chestnuts and cream from doughnuts to make a tiramisu. The cake was complex and well-executed: layers of coffee chestnut almond cake, marscapone chestnut cream, espresso chiffon, chocolate cookie and chestnut “noodle” puree.
The Hong Kong milk tea and cognac canelé was a little dry and the crust was quite thick. It would’ve improved with more milk tea flavour as well.
Mountain River’s tea selection is excellent — they have imported matcha, hojicha, genmaicha and a range of Japanese teas by the pot.
I particularly appreciated the attention to detail from the dedicated table service to the bespoke ceramics and cloth coasters, it’s a cafe experience that goes above and beyond.
84 Mango St, Runcorn QLD
Milquetoast
Frankly, there aren’t many venues in Brisbane sending out creative small plates anymore — Bar Francine, Gum Bistro, Maeve, maybe Agnes if you only order off the entrees? The trend died off when we weren’t watching and if you were to ask me my Brisbane restaurant hot take, it’s that there aren’t enough *good* small plate offerings.
But that’s where Milquetoast comes in. The menu is tight but inventive with dishes that are actually workshopped and nuanced (personally sick of seeing a plate of salami or “tomato carpaccio” qualify as a dish). The chefs seem to really care about flavour and texture and you can tell they’re having fun, but with a lot of respect for technique and produce.
Take the drunken chicken dish inspired by the yum cha classic. It’s been reimagined as a ballotine, sous vide chicken and mushroom mousse rolled up in its own skin and seared until crisp, then served with a broth spiked with Shaoxing wine. Punchy Chinese flavours with French techniques — now we’re talking.
Oftentimes I find that wine bars drop the ball on their cocktail offering in that the list is too big for what their staff are capable of executing well but at Milquetoast, wines and cocktails have equal real estate. Aidan Perkins knows how to wield a cocktail — just look at that whisky highball above, it’s a tropical version of a shandy with yuzu, jackfruit and a salted rockmelon foam. Another MT hit is an Irish Coffee riff called the Poker Book made with montenegro, coffee liqueur, apricot brandy, honey cream and bee pollen.
The wines are just as creative and interesting — mostly new age Australian drops by the glass and international drops and plenty of classic old world French bottles.
The charisma of wine bar service doesn’t exist in any other type of establishment. At Milquetoast, this much is true and more — you can tell that the people who work there care about what’s on your plate and what’s in your glass but most importantly, they want you to leave content.
Laneway/199 Elizabeth St, Brisbane City
Cordeaux Social Club
The upscale West End chicness of Cordeaux Social Club is undeniable. The location, mid-century interiors and street-facing-people-watching window seats are everything you want in a cafe.
Something you wouldn’t want in a cafe is how unwelcome you are made to feel when arriving. On this particular morning, I walked in and waited at the front counter for someone to greet me (as an ex-hospo, never assume you should seat yourself). Let’s just say it was an awkward amount of time to be watching two people make coffees in silent.
The breakfast “burrito” was dry and there was far too much onion in the guac. (Sidenote: guac in a breakfast burrito seems sacrilegious but at this point, I’ve totally given up on Australian takes on Mexican food.) It really could’ve used a hit of queso to pull the wrap together. The tuna melt, though, was solid — well toasted, good balance of filling, simple but satisfying.
I’m not a coffee connoisseur so can’t wax lyrical about the beans/roast/milk texture/temperature of the coffee but my cappuccino was one of the better ones I’ve had this year.
462 Montague Rd, West End
Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, RUSSH and others. She is also the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.