Review: Is Coorparoo’s Ninebar & Kitchen Brisbane’s best value cafe?

Eggs Benedict for just $12 and nothing else over $19 at breakfast. This new Brisbane eatery promises to treat your tastebuds and your wallet, writes Anooska Tucker-Evans.

“I LIKE that guy. I like how he operates,” says my friend, watching the owner of recently opened cafe Ninebar & Kitchen in Coorparoo make his way around the dining room, introducing himself to each of the customers and checking in on their mornings.

For Mark Bellas, though, hospitality is in his DNA. He grew up in the business, working front and back of house, before most recently running Brizfresh Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable, which supplies quality produce to local restaurants and cafes.

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But most significantly, Ninebar takes over the space which formerly held his father’s eatery, Belesis Cafe Restaurant, for an impressive 19 years.

The main dining space at Ninebar & Kitchen, Coorparoo. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Along with his partner Sam, Bellas has transformed the indoor-outdoor space on Old Cleveland Rd into something fresh and of the moment. Where once dark walls and furniture sat is now a light and airy flush of white tones and natural timbers, broken up with splashes of green from a banquette along one wall and potted plants, while a timber deck offers relaxed
al fresco dining.

As Bellas makes the rounds to our table, he informs us that the focus is on simple food done well. It’s the classics people want to eat made with quality produce.

Ninebar & Kitchen’s waffle eggs Benedict. Picture: Mark Cranitch

That means the likes of ricotta and blueberry pancakes, eggs on toast and a mushroom stack at breakfast; while lunch might be carbonara, fish and chips or a club sandwich. And the prices are more budget savvy than an Aldi shopper, with breakfast dishes all under $19, and lunch topping out at $28 for a 200g beef rib fillet.

The all-time favourite of eggs Benedict ($12, add on ham for $4 or smoked salmon for $6) is served on a savoury waffle as thick as an encyclopaedia that could have done with just a few minutes longer in the iron to cook it through. But the hollandaise has plenty of welcome zing, while the eggs hit the runny-centre brief.

The classic croque madame at Ninebar & Kitchen. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Better yet though is the croque madame ($14). The classic sandwich of ham, cheese and bechamel, crowned with a liquid-yolk fried egg, reminds me why the dish has become a time-honoured favourite.

Coffee comes from Brisbane’s Fonzie Abbott and is smooth with a good crema when made on milk ($4). But it's the non-caffeinated options that grab your attention with milkshakes such as the “Candy Explosion” ($8.50) boasting popping candy, gummy bears and sour straps, or smoothies including the “Aloha” blending pineapple, mango and coconut milk ($7.50) for a delicious teetotaller’s pina colada.

Kombucha, tea and juice also make the list, as does a small selection of quaffable wines for under $52 a bottle, basic spirits and a handful of keenly priced cocktails. BYO wine is also available with corkage charged at $3 per person.

Ninebar & Kitchen is a smart operation, bringing the hospitality, values and, arguably, prices of a bygone era into the future with smart design and contemporary touches.

And with any luck, Bellas may just have started an institution that will last 19 years like that of his father’s Belesis.

Ninebar & Kitchen

198 Old Cleveland Rd, Coorparoo

07 3324 2446

ninebarandkitchen.com

Open Tues-Sun 7am-3pm (kitchen closes at 2pm)

VERDICT

Food 7

Service 9

Ambience 7.5

Value 9

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