Bitter Suite

Did I visit on an off day or pick a dud off their menu? I can’t be sure, but my recent visit to Bitter Suite was underwhelming at best.
It was mid-​morning on a Sunday when my husband and I decided we wanted hot chocolates. I looked up «Brisbane’s Best» (as you do) and we set off to sample the famed Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate.
The venue is OK. A little ramshackle but cute and charming. There is ample outdoor and indoor seating and table service once you’re seated.
Said table service was a little on the slow side. I’m being forgiving here, taking 15 minutes to bring glasses and a carafe of water and another 10 minutes to bring menus is not brilliant, even if it is busy.
We knew what we wanted and quickly ordered.
As we sat and chatted we overheard several service bungles play themselves out. Someone ordered a side bacon and was presented with a side of avocado — on avocado toast no less. Another person was presented with tea when they had ordered coffee.
Again, I’m not going to pretend to know what was going on behind the scenes. Were they short staffed? Was the customer at fault? Who knows. I just remember it didn’t fill me with confidence for our own order.
Thankfully our drinks (one standard and one flashy peanut butter hot chocolate) turned up after a further 20 minute wait.
The latter was decadent indeed! Whipped cream and crushed nuts sat atop an earthy mug. The hot chocolate itself tasted slightly of peanut butter and was pleasing to the taste, but left me wanting more. it was more watery than anything and I just wasn’t feeling it.
The husband agreed when I asked him about his.
It was about at this point a staff member came running out and presented him with two marshmallows before scooting back into the throng. I can imagine it must have been chaos in the kitchen!
We finished our drinks and chatted for another 20 minutes before we decided we would head inside to pay. The table-​service aspect may be a great idea on not-​so-​busy days but not today.
At a total order value of $ 12 it was very reasonably priced, but I just can’t see us making the effort to go back. Sorry Bitter Suite, I really wanted to like you!

I popped in for a catch-​up lunch with my mum today (she’s over from Perth. I am smiling constantly now. I’m still finding my way around New Farm so I jumped on Unilocal and decided to take a chance on Bitter Suite. Good call, I’m gonna say, good call.
I had a Willie Smith Cider (TAS) and mum had a dark beer from Colonial Brewing (WA). Both drinks were surprising and really enjoyable, but today the winner was the food.
What did we eat, I hear you ask? Well, let me tell you!
**TOP DISH**
Edamame with chilli and sesame
This may be the best thing I have ever put in my mouth. I’m not joking. Salty, spicy, rich and buttery. I love edamame when they’re hot. Whether you go in for beers or dinner or just water, you need to order these.
Breads
Three types of bread with pumpkin hummus and olive oil. Yum. Yum. Yum.
The flavours were really subtle and went really well with everything else we ordered.
Whole cauliflower
So, when you roast a whole cauliflower and cover it with cheese, it tastes like heaven. Heaven in a ramekin.
Chips with aioli
Standard. Thin and crispy shoestring fries with a little metal jug of aioli. (tip — dip them in the pumpkin or the cheese of the cauliflower)
Eggplant
Grilled and tender, I combined this with the cauliflower and I was suddenly in a vegetable medley dream.
Our order was a great vegetarian exploration of the menu and I’m very keen to go back and have dinner (and maybe let go and get something meaty. I know, crazy!)

Excellent food, excellent service. Excellent atmosphere. When you go, try the beer with the «Chilli «in it, yes chilli. Then after your meal relax on the couch with that special person. You must try the «Cuban Cigar «cocktail, It will kick your ass. This place is the best so far since I’ve started reviews.

Look at this face
I know the years are showing
Look at this Menu
I still don’t know where my appetite is going
I don’t know much
But I know I love this place
And that may be all I need to know.
Luckily for the good souls here, I don’t live in Brisbane but if I did, this would probably be my local. I would annoy them with my Jim Carey’s cable guy level of intense custom.
I normally don’t start off saying how good the staff are in a place but it really was the first thing you notice here. The waiter who was on that day in particular was outstanding. Good humored and most importantly looked like he actually wanted to be there.
Food was excellent AND… AND… They knew we were sharing and did out amounts for the amount of people there without us asking. Good selection of drinks, really interesting menu. We had the plowman’s, oysters and black pudding all of them excellent and fairly priced.
Perfect place to sit and graze and watch the world go by. A seriously slick operation for a small pub. When I come back to Brisvegas it’ll be one of the first spots I’ll haul ass back to.

Perfect for Breakfast. I love their Egg Benedict. Nice Area to sit with family or friends and have a coffee/​beakie

After weeks of driving past whilst on errands and gazing wistfully at the carefree diners at this New Farm local, I finally got the chance to grab some of their delicious tucker this weekend.
Located in a deceptively sleepy corner of Wellsby Street, this café /​bar /​restaurant is just meters from Merthyr Village, bus stops and the bustle of Brunswick Street. The old brick building with high ceilings has been gorgeously restored and brought to life with an eclectic mix of chandeliers and beer posters.
I sampled their lunch menu, opting for the banh mi and a lemon meringue shake.
The banh mi was tasty and came with fries although I may have missed out on its unique taste by requesting the pâté be removed. According to the waitstaff, the pâté is a featured flavour in that dish — so, despite being quite good, it may taste completely different if ordered as intended with the full ingredients list.
The real star of my meal was the lemon meringue shake. It actually tasted like a lemon meringue tart — complete with biscuit crumbs, gooey creamy lemon curd and meringue pieces. Oh gosh, I must have slurped it down in about thirty seconds flat. If it wasn’t terribly unhealthy for me, I’d make it a regular treat!
Price-​wise, it’s pretty standard for New Farm with most mains at lunch between $ 18 – 20. If you’re hunting for a bargain, there’s a weekly special of a main dinner meal with wine/​beer/​cider for $ 20 and I plan to check that out ASAP!

Great ambience. Wonderful beers available. The only problem was the disappointing food. Corned beef was tough and the vegetables were so few there was nothing to ease the pain. Please add some mash potato or similar. Same went for the daily special chicken.

A quick review …
It was worth going for the Peking Duck Pancakes and the Braised Goat.
The duck is every bit as good as you would expect.
The goat was AWESOME — yummo!
Would go back just for these 2 dishes.
The other food was good, but these were the standouts.
Then there was the Warm Apple Pie… mmmm.
This is a drink (not a dessert).
Very yummy indeed.

Pretty disappointed overall. I’ve had this on my list to visit for a while, among other little gastropub/​brunchy places in Brisbane. I’d heard good things about them catering to vegans, but didn’t have much luck on that front. The waitress had to check several times to clarify what was suitable, and then had to come back after I’d ordered to tell me that most of the vegetables were cooked in butter and that I’d need to change my order. So, I ended up with that most treasured of vegan fallbacks, salad minus the cheese. Consensus among the group (which also included a vegetarian and two omnivores) was that the food was tasty, but portions were a little small considering the price (except for the fries, which were plentiful and delicious.) Pros include good coffee and friendly service.

We dropped in here for a bit of a family dinner. For older families (I.e. Kids over 18) this place is great. It offers a good mix of bar/​pub atmosphere to keep the «kids» happy and a restaurant wine bar feel that keeps the parents happy. We were surprised by their choice of music on the night, a selection of 70’s rock hits that had young and old tapping along.
Now to the food, amazing is a word I would use to describe it. We shared some starters of bread and dips and suck pancakes. Both we tasty and moorish. The homus was the smoothest I have ever come across. We followed on with pork belly and a deconstructed spare ribs lasagne. This was one of the tastiest lasagne a I’ve ever had, there was not a scrap left on the plate once I was done and I would have licked the plate if I didn’t have some sort of decorum.
The drinks list is good, not massive but fits in with the style of the place. Finally to the service, great again! We were met by the manager who remembered speaking to my mum on the phone and continued on with a good old yarn. The two other wait staff we came across were attentive, up for a chat and laid back which made for a great relaxed dinner which is just what we were looking for. All in all a cool little place tucked away in a inner suburban street and Definately worth checking out again

Unfortunately I can only vouch for Bitter Suite’s drinks and nibbles, as I’ve not yet had their full on meals, but from what I can tell, I will be in for some really solid deliciousness the next time I come around to this place. Bitter Suite’s happy hours are pretty awesome for Brisbane proper, and they are located in quiet, breezy part of New Farm, away from the child-​oriented craziness that is New Farm Park on a Saturday afternoon. If you just want some nibbles to accompany your drink (pick from their great beer selection) their fries with southwest ranch aioli will hit the spot. Also, the staff is very friendly and smiling, which is always an added bonus.

We came to Bitter Suite for a little birthday get together for my partner. The guys in attendance are all homebrewers so it was fun for them to try all of the different beers, range of options, something for everyone.
Food was tasty. We ordered a few share plates and everyone had a meal. Of course, someone ordered the duck pancakes which were as delicious as the reviews claim.
It was a good ambiance for a little get together. We will be back.

I was really excited to try this place out after reading all the good reviews. Alas, this restaurant lived up to its name… First of all the brunch menu is very limited with only a handful of items to pick from AND the lunch menu only starts at 12:30pm on the weekends!
The food itself came out cold and didn’t look too appetizing. However, after waiting 45mins I was starving (and pretty much ready to start gnawing on my chair). They also messed up one of our orders. Seeing as the place wasn’t terribly busy, I was disappointed in the food and service. :/

Went here for brunch today and was really impressed. Being vegan, it can be difficult to eat at a non vegan restaurant however they were so accommodating and took time to go through menu options with me. I ended up with a great personalised meal, can’t wait to go back.

Had lunch here with the better half and a family friend. The staff were really friendly, the food were well priced and simply amazing! Great quiet atmosphere as well.
Already planning our next trip for more deliciousness: D

Good food, lovely service and a changing range of tap beers. Bitter Suite is a great place for a lazy Sunday breakfast, afternoon or dinner. Come with a friend and pick your way through the shared plates. I can recommend the charcuterie plate and the chilli beef on wedges or a breakfast wrap.
Located just around the corner from the Powerhouse, its an excellent way to finish off a night at the theatre.

For a birthday celebration, a group of us made our way to Bitter Suite, a lovely tapas restaurant with an extensive selection of handcrafted beers, the latter of which seems to be the attraction. The ambience takes on that of a bar, but with romantic touches here and there. The velvet brocade wallpaper was my favorite! When I made a booking here, they asked if I was going to the Powerhouse, so I’m assuming it”s a popular destination for those seeing a show.
Between the seven of us, we had several dishes to share, and I won’t bother describing each of them, but my favorite was definitely the Crispy Pork Terrine (12). I wasn’t sure what to expect, since terrine is usually a pâté of some sort, but this was a fried (?) patty of minced pork meat and bits. It was a bit fatty, but really tender and melted in our mouths. It was also the only dish we went for twice! The Roast Pumpkin (12) was also done pretty well — taste-​wise and presentation-​wise, and I liked the radish tzatziki. The Duck Pancakes (15) are the house special, but it wasn’t mind-​blowing, as it just tasted mostly like hoi-​sin sauce. The meat was tender, and the wrap wasn’t overly doughy, so it was decent, even though the presentation was a bit messy. The other dishes were just mediocre, but not terrible. (Pictures below!)
Those that had beer seemed to like what they chose, and the mixed drinks were also decent. I liked the classic mojito that Jess ordered, as they were very generous with the mint and I could smell it from across the table. (It wasn’t overwhelming though!) My Bitter Suite Sunset was also good — with grapefruit drinks always serving me well! After drinks, we were in search for dessert, as Bitter Suite’s choices were a bit limited and weren’t particularly appealing to the birthday girl, so we ended up taking a stroll…

It was a date night with the husband and this wife is a happy one. I may be what you would consider as a craft beer connoisseur, and coming from one of the best micro-​brew cities (San Diego), I’m just getting started dipping my feet into the Aussie world of craft beers.
The Bitter Suite offers a nice variety, categorizing into moods and tastes. They offer about 8 selections from the barrel, which I assume is «draft on tap» in other words. While they do not list it, they do offer flights of 4 oz beer for you to sample, just pick 4 from the barrel list.
The husband and I shared several options — the cheese plate with two options (they have up to 4), trio dips, lamb ribs, and cut fries with aioli. They do offer gluten-​free options, just be sure to mention it to the waitress. We ended up having gf toasts in place of what they would probably serve crackers for the cheeses and dips. The brea was very nice, but I do think they could toast it a little longer.
The fries with aioli is excellent for sharing. We couldn’t even finish it!
I’ll definitely come back for the beers, drinks, and the food!

Very cool pub in Brisbane that has a variety of micro beers and ciders and yummy food.
We shared a dipping plate with yummy bread, fries that were cut thin with aioli sauce and these potato wedges with beef and cheese. Those were supposed to be snacks but with the beer, we were pretty full.
Great place to hang out and have a few drinks.

Set at the New Farm Park end of New Farm, on the corner of Lamington Drive and Welsby Street, Bitter Suite is the newest restaurant incarnation in this space, and, from my first experience visiting Bitter Suite, I think it’ll be the one that sticks around for a while.
It goes without saying their main cause are the brews and with over 60 to choose from you may have to keep coming back just to get through them. You’ve got the ‘Angry Man’, the ‘Black Cockatoo’, ‘My Wifes Bitter’ or the ‘Ginger Kags’.
On this visit I was catching up with a group of friends for a casual get together and Bitter Suite provided the perfect setting. Taking advantage of the outdoor seating the outdoor heaters kept us toasty warm as our group enjoyed a brew or two. The pear ciders went down a treat.
The difficulty was deciding what to order from their Day-​to-​Night and Night Fall menus. We ended up ordering duck pancakes (just order them, they’re a party in your mouth), grilled haloumi, salt and vinegar squid and a bowl of fries. All were delicious. I also piked and ordered a flat white (Merlo).
The thing about Bitter Suite is its versatility. You can feel comfortable and confident in stopping by for a quick drink, staying for a long and lazy Sunday lunch, choosing it for a dinner date or a mid-​week breakfast. Plus, the barmen are part of the experience with their friendly demeanor and hipster features.