Belle Epoque - Bracken Ridge Australia

After our Sushi lunch I need a strong beverage. We walk over to Belle Èpoque and are served immediately by the friendly Barista. The Vittoria coffee here is always good! <br/ <br/ We sit at one of two al fresco tables watching people coming and going. Our coffees arrive after 5 minutes. My large double shot Cafe Latte is hot and strong with a beautiful aroma. It hits the spot! Paul’s Flat White comes with an unusual amount of foam but he says the coffee is good! <br/ <br/ The Emporium Hotel has been sold. We hope this little French Cafe will survive any redevelopment.

I meant to explore a particular café at the Fortitude Valley but it was too early and they not opened yet. Then I have to change my mind and drove to the Emporium and tried my luck. Well, there would be some café opened very early like this French style café. Attached to the Emporium Hotel, it looks great and grand. By the look at the cake cabinet, there are lots of choice of sweet treats and wraps but I think I should have the croissant in a French café so ordered one of that and told the friendly staff not to toast the croissant because I worried it would become a pressed bread. Well, the croissant came to the table before the coffee because it was just plain without warm up, not to mention the butter and jam. Asked the waiter to give me some butter and jam. Honestly, not quite enjoy croissant in a breezing morning but I was too lazy to ask them to warm it up. Fortunately, the coffee saved my day, that was partly because the pouring skill of the barista is good and also partly because the strength of the Vittoria coffee was spot-on for my palate. Anyway, I will remember to ask them to warm up the croissant next time.

A lot of the menu items are bought in but the place has a great feel and the food is good. Cute tables and chairs give Belle Époque the feel of a French cafe. Sip a latte and nibble on a vanilla slice as a decadent afternoon tea. They do breakfast as well. Located in the Emporium.

Their Blueberry Pistachio and Rose Cheesecake Tart has a very nice combination in terms of the food texture. The crumble on top goes really well with the cheesecake cream and blueberries underneath. (I'm an apple crumble fan! I often find a lot of patisserie super sweet, which I always stopped eating half way. But this tart is different, the cheesecake cream and blueberries are slightly sour, yet it maintains a desirable amount of sweetness. Just absolutely amazing!

I last wrote a review for Belle Epoque when they were in the Valley. They have now relocated to Southbank with a much larger venue very much more chic. The sweets are works of art, but I almost always choose their almond croissant as they are my favourite. This one didn't disappoint, was flaky, light filled with rich almond paste topped with flaked almonds. The coffee was also very good, presented well in a black cup with great flavor