Dandelion & Driftwood - HENDRA

Love this place, I'm a regular. Scones are soooo good and the coffee is faultless, and there are lots of options for all types of coffee palates. Staff are lovely, just gets very busy at times which can be frustrating as there is limited seating. But, can combat that by trying to come at offpeak times where possible.

I rarely touch base on the Northside, but hearing all the great comments from friends about Dandelion and Driftwood, how could I resist not popping in for a visit? With that being said, I was meeting up with foodie Tomcat for a breakfast catch up. Located inside the residential areas of Clayfield, is Dandelion and Driftwood (plenty of street parking, no problems!). The cafe has an elegant yet somewhat antique furnish. Unique shaped vases are placed on each table containing fresh colorful flowers. Wooden tables and floral patterned cushion chairs give out nice touches of comfort and coziness.  The staff here are friendly and provide service with confidence. They are knowledgeable about their products and are happy to explain the types of food choices (recommendations) as well as the four different brews they offer, to ensure you select the bean suitable for your palate.  The menu here is quite extensive, which means for a person like myself who is very indecisive, is a disaster. After flipping the menu back and forth for some time, I decided to order the Eggs Benny and a Flat White. My dining companion settled with the recommendation from a staff and went with the Smoko Time Waffle, and a Syphon Coffee. Coffee: The Flat White was presented with a lovely double swan latte art. I selected the Driftwood blend which gave out hints of citrus notes as well as chocolate fused with caramel flavors. A smooth blend that left a lasting bitterness on the palate after every sip. The only downside for me was the coffee being served lukewarm. Unfortunately, I did not get a taste of the Syphon Coffee but according to Tomcat, he thoroughly enjoyed the beverage. Food: Starting with the Smoko Time Waffles ($20) containing, off the bone leg ham, cream cheese, rockets and topped off with shallots and cracked pepper. The savory waffles were made soft. Cream cheese was smooth and a good portion of leg ham was given. Although I appreciate the meal being on the lighter side, I found the dish lacking flavors overall. The second breakfast was the Eggs Benny ($21). Presented on sourdough toast, smoked ham off the bone, spinach, free range eggs, hollandaise sauce and finished with spring onions and cracked pepper. Neatly presented on the dish containing nice flavors. However, disappointed the eggs weren't served poached and the sourdough was dry making it hard to cut through.  Based on the quality of food served, I could not justify the value being $42 (just food alone).  Our breakfast experience was disturbed by the number of flies within the cafe. Constantly waving our hands in front of our faces made the experience a nerve-racking one and was really hard to enjoy the food. Good Stuff: An interesting selection of coffee's to choose from. Worth a try!

I rarely touch base on the Northside, but hearing all the great comments from friends about Dandelion and Driftwood, how could I resist not popping in for a visit? With that being said, I was meeting up with foodie Tomcat for a breakfast catch up. Located inside the residential areas of Clayfield, is Dandelion and Driftwood (plenty of street parking, no problems!). The cafe has an elegant yet somewhat antique furnish. Unique shaped vases are placed on each table containing fresh colorful flowers. Wooden tables and floral patterned cushion chairs give out nice touches of comfort and coziness.  The staff here are friendly and provide service with confidence. They are knowledgeable about their products and are happy to explain the types of food choices (recommendations) as well as the four different brews they offer, to ensure you select the bean suitable for your palate.  The menu here is quite extensive, which means for a person like myself who is very... read more

Dandelion and Driftwood has been the Tomcat family pit stop to Airport/DFO for many years. Their extensive coffee bean selection, brewing method and attention to detail has attracted a following within and beyond Brisbane. The French Provence inspired design and the use of fresh floral brings a bright and welcoming vibe to this establishment. Coffees are great but how about their food? With that question in mind, I caught up with café girl Imco for weekday breakfast. After reviewing their well presented savoury menu and beverage offerings, we ordered: twin rivers of gold ($21), smoko time waffle ($20), syphon coffee ($7) and a flat white ($4).  Syphon coffee with single origin Nicaragua beans was prepared first. Syphon is a glass vacuum coffee maker which brews coffee using two chambers where vapor pressure and vacuum produce coffee. This method of brewing has been around since the 18th Century and yields a clean coffee with pronounced flavours. The cup of goodies presented today showed strong fruity aroma with hints of black fruits. Taste was mild, fruity with a near clean finish and minimal bitterness. This coffee is not for everyone but to me its a near perfect cuppa. 4.5/5 The flat white was up next with a beautifully presented latte art. Driftwood bean blend was selected and showed a strong molasses and hints of fruity after taste. The brew was on the smooth side but has a slight lingering bitterness. A minor let down however, was the near lukewarm temperature served. 3.5/5 The food arrived within 15min so lets start with the smoko time waffle. The savoury waffle contains off the bone leg ham, rockets and creamy cheese white sauce all topped with chopped scallions and cracked black pepper. The waffle was eggy, fragrant with scallions and buttery soft. The fillings complemented the waffle well and seasoned to perfection. A letdown however was near flavourless ham. 3.5/5 Twin rivers of gold consists smoked ham, spinach, fried eggs (sunny side up), hollandaise sauce and spring onions all on top of sourdough bread. Simply speaking, its an egg benedict. The dish was well presented with a row of crushed mixed spice and greens. The dish was well flavoured but let down by the tough sourdough bread and thin ham flavours. 3/5 Overall service was fabulous as always. The staff was friendly, patient and very attentive. The head barista Ellie showed true passion and knowledge with menu items and can recommend coffee bean blends based on preferred tastes. 4.5/5 The breakfast experience was overshadowed by the large quantity of flies inside the café. We were shooing flies the whole time which made the experience a nerves and unresting one. Hint: give their alternative syphon, aeropress, chemex and drip coffee brew a go. It really is an educational experience. Sweet desserts sampled so far has been a 3.5/5 on average.

Dandelion and Driftwood has been the Tomcat family pit stop to Airport/DFO for many years. Their extensive coffee bean selection, brewing method and attention to detail has attracted a following within and beyond Brisbane. The French Provence inspired design and the use of fresh floral brings a bright and welcoming vibe to this establishment. Coffees are great but how about their food? With that question in mind, I caught up with café girl Imco for weekday breakfast. After reviewing their well presented savoury menu and beverage offerings, we ordered: twin rivers of gold ($21), smoko time waffle ($20), syphon coffee ($7) and a flat white ($4).  Syphon coffee with single origin Nicaragua beans was prepared first. Syphon is a glass vacuum coffee maker which brews coffee using two chambers where vapor pressure and vacuum produce coffee. This method of brewing has been around since the 18th Century and yields a clean coffee with pronounced... read more