#bridge rd

MAY GOALS #2 OUT OF 10 VENUES

Since moving to Richmond, David and I have been eager to try out many different venues on Bridge Rd. So sorry not sorry for another well-deserved review of a cafe on Bridge Rd once again!

Minimal in style, Touchwood presents modern day urban living with the staples plus a little more. Situated around three doors down from the corner of Burnley St and Bridge Rd, this venue really doesn't offer much but in a good way. It's basic, clean, and simple. A place that I will definitely go to read, write, or study at one stage or another. It offers no distracting triggers to stray away from what needs to be done, a hub of productivity in all aspects of social and professional life. When we arrived, everyone seemed to be occupied with their task at hand and fully engaged, one of the key things I liked about the atmosphere of this place. With little distraction and a homely feel, getting shit done is made a whole lot easier. 

We met with two other for a quick breakfast before going about our busy days (or in my case, a day off :P). The usual coffees arrive (a soy and a double) made with their 5 Senses blend on a Black Three Group Synesso (I don't know about you, but a Black Synesso with wooden handles makes me weak at the knees....just give me a moment....okay, moving on). I thoroughly enjoyed the texture of the milk and the taste and strength of the extraction. Well executed, smooth, creamy, and well presented! 

Breakfast ordered, I continued to gander around and really get a feel for the vibe of the place. I don't know whether I've told you before, but I find that the atmosphere of a venue really affects how I feel. The people, the location, the layout, the music, and the decor are the most important aspects in my opinion. Keeping with the minimal theme throughout, the venue extends down like an old victorian house to a covered courtyard area. Although not "pretty", the vibe really reaches out to me. Kudos to you!

Now to the food. Smashed Avocado #1, Porridge, Waffles, and some grain dish (forgot the name, sorry bout it ;)). The smash was different to what most offer. Two slices of toast, smash avo, beetroot relish, pickled onions and a  grilled lime. Although a nice twist, I found it all a bit too acidic and would have liked something to balance with the heavy acidity that this dish offered. One piece of toast would have been fine also, but otherwise a satisfying dish. The porridge and some grain dish were both slightly large in size but really enjoyed by both! I wish I had ordered the waffle though. A thick and delicate waffle with a generous dollop of peanut butter mascarpone and drizzled with maple. I wouldn't ask for anything less. Well done Touchwood!

RATINGS

COFFEE: 8/10

FOOD: 6/10

SERVICE: 5/10

ATMOSPHERE: 8/10

A really nice place to remain undistracted. I love to go there on a busy weekend. But because I work in that industry I don't see that happening any time soon. Find their Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Steve xx

MAY GOALS #2 OUT OF 10 VENUES

Since moving to Richmond, David and I have been eager to try out many different venues on Bridge Rd. So sorry not sorry for another well-deserved review of a cafe on Bridge Rd once again!

Minimal in style, Touchwood presents modern day urban living with the staples plus a little more. Situated around three doors down from the corner of Burnley St and Bridge Rd, this venue really doesn't offer much but in a good way. It's basic, clean, and simple. A place that I will definitely go to read, write, or study at one stage or another. It offers no distracting triggers to stray away from what needs to be done, a hub of productivity in all aspects of social and professional life. When we arrived, everyone seemed to be occupied with their task at hand and fully engaged, one of the key things I liked about the atmosphere of this place. With little distraction and a homely feel, getting shit done is made a whole lot easier. 

We met with two other for a quick breakfast before going about our busy days (or in my case, a day off :P). The usual coffees arrive (a soy and a double) made with their 5 Senses blend on a Black Three Group Synesso (I don't know about you, but a Black Synesso with wooden handles makes me weak at the knees....just give me a moment....okay, moving on). I thoroughly enjoyed the texture of the milk and the taste and strength of the extraction. Well executed, smooth, creamy, and well presented! 

Breakfast ordered, I continued to gander around and really get a feel for the vibe of the place. I don't know whether I've told you before, but I find that the atmosphere of a venue really affects how I feel. The people, the location, the layout, the music, and the decor are the most important aspects in my opinion. Keeping with the minimal theme throughout, the venue extends down like an old victorian house to a covered courtyard area. Although not "pretty", the vibe really reaches out to me. Kudos to you!

Now to the food. Smashed Avocado #1, Porridge, Waffles, and some grain dish (forgot the name, sorry bout it ;)). The smash was different to what most offer. Two slices of toast, smash avo, beetroot relish, pickled onions and a  grilled lime. Although a nice twist, I found it all a bit too acidic and would have liked something to balance with the heavy acidity that this dish offered. One piece of toast would have been fine also, but otherwise a satisfying dish. The porridge and some grain dish were both slightly large in size but really enjoyed by both! I wish I had ordered the waffle though. Diabetes on a plate, perfect for breakfast. A thick and delicate waffle with a generous dollop of peanut butter mascarpone and drizzled with maple. I wouldn't ask for anything less. Well done Touchwood!

RATINGS

COFFEE: 8/10

FOOD: 6/10

SERVICE: 5/10

ATMOSPHERE: 8/10

A really nice place to remain undistracted. I love to go there on a busy weekend. But because I work in that industry I don't see that happening any time soon. Find their Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Steve xx

Even though I write a beer blog, I have never, and hope never to make any claim to being an expert on the amber nectar. In fact, the main purpose of this blog (and the reasoning behind the name) is to help  me (and by extension, hopefully my readers) to learn about beer. One thing that I find really interesting, and wish to learn more about is the difference between hop varieties. 

Fortunately, Bridge Road Brewers are here to help, with their Single Hop IPA series utilizing different hop varieties to highlight the differing flavours. Tonight, I'll be comparing and contrasting between the Stella, Galaxy and Summer variants, all named for the hop used in brewing. 

It made it quite easy that each beer highlighted a specific IPA flavour, with the Galaxy showing hoppy bitterness, the Stella focusing on aromatic flavours and the Summer demonstrating the art of subtlely balancing the malt flavour. 

I was quite surprised at the Summer-hopped IPA's malt profile. It was easily the maltiest of the lot, but you could definitely taste the subtle fruity citrus flavours of the hops. If you aren't a big hops fan (and there is nothing wrong with that), then chances are you'll appreciate this one the most. 

The Stella IPA is the most aromatic of the trio , giving off a delightfully fruity scent, reminiscent of orange, passion fruit and a bit of peach. I really enjoyed this one, and if you're a fan of floral hop aromas, then chances are you will too.

The Galaxy IPA was easily the bitterest of the three, with full on bitter hops packing quite the punch to the palette, but don't be fooled, there is a beautiful nose to this beer. Out of the three, this beer felt to me to be the 'hoppiest', mainly because the Galaxy hops had been used both for bitterness and aroma. 

Town Hall Pub Richmond

G-girl and I went out for a $12 steak at Town Hall Pub on Bridge Road in Richmond on Monday.

A thin steak in comparison to the other steak nights in the area but it came with yummy mash and beans and brocolli. Definetely better presented then the others and I was still full. Dunno how boys would go with this one. Prolly a bit too on the thin side for them. But still yum! and the other steak nights are mainly on Tuesday and Wednesday. So come here if you need a protein fix on Mondays! :P

They also have a $10 burger night on Tuesdays