Two years ago when I was a full time Fortitude Valley dweller, breakfast was synonymous with Depot Emporium, but since making the move to the other side of the river, I don’t get to the Valley half as much as I’d like to. When invited to breakfast last week with my friend JC, who also used to spend a lot of time in the New Farm / Valley area, we both insisted that breaky at Depot was well overdue.
The Emporium complex hasn’t changed much since my last visit – as I pulled into the last remaining car space I was flanked on both sides by a fancy Mercedes, behind me was a shiny new Porsche 911 Turbo and before I knew it, my little blue Mazda was suffering an inferiority complex. I sashayed over to the table where my friend was sipping his coffee and my mouth began watering at the thought of some crispy bacon and poached eggs Depot style.
The café was unusually quiet. 99% of my visits to Depot have involved waiting to be seated due to the vibrant venue being so popular, but always, always, always having my coffee/drink order taken immediately. So how is it, that on a quiet day, they couldn’t manage to take my drink order until 10mins after I took my seat? And then another 15mins to have our breakfast orders taken? The wait staff were sluggish and could barely muster up the energy for a smile.
As I glanced around the fresh, sunny, alfresco-style premises to see if I could find Sam (the charismatic owner) floating around, my friend blurted out “I know what you’re thinking – Sam’s not here, he sold the business”. Arrgh! No wonder there were empty seats and the wait staff looked like a pen to the eye would be more enjoyable!
I sank into my seat and wondered how my much anticipated breakfast would be enjoyed…my animated mood was quickly fading.
Surprisingly, my skinny chocolate milkshake came back quite promptly in the old fashioned stainless steal milkshake mug, but to my disappointment it was only half-full. My eggs were perfectly poached, however, the bacon was fatty and not crispy as I had requested. JC’s hash browns looked plump, home made and tasty, and he was happy with his eggs. The coffees were creamy and kicked as a good coffee should.
So the food is still ok, but the ambience and service was poor and disappointing. What was once a buzzing, lively, well managed venue for breakfast, lunch and dinner seems to have fizzled and faded with the change of hands, to be yet another mediocre place to dine in one of Brisbane’s most happening suburbs. What a shame I’ve had to NOT Depot Emporium.
If you want to read about the HOT we previously gave Depot, click here.
- Depot Emporium, Shop 31, 1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley +61 7 3666 0188
That was disappointing. However, we can’t go back in time. Time to find new places!
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