Lady Lamington, Fortitude Valley

Coco Pops with Baileys and vanilla cream for breakfast?  I was sorely tempted but it's only available after 10am at Lady Lamington, Brunswick Street's newest queen.



What else to do with a century old church but turn it into a cafe and bar? Perched above the street on the corner of Malt and Brunswick, Lady Lamington is the new venture of Jaye Ellam who hails from Melbourne's restaurant scene.

The cafe is named after Lady Lamington, wife of the eighth governor of Queensland, Lord Charles Lamington, in residence from 1895 -1902.

There's a story that lamingtons were invented by her French chef, Armand Galland, when faced with an unexpected influx to Government House, all expecting afternoon tea.  Dipping day old sponge cake into a chocolate mix and then coconut must have been extremely inventive in those days and it's surely stood the test of time.

Is Lady Lamington Cafe heading down the same road with their Coco Pops and Baileys offering?  Will it be around in another 100 years? Only time will tell.



The cafe is a way cute spot, decked out with antique chandeliers and a wide variety of seating options.  The large communal tables work for family groups or couples but the window bench is my choice.  Here you get to watch the passing parade which on Sunday morning included some very buff runners, working up a sweat as they passed by wearing only shorts. Ah hem!



Back to the menu - Act 1 - breakfast includes some non typical offerings like a plain old boiled egg with buttered toast soldiers and sweet french toast with grilled peach, chantilly cream and spiced maple.  I chose that and loved the spicy notes.  K2 went for banana bread which was - well - banana bread.

The menu is filled with light offerings perfect for regular consumption so you could consider making this your local.



The coffee is Black Sheep and I liked it.

Upstairs is a large open bar area that looks like it would be a treat on a warm summer evening.  It's available for functions as well.



The place was being hammered when we visited and that combined with some new staff meant service was patchy and slow, although friendly and polite.  These are problems that will surely be sorted out as the cafe matures.

Bottom line:  New, innovative and worth trying.

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