Lizzy In Brizzy

The Joys of Living in Brisbane

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Cup Coffee

February 2nd, 2011 · brisbane, food

Cup Coffee

What : Cup Coffee

Where : 85 Russell Street, West End

Website : Cup Coffee

Joy Factor : Priceless

So I’m going to try blogging again which I stopped once I got employed. Having a job has many benefits such as being able to afford wonderful coffee on a daily basis. I work near the West End and used to commute from the Southern Brisbane suburbs. I used to get in super early around 8 am for a cup of coffee. Luckily around the same time in January, Cup Coffee opened its doors. I kind of just stumbled upon it, just looked like a cool low key place to hang out in the morning. I really liked it cause it was quiet, no line ups and nothing pretentious about it. Cup just served beautifully crafted and straight forward coffee. I’m by no means a ‘conoisseur’, I drink cappuccinos cause that is what my partner’s family drink. I was by no means picky, I just like bold coffee that isn’t bitter.

I was pretty silly back then and didn’t realize what a special find Cup was. I gradually learnt over time that cup roasts its own beans and strives for only an authentic taste. I learnt they have a special espresso machine called the slayer which is the only one of its kind in Queensland. I learnt the baristas are extremely talented and knowledgeable on all things coffee.

As impressive as Cup’s credentials, it really all comes down to the people. I really like the fact I feel , if only very distant, part of Cup’s culture. That is pretty far fetched, I know, but its nice to be greeted with a knowing smile and have a sense of community. There aren’t many other places in Brisbane besides my job and home where I feel welcome.  Cup does an extremely great job welcoming guests as part of their world. Naturally, I’m not that much of regular compared to some people. Cup has a devout group of followers who you always see there having a great time. As you can guess there is a guy with a macbook, a few cyclists and many who seem like fixtures as they are chatting with the staff.

I don’t go to Cup often enough anymore, I take the bus to work now so its a bit out of my way to get there. I keep telling myself to wake up earlier so I can get to Cup before work. I set the alarm earlier thinking tomorrow is the day I’ll start my day with a friendly cup encounter. Since I’m not a morning person, I usually don’t make it early in the morning. My spirit is willing but it just doesn’t happen.

This is officially the sappiest blog post I’ve ever written about a cafe but I wanted to put it out there cause I really like it.

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9 Things I learnt From the Gold Coast Food and Wine Show

January 31st, 2011 · food, shopping

9 Things I learnt From the Gold Coast Food and Wine Show

What : Gold Coast Food and Wine Show

Where : Gold Coast Convention Centre

Joy Factor : 7 ouf of 10

1. BE PREPARED – Bring your own hands free wine tasting glass and extra bags or trolley. Why? Because there are wine and food bargains to be had. Some things are as much as 40% off retail.

2. PLAN AHEAD – If you are planning to refill your wine stores, look at who is going to be at the show and plan what you know you’ll want to try or buy. After a day of tasting, it all starts tasting the same unless you know what you’re after.

3.  Know Your Limits - You would be very surprised how tipsy you can feel after tasting about a dozen wines especially in the heat of the exhibition floor.

4. Avoid The Prawn Peelers – Every exhibition has them, those annoying “as seen on tv” presenters. You know the people with their own voice projection systems selling mops, sham wows and unbreakable knives. I’m sorry if you bought one out of boredom but never ended up using them ever again.

5. Read the Program - This might seem obvious but I sucked out at this one. Look through the program and see if there are any presentations you might be interested in. I spent some time wandering around the food stalls not realising I could of been attending a masterclass on wine.

6. Be Aggressive – If you want to try something just go up and ask. Some stalls did seem a bit intimidating or stand off ish. But I learnt if you’re sincere and friendly you can try anything. Some wine sellers don’t seem to have any interests in the under 30 crowd but if you show up with a bag full of wine already they warm up pretty fast.

7. LIKE IT = BUY IT – You’d think it would be advantageous to wait till the end of the day to buy what you really like. I missed out on a marinade I adored because I went back too late. If its truly amazing then get it now or find out where the product is available so you can buy latter.

8. FRIENDS – If you have some bring them along for the fun. Its a great way to spend a day chatting and discussing what you liked and didn’t like. Instead of going for dinner afterwards, do lunch midday or sign up for a disgustation menu and make a day of it.

9. Come Early Leave Early – I hate to say it but attending a food and wine show is hard work. I think going early when the crowds are small and leaving when they get big is a good plan. There is only so much you can see and eat in a course of 4-5 hours.

Now I’m really excited for the Brisbane Food and Wine show in November. I just signed up for their newsletter so I can get in early and be part of that this year. I think if you follow these tips you’ll have a great day!

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Coffee Week! Let’s Get this Blog Jump Started!

September 20th, 2010 · brisbane, me, seinfeld observation

Cup Coffee Takeaway Coffee

So I thought I’d start Lizzy in Brizzy with a Bang this week. I’m committing myself to at least 3 posts a week to get the ball rolling again. I think I stopped posting because of nerves and pressure. I’m extremely critical of myself and didn’t want to open my self for criticism. But then I was like what’s the worst that can happen?

Naturally, I was a bit stuck where to start with these new posts. I think I’ll follow the same format as before Christmas. There will be Movie Mondays, Wednesday Pantry, maybe the odd book review and Website Frenzy Friday!

This week will henceforth be known as coffee week! If there is anything I’ve started drinking alot of besides beer is coffee. I’d love to share with you my favorite West End coffee stop, coffee maker, beans and my experience with coffee school. I even have a coffee cookbook, maybe I’ll try a recipe from there and share!

The joy factor meter will still remain and we might play with the layout and format a bit too. Contrary to the first paragraph I welcome your feedback and anything else you’d like to share.

On a personal update, the hire me page is a bit outdated. I now, shocker, work at as an internet consultant building other people’s sites and helping them make persuasive online presences. So the tone of the site might be a little more formal than before. But that’s just growing up and being a bit more conscious of what I put online.

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Im Back!

March 30th, 2010 · brisbane, me, things I've learnt

So I’ve been away from my blog! News is Im coming back wait for it. . .

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The 6th Asia Pacific Triennial Of Contemporary Art

January 10th, 2010 · brisbane

The 6th Asia Pacific Triennial Of Contemporary Art

Where : Queensland Art Gallery – Gallery of Modern Art

When : December 2009 to April 2010

Price : FREE!

Before Christmas, I told you about the excellent gift shop at the Goma so today I’m going to tell you about their current exhibition.  This exhibition I can confidently say is a crowd pleaser. You can take your partner who hates art and thinks most of it could be made by a 3 year old to this show. I’m sure all of us have a person in our lives that could care less about art and/or galleries as a whole. This show will engage anyone from young and old easily and I assure you will entertain.

So what is the jist of this show i’m ranting and raving about? There are over a 100 pieces of art from Asia, the pacific and Australia.  The themes are very broad ranging from music and technology to family and culture. Essentially its a little bit of this and a little bit of that. This is by no means an in depth review which could end up being an essay but just to highlight what I think really stands out and what many people will enjoy.

Zhu Weibing and Ji Wenyu’s “People holding flowers” is the iconic piece used by GoMA for the majority of the advertisements for this exhibition. It is really fun to look at , as it isn’t really an image or a painting. Its a large type of diorama with little men holding beautiful pink fuzzy flowers. It takes up a very large space and is very engaging. I wish you could just buy a little man holding a flower to take home. But you can’t, but you can stare at it and marvel as its beauty. Its on the ground floor and you can see it when you walk by the rooms from the hallway.

Another stand out work is Kohei Nawa’s “PixCell – Elk#2.” It is a giant stuffed Elf covered in glass bubbles. It is set up in a white room and really a stunning piece.

Well there are way too many amazing pieces to highlight, you’ll have to go and see it for yourself. It will be in Brisbane till February  2010, so pick up the guide and check it out.

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Last Minute Xmas Ideas : GoMA Gift Shop

December 19th, 2009 · Uncategorized

Last Minute Xmas Ideas : GoMA Gift Shop

Where : GoMA Shop

Price : $5 to $100

One of my favorite places to find a truly unique gift is the GoMA gift shop. I really love shopping here for one of kind totes, cards and books. I was recently looking for a book on Japanese Graffiti and there was a whole shelf to pick from. They have items that are based on exhibitions and past exhibitions like jewellery from the Easton Pearson exhibit.  The new Asia Pacific Triennial items are truly awesome, I’ve been debating buying the post cards to frame. It is such a modern and beautiful exhibition. They don’t really sell souvenirs, mostly just beautiful objects that will fit into anyone’s life. Why not buy the person you love a great object and maybe it will intrigue them to visit the GoMA. It could act as an introduction to a wonderful day together looking at the new show.

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Last Minute Xmas Ideas : Sigg Bottle

December 18th, 2009 · shopping

Last Minute Xmas Ideas : Sigg Bottle

What : SIGG Bottle

Where : Biome.com

Cost : $20 – $50

One of my biggest troubles in Australia in the summer is dehydration. I have been struggling with this since I first arrived. I went to the Doctor last week for a physical and turns out , you guessed it, i’m dehydrated. The truth is I don’t really like drinking that much water. I’m not a big fan of having to go pee every hour. But apparently you should be drinking 1.5L to 2 L a week to be a healthy functioning person. So if you have to drink that much water you might as well drink it in style and help the environment too. I’ve owned a sigg bottle for over two years and have zero complaints. They have a special liner that lets you put juice and pop in them. They’re easy to clean and you can get a variety of accessories for them. I personally really like the sport top for easy drinking. They’re pretty much the best water bottle you can buy and come in a huge variety of styles, colors and sizes. They’re a bit pricy but I think well worth it. They’re one of those things that you won’t replace until you’re like me and want a different style or color.

Another Idea I have, is you could buy a simple white or solid colored sigg then customize it by buying a decal from www.wedecal.com .  Then you could put your loved ones name on it so they’ll never lose it.  Believe me, a sigg attracts a lot of attention and you want to make sure people know its yours. Wedecal.com offers heaps of fonts and colors plus express shipping to get your decal on your bottle and to your loved one by Christmas.

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Last Minute Xmas Gift Idea : Stinky Chicken

December 17th, 2009 · shopping

Last Minute Xmas Gift Idea : Stinky Chicken

What: Stinky Chicken

Where : Bigfish.tv

Price : $40

Joy Factor : Priceless

Do you have a super hard trendy person on your shopping list this year? You want to get them something one of a kind but don’t know where to start. Are you intimidated by trendy shops where you just feel uncool to shop at? Well I’m one of those people who is easily intimidated by certain shops. Have no fear Stinky Chicken is here! No one will already own this chicken in their lives and it is certainly a one of a kind gift. He is cute in a unique way and I love the one I own. I recently purchased two for a relative overseas for her children. So if you want a gift that is truly unique, try a stuffed stinky chicken. NO ONE will see it coming.

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It’s Not a BBQ! It’s a BABY Q!

December 13th, 2009 · food, shopping

It’s Not a BBQ! It’s a BABY Q!

Yesterday, my partner and I wandered down to BBQ Galores to check out BBQs. The funny thing is we ended up walking away with one ( don’t worry we didn’t steal it, we bought it). We got a Weber Baby Q and tank as an introduction to the wonderful world of outdoor cooking.

We brought our baby home and set it up on the patio. The first thing we tried was just grilling bread to make sure the grill worked.  Then latter that night we invited a friend over and cooked some steak, mushrooms and potatoes on the grill. I can already tell we are going to use it for everything possible, its a lot of fun to use.

Overally, I’m very impressed with the Baby Q, it came with a 5 year warranty and is super easy to use. Its easy to clean because the grill comes right out and it has a nice drip pan underneath. At the moment the lowerst setting on the Baby is a bit hot. I think over time as it ages it won’t burn so hot, but right now it is an inferno. The best part about the Baby is the size, you can easily carry it to put it away inside and we have big plans to take is camping or on picnics. No more slow public grills for us, we will be eating while others slave away for their grills to heat up.

I’m also really impressed with the huge selection on Weber accessories you can get for the Baby q. There is everything from cookbooks, to breakfast plates to a little LED light for dark evening cooking. I can’t wait to accessorize our baby and make it super awesome.

I’m sure there will be many a blog post about our BBQ ‘ing’ adventures but right now we are in love with it.

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Review : Biome CBD

December 12th, 2009 · brisbane

Review : Biome CBD

What  : Biome

Where : 215 Adelaide Street (near Post Office Square)

Joy Factor : 7 out of 10

The more I go into the city and wander, the cooler things I find. One of the true gems I keep coming back to is Biome on Adelaide. I like the idea of green products but sometimes I don’t like where they’re sold or the stereotypes attached to them. I’ve been to a few Eco green style shops that smell funny, merchandise is poorly displayed  and you feel out of place without dreadlocks/insert bad hippy stereotype here.

Biome is truly a breath of fresh air and I’m so happy I stumbled upon it. They offer a truly life encompassing range of products from environment cleaners to green cutting boards for the kitchen to children’s products. I was particularly impressed with their Sigg bottle collection which I’m  a big fan of. I’ve had a Sigg for a few years and love it to death. I also really appreciated the eco friendly Christmas decorations and gift ideas.

Some things I’m very eager to try are the Beer Shampoo from Tasmania, their mineral make up line and to peruse their books more.  They have a wicked awesome online store which has so much to offer.  I just feel like environmentally oriented stores have come so far recently to look like any other stylish and trendy store. Biome really exemplifies this and made me feel really welcome. I could of spent easily 30 mins in there browsing for Christmas ideas because when I got home I checked their online store. I felt like I had barely seen anything they offer in the store.

So next time you are looking for something really cool, unique and above all ‘green’ check it out and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I don’t think you need to go all out ‘green’ in your life, but a little something here and there never hurts.

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