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Just Open: The Blockhouse Eat/Drink, Nundah, Brisbane

Natascha Mirosch

New kid on the block: The Blockhouse Eat/Drink.
New kid on the block: The Blockhouse Eat/Drink.Robert Shakespeare

Angel and Oliver Markart, owners of the well-regarded Workshop Cafe in Redcliffe, have opened a new venue closer to the city in suburban Nundah, along with friend and business partner Jerome Dalton, of Dalton Hospitality.

The Blockhouse Eat/Drink opened quietly on Thursday. Oliver Markart, a former co-owner of the Continental Cafe in New Farm, says he's unconcerned about the Blockhouse's deeply suburban position.

"We are an open door for the locals. It's nice to be out of if a bit, it means it's a more relaxed environment and people can walk their dogs and pop in for a coffee or glass of wine. And we're very close to the train station so we expect to get a lot of commuter traffic."

Beef cheek slow-cooked for 18 hours.
Beef cheek slow-cooked for 18 hours.Robert Shakespeare
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The all-day eatery is split by a walkway with a room on the right housing the kitchen plus coffee machine for takeaway Single Origin Roasters coffee, while the other side has an eat-up bar and tables.

A simple "toast and oats" menu is available weekdays, with an expanded breakfast menu on weekends.

Chef Brenton Gordie​ (ex Salt, Rosalie) has most recently been cooking aboard charter yachts in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. His menu has a pan-European influence, from sardines baked in a Portuguese-style tomato sauce to 18-hour beef cheek and baccala with sliced roasted potatoes.

Cognac glazed pork sausage with baguette is sold by the metre in the evenings (25cm $12; 50cm $16; metre $23), along with share plates such as whole baked flathead, and braised venison neck with white beans and chestnut puree.

"We don't want to be seen as serving any particular type of food, but we are trying to tie everything in with our wine list, which has wine from Portugal, Spain, Chile and Argentina as well as Australia and New Zealand," Markart says.

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The house cocktail is a "Killer Bee" espresso martini made with their own coffee roast. While Blockhouse is licensed until midnight, Markart says he'll wait to see what local demand dictates.

Open daily, breakfast 7.30am-11am; lunch noon-3.30pm; dinner 5.30pm-late.

The Blockhouse Eat/Drink, shop 6/10, 130 Ryans Road, Nundah, no phone, no bookings

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