Week 22: Highgate Hill to River Bar (12km, 71min)

A few accommodations were made for the run this weekend.  With a birthday boy in the house, we decided on a little sleep in and a shorter distance.  In the spirit of birthdays, we pumped up on a pre-emptive loading of glycogen, via a solid portion of birthday Rocky Road before departing.  It was The Husband (birthday boy), Milly (happy Labrador) and I en route.  The departure was too late for Bronwyn, who has usually completed 15km, put on 2 loads of washing, and attended a basketball game before heading out to work.
The trail was one of my favourites starting along beneath the Kangaroo Point Cliffs.   The first kilometre was the slowest split we have ever achieved, exacerbated by the multiple comfort stops for the dog.  Our well-trod path was via Kangaroo Point Cliffs, through to the Story Bridge Hotel and up the stairs on the eastern side of the bridge.  We enjoyed the gentle slope from the bridge down Bowen Terrace and onto the river front, through Merthyr Park.  The river frontage here is some of the best in Brisbane, the combination of grass and shady trees is beautiful.  It’s a small hop past the Legless & Limbless Club to New Farm Park where the free Tai Chi session at New Farm Park was in full swing with a large diverse crowd.  Milly tried to break in to show them how the Downward Dog should be done.
To return to the city, we kept on the river walk and floating walkway. Where else would one want to be on one of Brisbane’s balmy winter days?
As a dining destination, the River Bar is location, location, location. Well patronised, and open for all meals, it is a great spot to while away some time in the river city. In summer, it is best at night, but for a winter morning, an idyllic spot to soak in the warm rays.  I will hope, however, that it performs better for lunch and dinner than it did for breakfast.  My toasted smoked salmon panini with ricotta, capers and rocket was a disappointment. The salmon looked pale and dry, combined with the ricotta, was chalky. I gave most of it to Milly (who declared it was delicious).  The Husband’s poached eggs, sourdough, bacon and tomato was tasty but unlikely to woo me back for more than wine and the view.  The coffee was reportedly cool & watery and poorly rated by the husband.  Perhaps you can serve mediocre and tasteless food when you possess such picture-perfect real-estate?  If rating is on food alone, River Bar sits at the end of the cafés visited by BOTR so far.

Salmon panini

Poached eggs

Week 21: Highgate Hill to Café Anesis, Yeronga (16km, 1hr 50min)

Cafe Anesis

However tempting it is to sleep in, a public commitment and the threat of Bronwyn arriving on the door step, were the motivation I needed to get out of bed in the cold and dark today.  Despite curtailing my wine intake and retiring at a reasonable hour, I was a little weary, having kept one ear open for the nocturnal returns of my chicks after their respective night time activities. Now I appreciate all those attentive years from my parent’s perspective.  “Is that you?”, would come the voice from the dark, noting my tip-toeing entrances (Usually it was my Mum. Perhaps fathers are more pragmatic and recognise the futility of staying awake?). Little did I understand that a parent’s slumber is never truly sound until everyone is home safely.
There were no speed records this morning.  It’s taken me all week to recover from my efforts last weekend. Bronwyn and I enjoyed a good catch up, while leaving some reserve to cheer on the Queensland Firebirds going up against the Sydney Swifts today.

The Husband gave us a 15 minute handicap and was left reviving himself with coffee.  We followed some familiar territory to the top of the Eleanor Schonell Bridge.  The sun was starting to rise as we took a left turn on the river and followed the path, looping through the University of Queensland, past the student residences.  All was quiet on Sir William Macgregor Drive onto the Esplanade. We took a left fork onto a bush trail, for an enjoyable kilometre stretch of the river to Meiers Road.  We followed Harts road and over the Indooroopilly Bridge, then back along the river towards the Tennyson Tennis Centre.  From the tennis centre, we made our way, as the crow flies, to our breakfast destination.
Anesis Café is on the corner of Kingsley Parade and Ellesmere Street.  I have noticed this Café in my previous ramblings, as well patronised and conveniently open for the early morning exerciser.  The warmth inside and cosy lounges was a welcome respite from the brisk morning air.  Bronwyn and I both ordered the Huevos Flamencos: Homemade baked beans, chorizo, and soft eggs, topped with crumbles of feta and Ciabatta. The meal was heart-warming and delicious but could come with a garlic warning!  I am confident in my current level of protection from the plague and too much attention.  The Husband enjoyed his simple and tasty, bacon and scrambled eggs.  This café is self-deprecating with orders taken at the counter and serve-yourself water; the meals are robust in flavour and value-for-money; and the accompanying coffees were perfect.  This is good food at the right price and is a nice reminder that the “keeping it simple” philosophy always has a place in the BOTR meanderings.

Huevos Flamenco

Bacon and eggs

Week 20: City to South then Gertrude and Mabel Café (14km, 71min)

Tea with medal

I have a confession to make. Last year I entered the City to South fun run and was
unable to race. My daughter Caitlyn took my place and set a cracking pace resulting in me qualifying for a red bib this year (sub 75min).  Standing at the start line this morning with the other red runners around me was a little overwhelming.  I was a green runner (sub 90min) in disguise and out of my comfort zone.  The others from our ‘Breakfast on the Run’ trio were back in the sensible green section.  This was the serious end of the race pack. This is where Jon and Emma usually stand!  Last checks of Garmans (which I don’t have), calf and thigh stretches (which I did do), readjustment of Skins (which I don’t have), and revisions of race plans (which I don’t have), and we were off.  No walking or easing into this event.  It was straight into a sprint up George Street in the city then a left turn across Victoria Bridge.  No time for site seeing.  I was merely trying to keep up with the mass. We wove through the Cultural Centre onto Montague road then looped onto the Go Between Bridge. The roads were all closed, so we remained on Coronation Drive then onto Gailey Road at Toowong.  Was that seriously only a 6km marker?  I think some green runners caught up with me on Sir Fred Schonell Drive and passed me in quick succession.  Sir Fred’s wife, Eleanor loomed ahead, at least the bridge named after her.  The 11km mark was after the Bridge on Gladstone road then a hill climb towards Dornoch Terrace.  The last kilometre is a delightful descent on Hampstead Road to Musgrave Park for an exhausting personal best time.  It is a very pretty run if you have energy to revel in the passing scenery.

Breakfast board

Runners sprinted to the finish line and we all assembled and made our way back up to Highgate Hill and the cutely named, Gertrude and Mabel Café, named after two streets on Highgate Hill.  The endorphin highs of success remained in an elevated state as we selected our meals and marvelled in the plates as they arrived at the table. I soon discovered that, along with loving Greek for dinner, it is equally enchanting for Breakfast.  A few of us ordered the breakfast board of bacon, 8 min egg,  loukaniko (a very tasty pork  based herb sausage) and fasolatha  (white beans and sweet salsa), avocado, blistered tomatoes and roasted mushrooms with a side of hollandaise.  Each component of the board was delicious and is in my top 5 breakfast meals so far.  Jess ordered the avocado, cherry tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil and black bread with 8 minute egg, drizzled with olive oil.  Jon, my fellow red runner who disappeared at the start to remain at the front of the pack had 8 minute eggs (cooked long enough for him to have run more than two kilometres!), bacon, blistered tomatoes, bread and house made hollandaise.  Did I mentioned how delicious the hollandaise was?.
Gertrude and Mabel Café is a special location to share a meal with friends. Kalí̱ órexi̱

Jess's choice

Bacon and eggs

Week 19: Highgate Hill to Gauge Café -6 Bridges run (14km, 78min)

We’re doing the City to South, 14km, fun run next week, therefore, decided to replicate the distance this morning.  For additional amusement, we embarked on a mission to cross the Brisbane River 6 times, and to maintain a faster pace as compared to the previous few weeks.  Each goal was achieved.
My favourite bridge is the Eleanor Schonell, spanning from Fairfield to the University of Queensland.  Not only preferred because of the downhill easy run from East to West,  the green leafy surrounds of the University of Queensland makes it feel like you are on an island, not at the gate of a major city.  We followed the river along familiar terrain through St Lucia and the hill climbs past Guyatt Park, following the shared cycle route towards Coronation Drive.  We ascended and descended our second Bridge, the Go Between. The Go Between is a more functional construction without the unique features of some of the other crossings.  It was a brief weave past the old Pauls’ milk Factory and then a climb up the old steel stairs of our third bridge, the elegant William Jolly Bridge. It was opened in 1932 as the Grey Street Bridge and later renamed in memory of the first Lord Mayor of Brisbane (not sure we’ll be requesting any renaming to Newman Bridges).  We stayed up on the North Quay roadway and made our way up Tank Street to our fourth crossing, the Kurilpa Bridge.  I was busy contemplating the principles of tensegrity as I crossed; a synergy between balanced tension and compression components to create a light structure which is incredibly strong (as stated in Wikipedia).  Not feeling particularly light or strong, we powered along the boardwalk in front of GOMA to our fifth, the Victoria Bridge.  The current bridge is merely utilitarian, being an early example of 1970’s pre-stressed concrete.  The cycle path under the expressway along the river towards the Botanic Gardens appears a little dingy, but is only a brief stint before opening out near the Queensland University of Technology for our sixth and my second favourite span, The Goodwill Bridge. This is a very popular route for pedestrians and cyclists and is an attractive creation within the city scape.

Avocado

Smoked Kingfish

Gauge is a new café on Grey Street opposite the Museum.  After reading a positive
write-up in the local paper and noting its early opening hours of 7am, it seemed like a reasonable proposition.  The menu reads enticingly with the promise of something a little different.  Bronwyn ordered the Smoked Kingfish with spiced pearl barley, soft egg and topped with parsley ($18).  She advised the dish, was a tasty mix of subtle flavours. It was a positive report from Caitlyn for her Avocado, house sourdough, Japanese spice mixture (togarashi) and lemon ($10).  I tried the cucumber kimchi, house seeded bread, soft egg, cured pork cheek, skyr and confit heirloom tomatoes ($18).  It was a delicate assembly of components in the dish, all very enchanting but not something to sustain for long.  The heirloom tomatoes were a sweet highlight.  We all agreed the food was very good, but portion sizes may disappoint the runner’s appetites.  Fortunately for us, we had capacity to try the pastries, tantalisingly positioned on the front counter.  The pastries were as good as they looked:  fluffy; melt in the mouth with delicious fruit and custard fillings.  With friendly, professional service, great food and a simple, stylish interior, the Gauge has been a welcome addition to our café musings

Cucumber Kimchi

Pastries