Tom During day 2 of our travels in Brisbane, we decided to do the suburbs. Suburbs are small little townships outside of Brisbane city itself. This time, we visited the Brisbane suburbs of Paddington, Sunnybank, West End and Chermside to check out the sights, sounds and food!
Brisbane Paddington Antique Centre
As we were staying close to Lutwyche City, we took a short walk to Marché du Macaron, famous for their, well…MACARONS! (Yes, that was Kate shouting…)
As with the donuts from Nodos, the macarons from Marché du Macaron are really EXPENSIVE! It was $4 per macaron! :O Moreover, there’s only 2 seating areas outside the outlet of Gordon Park. Hence, you can’t really chill around the cafe either. Nonetheless, we must say that the macaron is really good. Crisp on the bite, coupled with delicious fillings of lime milkshake (our favourite), jaffa, chocolate mint and lemon. If you were to visit, we’d recommend the orange dotted muffin (large enough to share), coffee and the lime milkshake macaron. Mm mm…
Marché du Macaron
Address: 97 Thistle Street Gordon Park, Brisbane.
Opening Hours: 7am to 2pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), 8am to 2pm (Sundays), Closed on Mondays
Our first stop was Paddington. Paddington is actually an up and coming suburb, north west of Brisbane. There are several small fashion boutiques, cafes and of course, the Paddington Antique Centre which we wanted to visit. We took bus 375 from Lutwyche and arrived at Paddington slightly before 10am. The bus ride costs $3.25 per person.
As we were slightly early, we headed over to Trammies Corner to rest and take in the morning breeze (and sunshine!). Trammies Corner is a tribute to tram drivers who used to frequent the area and are recognized as pioneers that helped to bring in commercial activities and build up the township. After our little rest stop, we headed over to Paddington Antique Centre (Also known as Empire Revival) which opens at 10am.
If you’re looking for antiques in Australia/Brisbane, the Empire Revival Paddington Antique Centre is a great place to visit. Due to its size, there were quite alot of items on display. Wonder when it would be time for Singapore to have its own antique shops (ala Pickers)…
Paddington Antique Center (Empire Revival)
Address: 167 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington QLD 4064, Australia
Opening Hours: 10am to 5pm (except on Sundays – closes at 4pm)
After our visit to Paddington Antique Centre, we took the same bus (375) back to Queen Street for $2.60. Enroute to our stop for transfer via bus 130 (transfer costs only $0.30! :O), we passed by the Brisbane City Hall and couldn’t help but took a shot of it…
Sunnybank – Suburb of Brisbane
Sunnybank is actually an area largely populated by Asians. Here, you’ll be able to find asian cuisines such as Vietnamese, Korean and even Singapore food! Arriving at Sunnybank, we headed straight to Madtongsan Korean Restaurant where they have lunch deals for only $12! Tom went for the beef rib stew while Kate had the cold noodles ($13.5)…
Madtongsan
Address: 9 Lewina St, Sunnybank QLD 4109, Australia
Opening Hours: 11am to 11pm
The spicy version of the beef rib stew at Madtongsan (Sunnybank) was perfect. It was too spicy. The meat was tender and there were loads of beef and carrots within! Definitely worth it! To round up the meal, we headed to Sonder Dessert, famed for its japanese green tea (matcha) dessert creations.
This time, we had Ojicha/Match latte ($5.7 each) as well as the lychee rose cheese cake ($5.5)…
Sonder Dessert
Address: 7c Farne St, Sunnybank Hills, Brisbane QLD 4109, Australia
Opening Hours: 1pm to 12am
Taking bus 130 back to Brisbane Cultural Centre ($3.2), we headed to West End where we visited the Brisbane Brewing Company. We also took the opportunity to check out Streets Beach – Brisbane’s man-made inner city beach!
As we were still early, we visited the West Village showroom!
West End Brisbane
West Village is one of the biggest developments in Brisbane – at an estimated total cost of $2 billion! As we entered into the show room, another Chinese lady entered as well. As she spoke in Chinese (and was looking for a bigger unit than us), she was attended to by a saleslady who spoke in fluent Mandarin. Nonetheless, we were also promptly taken care of by the team leader of the sales team.
After we learnt that West End is equivalent to the Clarke Quay area in Singapore, we found the price of $472,000 for a 1BR quite enticing (or $422,000 without a parking lot). At 62sqm (14th floor), it was relatively spacious and offered a good (south facing) view of the mountains with partial river view. For those who have the means to invest overseas, don’t forget our “commission” of introducing this gem to you! ;P
At Brisbane Brewing Company, we ordered the Dinkleberry ($12) and Brisbane Pale Ale ($10)
The interiors were casually designed, promoting a vibrant and friendly atmosphere…
Pouring over the brochures, we decided it was not “worth it” to purchase the unit given the high body corporate fees (management fees) as well as water/sewage fees from the management. Moreover, foreigners are also subjected to foreigners stamp duty, much like that in Singapore. Nonetheless, the thought of staying in the “Clarke Quay of Brisbane” was quite cool – especially while chilling out with great tasting (and refreshing) beers 😛
Brisbane Brewing Company
Address: 124 Boundary St, West End QLD 4101, Australia
Opening Hours: 4pm to 12am (Mon to Thurs), 11am to 12am (Fri to Sun)
In the evening, we headed out to Chermside Westfield – a high end shopping centre and had burgers at Betty’s Burgers…
Westfield Chermside
Address: Gympie Rd & Hamilton Rd, Chermside QLD 4032, Australia
Opening Hours: 10am to 5pm
This time, we tried the Crispy Chicken Burger (Southern fried chicken, lettuce, tomato, Betty’s special sauce) for $11 as well as the Pork Belly Burger (Slow cooked, crispy pork belly, lettuce, tomato, pickles, sriracha mayo) for $12. Both were surprisingly good. Not excellent. But good for a filling and satisfying meal 🙂
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage on day 2 of our travels in Brisbane. Stay tuned as we visit the outskirts of Brisbane!
You have just finished a post from our Brisbane Travels in 2018. Check out details from our entire trip from the following posts:
Brisbane Travels Day 1: Brisbane City Tour!
Brisbane Travels Day 2: Visiting Brisbane Suburbs of Paddington, Sunnybank, West End and Chermside!
Brisbane Travels Day 3: Tried Discovering the Beauty of Montville (Sunshine Coast)
Brisbane Travels Day 4: Travelling from Montville to Noosa
Brisbane Travels Day 5: Noosa National Park Hike & Trek
Brisbane Travels Day 6: Eumundi Markets & Brewery!
Brisbane: Things to do , Where to Eat, Places to Visit and Where to Stay in and around Brisbane!
