Half Time Tea Bar - BRISBANE CITY

A very fine place to have Asian breakfast. I usually went here on Saturday morning. Ordered the vermicelli noodle soup, the bun, sticky rice, and soybean milk. My favourite is the vermicelli noodle soup; cooked to perfection without any stuff that overpowers the overall taste. The bun is stuffed with meat and it matches perfectly with the soy sauce provided on the self-service table. The sticky rice was okay but is definitely worth to eat when you are missing Asian food. Good and quick service. However, some tables may feel a bit sticky and need cleaning (some tissue sweeps and it is fine).

The food quality for breakfast was bad, and portions are smaller compared to my previous visit. The staffs were inpatient and impolite, they kept on rushing you to order at the counter. Probably not visiting again.

Chinese New Year had come earlier this year, and had fallen on a Saturday. Also on a Saturday, that is time for church and it is often when me and my dining buddy find a few place to try out. Since the first few hour were free on the Saturday morning, taking the opportunity to utilise it being Chinese New Year (why not?), I suggested to my house mate/dining buddy in getting a Taiwanese style breakfast. There was a couple of places in mind for that, one of which is here. So early one morning to make the most of it, it was waking up and heading off to Market Square. This says more about Market Square than it does about this individual place, but had it not been for seeking out the Chinese style breakfast (for something completely different), to me Half Time Tea Bar might well remain lost in the shuffle. Not so ironically, because of seeking out the Chinese style breakfast and trying it, Half Time Tea Bar rises to the top of the competition in what is already one competitive environment. Let's just say the decor is definitely suited to Chinatown. And I am not talking about a spry yum cha place, it is more the street food for when you are in a rush, or meeting someone briefly for a quick meal. In a more succinct word, this is pretty casual. When it starts filling up, and it was filling up with clientele during this stay, it can get a bit rowdy. It is no frills, so the chopsticks and tissues are already on each table, ready to use. Seriously though, going in its favour is that it is cosy, relaxing and inviting. The way it has been planned out is possibly not the most thought-out, but you can't deny it gives it character (plus there is room to move). So far, not so bad. For how the service goes with regular menu, that might well be different. For when it comes to the breakfast menu, most of it goes much like a cafeteria. Start at one end, and when attention is on you point to what looks good and at the end you pay up. They are all put on a tray, and you carry it over to a table of your choosing. If a drink is on the agenda, that will be included in the price and be brought to your table before you know it. With how prompt it was, I can imagine that it is fairly quick, efficient, and perhaps slightly impersonal but not unfriendly. When it comes to somewhere like that, it is expected. The breakfast menu is a small part of what is on offer. With the breakfast menu, there are various bits and pieces such as dumplings, buns, and whatnot along with burgers, congee, noodle soups and various sorts of egg for something a bit more substantial. For beverages, they have milk teas, coffee and all other varieties of tea, hot drinks, and Asian style soda, which can effectively round off the meal. For the sake of completion, there is also their main menu which is Taiwanese cuisine. Skirting some controversy, it is primarily similar to most other Chinese restaurants around here. Perhaps it is a bit gamier, or features some of the more industrial cuts of meat more readily on offer. It starts off which a good range of snacks that always make a Taiwanese meal better and more robust - quite a bit of fried stuff here - then there is a generous range of main dishes that are various with the style served, and the main meat used. Following that is several types of fried rice, noodle dishes, and soups. Finishing that off are the stewed side dishes, some vegetarian sides, and the chef's suggestion. Between the two of us, my dining buddy and I both got to try a solid number of items from the bain marie. It was the usual case of ordering some items, then swapping them around upon sitting down. For me, that was a pork bun (two per serving), something called an egg roll (way different to that American concoction, and it was cut into bits upon ordering), chive dumplings (two per serving, and massive), plus a hot coffee. From my dining buddy, he got a beef bun (two per serving), a chicken burger, and the classic chicken rice. With such a high rating to a place that is sounding flawed ... this is what the entire rating hinges on. The food is nothing short of excellence, is really tasty, quite filling, and some of the best damn value in town. And little can take those aspects away from Half Time Tea Bar. Getting the easiest one out of the way, it is the pork/beef bun. I swear it must be mathematically and scientifically impossible to not do these well. This is said because each time I have eaten one, it has been soft and moreish with the bun part and often the meat inside is just as good. This was the case here. Both times, the bun was soft and tasty, and the bits of meat in the middle were stewed for hours, deep in flavour, and were juicy and delicious. As much as they always get ordered, it would seem incomplete without ordering them. In many ways, the chicken burger was similar. This is the Asian style that they go for, with the steamed rice bun. It is similar soft and moreish, with the chicken being a piece of breast that is marinated, and served with some cucumber. Pretty simple, and slightly spicy, this ain't a bad choice for a quick snack. The cucumber adds a small crunch to it. Now for the egg roll, this was one strange beat. Comparisons to the other snack aside, perhaps it is a little bit of a misnomer here. Some meat and a few vegetables plus some beaten eggs were put in an egg pancake. This was pretty tasty, and a little usual. The size was generous, and the way it was cut up before serving was a considerate touch. Then there is a chive dumpling, which was more or less like the classic yum cha staple, on a much bigger level. This was tasty, with well steamed meat in the middle of a well-poached dumpling that had some subtler flavours to it to be appreciated. Better yet, this wasn't so slippery that the chopsticks could not keep hold and it proved to be another in an array of winners. Best of all though, was the chicken rice. This requires as little explanation as possible. Think of sticky rice, and there you have it. All kinds of flavours are mixed in, the rice is served piping hot, and little extras throughout add even more to it. This was certainly the gold star among a glut of winners, and they all make me want to have a second round ordering some more. Ordering the coffee here was a bit odd to the norm. I was not to sure if there was coffee, or even coffee milk tea (the first preference if so) therefore the normal question of "got coffee?" applied. They took this to mean "hot coffee" and to not rock the boat, I just went along with it. Inferring from the menu, this winds up with a flat white and it was not so bad. The coffee they use comes from Rogue, which I don't know whether or not I have had much of, but it is fairly common and it is... decent, I guess? Nevertheless, the coffee was competently done here if a bit hotter than normal. It was still drinkable, and the size was certainly value for money. As per usual when there is a unique edge to it, an obvious halo effect is hanging around the whole critique of it. That is something that is certainly admitted, however this is well and truly worthwhile putting that to the side. In going here, I was practically reminded of the kinds of breakfasts that I had back in Singapore. It is certainly not the most spry-looking of places, which works a lot in its favour. What is best about it however, is that it is easy to get a substantial eat with a few different items and get some change from a 20. And that is including getting a drink in all of it. With that primary reason, along with the food being absolutely tasty, Half Time Tea Bar finds itself getting a thorough recommendation and it is one that will be seeing a return in the near future - I personally know some people whom will take quite the similar liking to it. TL;DR: Value for money! This little place has a diamond in the rough for the Chinese/Taiwanese style breakfasts, that is you don't mind it being rough around the edges is one of the most enjoyable and unique experiences that can be had at breakfast. And anyone living in this town knows the residents love themselves some breakfast/brunch out. It is quick and to the point, plus they are able to build it as they please. It is tasty and satisfying, and with the atmosphere being always busy you can be rest assured that is good quality from the constant output. Get off the beaten track - culinary-wise - and soak it in.

A cute spot for a quick Taiwanese meal. Most items are pre prepared and therefore quick. This worked well for my egg roll but not so much for the raddish cakes.

Great value for money and good flavours! There are so many options in Sunnybank so it's hard to commit but I think we made a good call with half time.