Flamingo Cafe

Flamingo Cafe
5B Winn Street, Fortitude Valley



Today I was summoned out to a spontaneous shopping adventure in the Valley. Well, it wasn't spontaneous for Hien, who had been planning to splurge his hard-earned cash for weeks... but it was for me, because I had intended to spend this afternoon studying.



Though I've gradually lost interest in shopping (chronic lack of funds kills the most enthusiastic buying urges), it was a great day out. Nice weather and not too busy in the Valley. I guess it was day time after all. Valley silliness doesn't start till midnight on a Saturday.

We wandered into the alleyway where The Outpost (fashion boutique store) was located. What caught my eye right away was the bright, eclectic-looking cafe behind the clothing store. After a quick browse through the shop, we headed over to check out the cafe.


Flamingo is a mixed bag, odd ball cafe in many ways. The first things we noticed were the burger stools and pig salt/pepper shakers. The drinks menu was 'interesting' and everything was disorganized without appearing dirty. It more so exuded an air of 'we're too cool to stick to one theme of decor'.


Indeed the staff was a cohort of hipsters/hippies/trendy folk who would probably spit in my eye if they heard any of these terms used on them.

I was interested in the 'Californian Health Spa' drink because it had spinach and almonds and sounded a lot like the curry we made last night (it was lamb korma BTW) but ended up choosing the 'Mrs Palmer and her Five Daughters'. I had a bit of trouble communicating with the guy taking orders, either because I was yelling up at the bottom of the steps leading to the counter or just because I suck at talking properly. Whatever the case may be, I wanted to eat there but he heard take-away so the juice came in a little foam cup.

Mrs Palmer and Her Five Daughters - banana, pineapple, coconut cream, LSA, honey, ice

It was like a thick, sour banana smoothie with a distinct grit from the LSA (linseed, soy and almond meal). It wasn't unpleasant but I wouldn't pick this again. I hope it's healthy at least.

Mocha

Hien chose a mocha which looked good but he sounded unimpressed. When I took a sip, I noticed the coffee element was a bit watery and there didn't seem to be any chocolate flavor at all.

Chocolate brownie

In order to have enough to write about for this blog post, I also asked for a brownie. It was right in front of me at the counter and impossible to resist! Ironically, though this brownie was nothing but an afterthought, it ended up being the best thing we had at Flamingo. It was absolutely delicious!

Inside of brownie

The brownie was moist, rich, chocolaty and slightly crunchy on the surface. The bottom was beautiful and dense and the interior had a nice fudge-like quality that wasn't 'too' soggy. There were also thick chunky nut pieces. Total win. It was very sweet but that's how I like them :).

Flamingo was a pretty cool place to hang out. Sitting in the alleyway on my perspex stool on the fake grass, I felt like I was in another part of the world. It really showcases the fact that Fortitude Valley is home of all sorts of people. We loved the brownie and are so-so about the beverages but hopeful about other options and even the savory food (I heard other people ordering sandwiches). After a while though, the staff started barking at each other (literally, and I kid you not)... this carried on for ages and we started to think 'this is too weird' and left. Lucky I mistakenly got a takeaway cup for my smoothie - it allowed for a quick get away!