What’s your Alibi?

hers

I used to trek here a lot, for the low-budget brekkies and the Tuesday $2 taco-fests. However, upon my Morning Glory travels I’ve since realised that I’d prefer to sacrifice more shiny dollars for better quality service and better tasting grub. Salt would never have let me miss my hair appointment. So yes I was stressed and yes I was cranky at trying to fit in all my endless household appointments that day, but Alibi Room wrecked its reputation in my eyes the day I had to forfeit pretty new hair for a not-so-great-tasting brekky. So we walked in – no one noticed us. No problemo, we’ll seat ourselves. Menus? We’ll get them ourselves. Would someone like to take our group’s order? Nope, not likely. We waited about 40 minutes before staff even inquired into whether we had ordered yet. Then the coffees and juices took another ancient breathe. The food – another 30 minutes. This was just not cricket, in an eatery sort of way. While the wacky stuff on shelves and walls entertain me and the clock that doesn’t tick always frustrates me to figure out how to start it again without the staff noticing, I had an appointment to get to and I ended up having to cancel it after waiting an hour for the mountainous pile that is the Trucker’s Breakfast for two ($35) to arrive. In my anger, however, I did manage to engorge more of the fat-sweaty-man-sized meal than ever before. I even tried the steak (pause for gasps). This buffet of grease fit for Thor offers bacon, fried eggs, hash browns, chips, savoury mince, spinach, mushrooms, toast, snags, steak, beans, tomato and is served with a juice and coffee. The juice at Alibi is freshly squeezed and thirst-quenching, but the amount of oil saturating pretty much every surface of the ‘ungodly amount of food’-stuffs makes you want more healthy juice and less dehydrating coffee. I missed out on my coffee due to the lack of service and long waits. The staff seem to have taken the word ‘relaxed’ to a whole new level – to the point of absenteeism – which is sad because in the past they’ve been pretty snappy. At the price, it’s a bargain investment in a fat, full belly, but if your tongue wants to be teased, tingled and left wanting more, then troop somewhere else. When our meals finally did arrive the bacon and mushrooms were cold, there were only three eggs (you do the math), and the toast was a little sad and burnt looking. This home-grown, popular-with-the-kids shack is good for getting drunk, good for hang-overs, a good place to stalk bands (I’ve seen Michael from YKB thrice), and good for a uni-povo budget, but not so good if you actually enjoy even a half-healthy, eggy brunch that stimulates body parts not normally food-fuelled.

Food 2/5
Juice 4/5
Service 1/5
Atmosphere 3/5
Price 3/5

his

As the name suggests, Alibi Room really has something to answer for. I used love the place, when we would go on a Tuesday night and the Cerveza’s would flow and the 2 dollar tacos would appeal to the uni student in all of us. Now unlike hers, I didn’t have a hair appointment to go to. That having been said however, it is still a joke and a half to wait 40 minutes for service. Not only that, but to be half a foot away from the kitchen and look up and make eye contact with staff every 30 seconds and STILL for no one to come and serve was even more frustrating. So we grabbed our own menus and sat calmly waiting, waiting, waiting until FINALLY a young boy came over and said “Hey guys are you ready to order?…” I am proud at how I held back. Also note it becomes very difficult to manoeuvre off a stool and they are very uncomfortable after 40 minutes. None the less we ordered and the food came out some time later. The Truckers Breakfast ($35) for two is literally an ungodly amount of food, with everything you could possibly conceive on the plate. A mountain of bacon, eggs, sausages, chips, steak, spinach, mushrooms, beans, toast, hash browns, tomato and savoury mince including a juice and coffee for each of us, kept us busy for the next 20 minutes. By the end I FELT like a trucker, and was well and truly ready to hit the road. However for this amount of food, the juice was really the best part. The bacon and mushrooms were cold, and we only were given three eggs, which between two people is difficult as runny eggs don’t divide so well. Whilst the venue is pretty cool with retro style objects linking the walls (I think I saw a Land of the Lost lunchbox in a cabinet), I was almost amused for the duration of our wait. The staff are usually pretty good, but this time they seemed to just be going with the flow, and at times seemed to snap out of their daze to serve customers, much to the surprise of patrons. The Truckers is really a bargain for what you pay (It also comes in a vegetarian variety), but this time it just left me feeling sorry for myself. I say Alibi, stick to what you do best, keep the beer and tacos flowing and if you’re going to delve into the breakfast business at least put in some skerrick of effort.

Food 2/5
Coffee 2/5
Service 1/5
Atmosphere 3/5
Price 3/5

The Alibi Room
1/720 Brunswick St
New Farm QLD 4005
Ph: 07 3358 6133