Blue Lotus

After a few years at QUT, I finally went into Blue Lotus.
See, I don’t drink coffee, and it mostly looked like a coffee place. But there I was, on campus early. Now, the page says they open at 8am, they were open well before that this day; perhaps in response to all the workmen on site who may want some early morning coffee.
I decided I wanted a breakfast, so I checked out all the offerings around campus, and this seemed the best one. Got me the big breakfast!
They brought out my apple juice in a glass with ice, perfect on such a warm morning.
Well, the inside looks pretty cosy, but I went outside. It was a very warm morning, but the buildings blocked the sun, and there was a nice breeze outside. The pleasantness was only ruined by a workman across the road leafblowing imaginary leaves off the footpath.
Staff were friendly, the food came out quite quickly and was pretty tasty.
Overall, it was a good experience. I’d definitely go there again.

If you’re a QUT student, there are basically two main café options. Up at the main part of campus there is trusty old Beadles, and down here near Z Block and the Urban Village there’s Blue Lotus. I’m not saying these are the only café on campus, there are a couple of others, but these seem to be the two favourites. Blue Lotus is nice. There’s a nice cosy feel about the tables up the back and lots of cushions back there too. The footpath tables are pleasant in the afternoon, but can get pretty hot around lunch time.
I’ve always found Blue Lotus to be pleasant enough, and went there often as a QUT student. For some reason though, I’ve always felt like there was something missing. Even now, I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it just lacks atmosphere, which is strange because the décor and layout is quite funky. I think Blue Lotus’s defining word would be ‘nice’. It’s nice, not amazing. Nice, not terrible. The coffee is okay, the food is good, and they have lots of cakes and biscuits in the cabinet. It’s definitely a great option if you’re on campus but I probably wouldn’t choose it otherwise.

Blue Lotus is a popular haunt of students and teaching staff of the QUT Kelvin Grove campus. I believe this is more due to the fact that it’s one of the few breakfast and lunch places on campus rather than a reflection of the quality. It’s not bad, and I have had a few good meals there, but there is little about Blue Lotus that makes it stand out from cafes outside of the university campus. I’ve had a good eggs benedict and a nice bruschetta in the past, but most of the sandwiches are a bit bread-​heavy which is a pet hate of mine and don’t always taste very fresh. As far as décor goes, Blue Lotus is a nice place to spend time and the staff are generally not bad, although less efficient than they could be. Not bad, but nothing mind blowing.

I remember loving Blue Lotus back in my uni days. It was the café my friends and I would often go to for a quick pick me up or for a long procrastination session. It is a sweet little café with a nice atmosphere that welcomes everybody– not just uni students. The one things that frustrated me about it was how early it would close!
I have been to ‘Blue Lotus’ for coffee as well as their breakfast and lunch meals and have never been unsatisfied. The food is nothing out of the ordinary ‘Café food’ realm (sandwiches, salads, bacon and eggs) but it is cooked pretty well. I would not say the prices were student friendly (which is why I did not eat here that often) but they weren’t frighteningly over priced either. The atmosphere was always relaxing which made it a great escape from the stress that uni work can bring.
One thing that started to really bug me though, was that the place would close so early! What started happening more and more is that I would rock up to find that the place was closed or closing. It would end up getting my coffee from the bakery or the fish and chip place next door –not bad but not as good.
Blue Lotus is a great little café in the heart of Kelvin Grove, close to the shops and the university. I wish they would not close so early though.

Oh, the power that a quirkily designed café has over me will never cease to amaze me. Walking down the streets of Kelvin Grove with little desire to eat and/​or drink anything, I felt compelled to enter Blue Lotus. And I’m glad I did.
I ordered an Earl Grey tea at the counter and pulled up a chair underneath cast-​iron birdcages hanging from the ceiling. Getting somewhat entranced by a brightly coloured, floor to ceiling spray painted art piece, I barely noticed the speedy arrival of my tea. Sipping my tea, I watched a blue bow-​tie wearing cat ride on the tail of a red fire-​breathing dragon about to be electrocuted by lightning. Not sure if there’s a deeper, hidden meaning behind all this, but it definitely adds charm to the place.
I was slightly disappointed that my tea came from a tea-​bag rather than loose-​leaf, but was enjoyable nevertheless.

The blue lotus has gone through many décors and has changed hands over the years that I’ve been at uni. Students and professionals are always cuing up for takeaway coffees there. I can say that during semester they do make a good coffee but its never consistent.
For breakfast they have some quick and cheap takeaway offerings like hot croissants and avocado on toast. If you have time to sit down and try their pancake stacks its worth your time. The best value for money item they have in the morning would be their $ 8 BLT on Turkish bread.
In the afternoon between midday and 3pm they have a good selection of home made sandwiches and salads and inside they have some pretty cool street art painted in the walls.
The service is all right and on the whole, Blue Lotus doesn’t really have anything exceptional to make it stand out. It’s a good place to have a quick meet up without the pressure of the staff wanting a quick turn over on the tables.
Because it closes early, like many of the coffee shops in this area, if you’re a student you’ll most likely be heading to one of the fast food restaurants nearby if you’re need a feed.