Jaz (00:11):
Hey there and welcome to this episode of My Mate In. I'm Jaz. Today I'm here with Rissa, my mate in Austin. Rissa, how you going?

Rissa (00:20):
I'm doing great. How are you?

Jaz (00:22):
Yeah, I'm really well. I'm excited to use this as an excuse to spend some time with you.

Rissa (00:27):
Yeah, this is perfect. I'm excited to be here.

Jaz (00:30):
So where are you my mate in Austin?

Rissa (00:34):
I'm in kind of like north central Austin. It's a very walkable neighborhood, so I really enjoy that. The place that I picked is actually not in my area. It's like, , maybe like a 30 minute bike ride, which we have really good bike lanes here. That's one thing I'm very proud of in Austin. So Austin has like downtown and then south of downtown is a river. And so if you are going past downtown, like you would say like, oh, I have to go south of the river, it always feels like that's like such a big journey. Like that's such a big demarcation between the two areas. So this place on the other side, the south of the river and it's called Two Hands. And, , I'm, I'm really curious to get your take on this because this is an Australian brunch place.

Jaz (01:24):
Whoa. Okay. Well, you know, as an Australian film lover, the first thing I think of when you say two hands is like the, from memory, quite violent film. Heath Ledger. I, I don't know that it's necessarily super violent, but it's, it's, you know, like crime based film.

Rissa (01:40):
Okay.

Jaz (01:40):
Okay. And this is so un-Australian. I've forgotten the, this like another actor in this film. Is it Two Hands Film? 1999, Heath Ledger. Oh, of course Rose Burn and Brian Brown.

Rissa (01:57):
Nice.

Jaz (01:58):
, Sorry. That, that's what I think of. So interesting with a Two Hands Brunch Australian setup. So

Rissa (02:05):
They do have a Brekky section of the menu.

Jaz (02:09):
Points for using Brekky. Love it.

Rissa (02:12):
Yeah. I was like, that looks, you know, pretty legit. And then, , one of the things they have on their menu is a pavlova. And I've heard that there's, , some drama between Australia and New Zealand on where it came from.

Jaz (02:26):
100% controversy. Yes.

Rissa (02:30):
Where do you, where do you stand on this controversy?

Jaz (02:33):
, I gue - I guess I think what I've read is that it, it is a New Zealand invention or creation. However, I think it is so much part of Australian culture that, , that line's got to be blurred. I, I don't think I can think of a Christmas growing up where Pavlova wasn't involved and then most birthdays it was the cake of choice in our family. So, , if not originally created in Australia, 100% appropriated and well, deeply loved.

Speaker 3 (03:07):

Jaz (03:08):
I actually don't like it. I never eat it.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
And that's very unaustralian.

Rissa (03:16):
You've had years of Christmas of it and just been like, why is it here?

Speaker 3 (03:21):
It's

Jaz (03:21):
Just not, it's just not cake. Like when it's presented in, in the place of cake, like at birthdays, I'm always a little disappointed because I like trying different foods and texture, but that, that texture is not cake to me. So presented as a dessert and something else, but not in place of a birthday cake. It just, it's not okay.

Rissa (03:42):
I could, I could see that because the first time I had pavlova, it was like in little, , maybe almost like a shot glass with like, , some berries and like it was just this small little delightful thing. And then at this place I tried it because I like pavlovas, but, , it's like a big one. Like it, it kind of like looks like it's like a cake. And I was like - A

Jaz (04:03):
Massive slab of it on your plate.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Yeah. And

Rissa (04:07):
I'm like, that's a bit too much. Like I don't know. I, like I like it, but I don't know I want that much of it. So maybe I'm on the same, , page as you and just like, eh, it's okay.

Jaz (04:22):
Yeah. Okay. I'm, I'm pleased to normalize that because otherwise I, most people here don't agree with that opinion. So thank you.

Rissa (04:32):
Happy to support you in that. , So like I guess that makes a lot of sense that it'd be a Christmas, , dessert because your Christmas is summer and like pavlovas often are mixed with like berries or something. Like it has a very like summery picnic vibe to it. And, , so at first when you said it was for Christmas, I was like, that sounds wrong. But then I had to like reframe like, oh, we're talking about your Christmas, not my Christmas.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
Like that.

Jaz (05:02):
No, that's unexpected. That sounds wrong.

Speaker 3 (05:08):
And it's usually like,

Jaz (05:11):
It's usually served like lots of cream, lots of fruit on top, like strawberries, like the first thing that comes to mind. And then like passion fruit, , juice or pulp or something. Like I, I, what would you call that? Passion fruit nectar? I don't know. It's quite thick. I should have more words for someone who likes talking about food. I just -

Speaker 3 (05:32):
I

Jaz (05:33):
Don't know. But then that kind of like drizzled all over the top. Is that, is that what you were seeing at this place? Because, you know, you go some places and they're like, "Oh, this is Texas style barbecue." And you might be like, "No.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
It's not. " Yeah.

Rissa (05:50):
Yeah. Speaking of, I can like read you about this, , pavlova and you can tell me how legit it sounds. I really like the ones that have, , passion fruit with them. I think it's such a great flavor. , This one is a coconut and key lime pavlova. , With coconut gel, key lime curd and whipped cream. What do you think of it?

Jaz (06:12):
I think it sounds like a, a twist. I think it sounds like a twist that isn't, sounds great. Sounds like it would taste delicious. It's maybe like a little bit elevated, which is nice. Yeah.

Rissa (06:26):
So partially why this is one of my favorite places in Austin right now is because right now I'm completely obsessed with acai bowls and they have this on their menu and it's one of the best ones that I've found in Austin so far. And I feel like one of the things that really elevates an osai bowl is like if you go somewhere and it's in a real bowl, like I just feel like that just takes it up like so many notches for me. Like if it's in a plastic bowl, I'm just like, ah, it's suddenly just like not as good tasting.

Jaz (06:58):
No, I, I chuckle because I was in the Gold Coast earlier this year and found a place that did really nice acai bowls. , And then the next day I went there because I like to know what, I like to have a bit of like, , preparedness, especially if I'm there for a conference or something. So I know I'm gona get a good breakfast. And the next day they served it to me, not in a plastic bowl, but in like a plastic takeaway smoothie cup. And I was, yeah. Yeah. So you, I can see Rissa, but listens, listeners can't. And that was like the cutest furrow of your eyebrows of like, what the heck? Yeah. I was, I was so disappointed. It did flash through my mind to be like, I'm sitting at the table, give it to me how I had it yesterday. Take it out of this plastic monstrosity.

Jaz (07:48):
, But then I thought just chill out, drink your tea and eat your, eat your breakfast. So

Rissa (07:54):
That's what I did. In a cup. In the

Jaz (07:57):
Cup. Doesn't feel right to sit and have two essentially liquid things for breakfast and have two cups on it.

Rissa (08:04):
Yeah. No. Yeah. , the plastic immediately takes away points for me for any place that has acai. And then another thing that this place does really cool is they make their own like asai. They have their own like, , , special, I don't know, like kind. Like, , we were trying to figure out like what, where they got theirs from. And so we were like sneakily trying to be like, what are the nutrition facts? So we got like someone to take a picture and it was like on branded two hands, like, , like cups or something. And I was just like, oh, so we can't get that somewhere else. And it's really good. , We did figure out like roughly the recipe. It's like lemon, which is interesting. I haven't, , had many acai bases that have that. And then I'm trying to remember if there were other things that I remember for the recipe off the top of my head.

Rissa (08:56):
But regardless, it's a really, really fun base. A lot of places put in like apple juice or like banana. And I think that that could work for some people. Like some people like probably love that, but like for me, it takes away like the tart flavor of the asay and I'm like, it just kind of ruined it for me. Like I, I really like the more acai flavor and yeah. So this place does a lot closer to that.

Jaz (09:23):
Yeah, because again, it pushes it more towards smoothie. It's not what you want. Yeah. , Okay. Pavlova and acai bowls. You're a tea lover. Mm-Hmm. You also a, a coffee drinker when you go out.

Rissa (09:38):
No, I don't drink coffee, just tea. So this place has like a pretty decent chai tea. Like that's one of my favorite types of tea right now. It's a pretty good one. There's this, , like less sweet than typical and I kind of like that because then you can like add your own sweetener and just kind of get it to the level you want.

Jaz (09:59):
Is it kind of spicy or is it more kind of vanilla chai? Or wait, I'm, I'm automatically assuming chai latte. What are we talking chai tea? Like no milk?

Rissa (10:12):
Oh with milk. , Chai latte milk. With milk. Yes. Yes. , this one was like medium spice. Yeah. Okay. It was there, but not like a lot of spice.

Jaz (10:22):
Yeah. Nice. And what's the atmosphere like at Two Hands?

Rissa (10:29):
So that's one of the best parts of it is it has like a really lovely, , outdoor patio that has like some trees and just like, you know, you feel like you're just like kind of tucked away. , Because it's on a busy street. The street's called, , South Congress. And it's called that because you can look up the street and see the Capitol, like the Capitol building. There's no buildings blocking that. And so it's a big like shopping area and a nice area to walk around. But like this spot just sort of feels like you're tucked away and you don't feel like you're caught up in all the busyness. And next to them is like a really nice restaurant, a more expensive restaurant than Two Hands. , It's called Aba. It's a Mediterranean restaurant and they have like one of the most fantastic outdoor sitting areas.

Rissa (11:16):
Like it just feels magical. Like they have this big tree growing and then you have like all these tables around the tree and it just kind of feels like you're in like this fairy garden. And I feel like Two Hands is like a way to like get close to that. Like you can see it and you can kind of be almost there without quite getting there. If I'm wanting to get like almost the Aba experience with like not paying as much money or, you know, not being able to get in because they almost always have like, , reservations that are not available, this is a really great next best choice.

Jaz (11:51):
Oh, that's lovely. Because you can go to places that might themselves have a lovely patio, but if they're right next to big apartment blocks and they're overshadowed or having that feeling extended of openness and green and, and garden, , by having that right next door, that sounds lovely.

Rissa (12:09):
Yeah. It's really nice. If you visit in Austin, we'll definitely go to Two Hands.

Jaz (12:13):
Yes, please. The more we talk a little bit about Austin and Melbourne, I think there's a, sounds like there's a few similarities here, like the biking culture, the weather kind of being a little bit up and down. I think there might be some nice overlaps.

Rissa (12:31):
Yes. , our mutual friend, Jess Archer, I feel like she's mentioned that like Austin and Melbourne have like kind of similar vibes and I, I definitely trust her take on that.

Jaz (12:43):
Oh, beautiful. For listeners, Jess in Brissie [Brisbane] and did an episode on barbecue and other things. So, , check that out if you're interested. So in my head you, you ride your bike to Two Hands and it's -

Rissa (12:59):
Oh yeah, yeah.

Jaz (13:00):
Yeah. Very nice. What is the kind of staffing situation like? Do you hear Australian accents?

Rissa (13:08):
No. , there's no Australians around that I've been able to find at Two Hands. They just are normal Austinites. , I don't know if like the owners like, you know, are Australian or they just thought it would be like a fun gimmick or something. But regardless, like it's kind of a, a cute little spot. If we go there, I would love to hear from you how authentic it feels or does it.

Jaz (13:36):
I think that's beautiful in a different way, right? Like when we came back from Nashville, Tim and I found a place in Melbourne called Bells.

Jaz (13:46):
And it's like a Nashville style hot chicken place. Mm-Hmm. And, , when we went in, I've done an episode about this place because it's fantastic. , When we went in, I struck up a conversation with folks behind the counter and they weren't from the States or from Tennessee. They were Australians who had been and loved it and were really inspired. And it was, it's a homage. So, , I think there's a real beauty in that as well, that influence of food and culture and trying to bring a s - , slice of something that you really enjoyed to your local community. It's cool.

Rissa (14:21):
Yeah, definitely. One of the funny experiences I had with one of the waitresses there is we have a thing in Austin called Eeyore's Birthday. And by Ior, I mean the one from Winnie the Pooh. Yeah. I don't know where this started or how, but it's just every spring we have like, , on like a Saturday, we all end up at this, , park and people dress up in costumes and they have glitter everywhere and like, you know, they just have like a drum circle in one area. It's very like hippie vibes. , And we have like - It's so

Jaz (14:55):
Unexpected.

Rissa (14:57):
Really?

Jaz (14:59):
Yeah, so unexpected. Like this link to like Winnie the Pooh, keep going. You're saying you've got your acro group.

Rissa (15:05):
Yeah. And, , I, like after we had been hanging out there for a couple of hours, you know, it's a hot day, we decide to like bike just a little bit further south to Two Hands. And so we get there and I'm, I'm wearing like so much glitter and the, , waitress is just like, "How was Eeyore's?" And I was like, "Yep, she, she knows." She knows exactly where I was.

Jaz (15:32):
There is this, , beauty that I became acutely aware of during COVID lockdowns. So trigger warning, especially for Melbourne folks, which was how much just having a local place that you regul- regularly go to can, can be really nice and a sense of community, especially if you didn't grow up in that place like, you know, we've, we've moved to Melbourne. Even if it's little acknowledgements like that, just having people know that like that culture or socially what's happening in your city or your neighborhood, it's really nice. It's a connection without needing necessarily to go deep and get to know everybody just sharing that and acknowledging that.

Rissa (16:12):
Yeah. It was nice.

Jaz (16:15):
And , I bet you had glitter on you for three days because it never completely comes off. At least three days.

Rissa (16:23):
Oh my gosh. Yeah. , As soon as we got home, my partner Rini was just like, we're showering like immediately. And I was like, yeah. And even still, like there was still glitter everywhere.

Jaz (16:33):
Resistance is futile. Yeah. What else about Two Hands would you like people to know?

Rissa (16:42):
If you go there after four, there's no acai bowls. We learned that the hard way. So we were forced to try other things. And like their other food is very good. They have, , like, you know, like a salmon quinoa bowl. And, oh, this is another thing. Okay. I just remembered. We love halloumi cheese. Do you know halloumi cheese? Oh

Jaz (17:04):
Yes, very much. Yeah.

Rissa (17:06):
It can be really hard to find sometimes. And this, this restaurant has it and they have it as like a, a side you can put on anything, like any bowl. So basically anytime we get not acai bowls, we're getting something with halloumi. Oh,

Jaz (17:20):
Beautiful. Yeah. A side of halloumi, I think that's pretty common in Australia. So I like that. It's pretty authentic.

Rissa (17:28):
It sounds

Jaz (17:28):
Like the kind of place, two hands that would be really good for folks who don't eat meat. Like there's a lot of vegetarian options there. Sometimes you can go to brunch places in Australia and it's, you know, everything has bacon. Everything has beef or bacon or something. So yeah, it sounds like, , it also sounds pretty healthy, like nice and fresh, healthy food. Yeah.

Rissa (17:53):
, I feel like this is like relatively, , authentic because when I was in Australia, I saw this everywhere. They have, you know, like the like smashed avocado toast, , kind of fitting with what you were talking about, like that kind of healthy, , vegetarian brunchy option.

Jaz (18:09):
Oh, amazing. I'm excited. I really wanna try it. And I, for listeners, I've been telling Rissa for a little while. I've like self-imposed on Risa that I'm coming to visit.

Rissa (18:21):
Perfect.

Jaz (18:23):
Two hands sounds amazing. Really appreciate you taking the time, Rissa, to, to catch up with me and, and share with listeners. It sounds like a really physically beautiful space, delicious food in a really quite ideal area of Austin to check out when people are in town and walk around, bike around, also do some shopping. So thank you so much for taking the time and, and sharing one of your favorite places with us.

Rissa (18:50):
Yeah. Thanks for, , having this podcast. It's always fun talking with you and I was grateful for an excuse to hang out with you.