Sometimes, you need to go a little out of the way to find beautiful things.
That’s so with Pasture & Co.
Sitting alongside organic co-op Ground Grocer, facing the entrance to Currumbin Valley’s Eco Village, the café is situated on the newly-named precinct, Ground at Currumbin.
With a new tenant comes new life.
Dani Riley, formerly co-owner of Genki, cake maker at ieightcake with stalls at Miami Marketta and Freeman’s Organic Farm, had been involved in the organic food scene for some time. Her clear direction is evident in the café – earthy and fresh, yet real and approachable.
Newly-renovated, the venue is a breath of fresh air in both its décor and food. There’s an emphasis on organic and spray-free produce, free-range and healthy, showing off the flavours of food.
“I aim for everything in the café to be fresh and seasonal, not processed,” Dani tells us. “Food will be grilled or steamed, so you can taste it as it is, out of the ground onto the plate.”
The café’s modern all-day menu caters well for food preferences, with GF, DF, EF (egg free) NF (nut-free), V and Vegan all clearly marked. Yet it’s mainstream local organic goodness, rather than pushing any particular ‘dietary barrow’. In fact, it’s a place where carnivores could be just as much at home as vegans, sweet-eaters as well as savoury, with all equally well catered for.
Typical of Pasture & Co’s dishes is the Ground Bowl comprising char-grilled and sautéed local veggies, fermented cabbage (sauerkraut), avocado and hummus. From sweet potato to beetroot, veggies are low GI and a mixture of colours. It’s a luscious, highly nutritious bowl of goodness for $18.
Yet, there’s balance, too, in the Mushrooms on organic sourdough with garden greens, herbs and coconut, bacon chips and a red wine reduction ($14). Healthy and tasty, the food is also well-seasoned, the jus adding a traditional touch to the mushrooms.
And who could go past Dani’s signature Lemon meringue Pie. In mini or large versions, it’s sensational!
Golden Bean-winning Nats Coffee from Alstonville is the café’s coffee of choice, an organic blend of local and imported beans, or you can order a pot of loose-leaf tea, a chai, velvet or golden latte, a smoothie or milkshake.
The venue is light and airy, open to the breezes that flow through the valley. Repurposing as much existing shelving as possible, owner Dani Riley has painted the walls white for freshness. With polished concrete floors and a reclaimed brick-fronted servery. The overhaul has modernized the building while still retaining its simple, country feel. The side room of the building has been retained as a children’s play area – room for further development, perhaps?
What remains the same is the outdoor area dotted with tables and chairs, its view across lawn to the ‘Highlands’ and pine forests of Mt Tomewin. It’s a more obvious play area for children, some toys left out plus a swing so that children can play on the lawn alongside the kangaroos, overlooked by parents sipping coffee and having brekkie or lunch.
Come winter, when the mist settles across the valley floor, Pasture & Co will take on another life and a more comforting seasonal menu as ‘earth-driven’ changes are driven by local produce.
639 Currumbin Creek Road, Currumbin Valley Ph: 0422 571 717
Open: Wed – Sun 7am – 3pm
NOTE: Good Food Gold Coast dined as a guest of Pasture & Co.