Caffe Republic, Bundall
For the first time in several years, the crunch is on for eateries with almost as many restaurants closing as opening. In 2018, cafés and restaurants are facing stiff competition for the food dollar. Prepared foods from grocery and convenience stores and meal delivery services continue to attract busy consumers who seek convenience over experience. […]
Le Café Gourmand
A display of brightly coloured chairs on the Cronulla corner of the highway in Mermaid Beach marks a little French café / restaurant! The bright attitude is obvious. “Here I am!” the chairs exclaim: Le Café Gourmand! One of our fondest memories of France is wandering through little country villages, ‘discovering’ a café to enjoy […]
Black Sheep Bistro
If there’s an unsung hero of the northern dining scene, it’s the Black Sheep Bistro. Located not far from the Oxenford turnoff, the Black Sheep is a local favourite, especially for its weekend breakfasts and lunches. To Australians, ‘black sheep’ carries the connotation of a stray, or disreputable family member. However, my New Zealand childhood […]
The Milkman’s Daughter
We love pretty spaces and pretty food but, even more, food needs to taste great and be good for us. It’s the fuel we choose, after all. Sometimes these factors don’t all come together. Sometimes Instagram leads to unrealistic expectations and, in the ‘flesh’, the food experience disappoints. Opened by the very creative Morgan Walsh […]
The Brick Café
The Brick Café is not what it may first appear. A smart little café at the front of a new commercial complex in Molendinar, behind this façade of newness there’s a strong family heritage. If we’d looked more closely at the top of the menu, the clue was there all along: ‘The Brick Café by […]
What’s for Breakfast?
As a nation, we’re pretty good at breakfast. “Make sure you have your breakfast,” is a common chant from mothers around the country. They knew that the first meal was the key to providing energy for the day. Nowadays, we love to share brekkie as a ‘meetup’ time with friends, with many cafés offering an […]
Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium
Get on your ‘little Japanese dumplings of happy’ and get down to Harajuku Gyoza in the Broadbeach Mall. If the combination of beer and gyoza is not enough to put you into a spin, add the zany elements of ‘Harajuku’ and you’ll be doubly happy! The largest of seven outlets of the phenomenally successful chain […]
Black Lime Café
While ‘Location, location, location’ is the big catch cry to success, there are some local favourites that have achieved modest success by going against the norm, choosing venues in hidden pockets of suburbia. There, they provide service to locals who previously had no food outlets nearby. That’s how it is with Black Lime Café. Tucked […]
First Fruits Coffee Café & Roastery
It’s been almost two years since Daniel Smith set up First Fruits Coffee with a business partner in a tiny space in Ashmore. Visiting the Cotlew Street alleyway shopfront where they not only roasted beans but also sold coffee, space was at a premium. Sitting on coffee bags was almost an option! From the level […]
The Roost @ 53
It had been bucketing rain during the night but Mel had been up since 3am baking the Turkish buns for our breakfast. She didn’t know the buns would be for us, but we’d decided the night before that we’d score an early brekkie at The Roost@53 on the way to work. The Roost@53 is not […]