Australia 2015 – Regina Chow

Travel, Uncategorized

Travel: Commune Cafe in Gold Coast

July 2, 2015 by Regina Chow No Comments

Waking up early for breakfast is usually a tall order for me, but not when I’m in Australia because the day starts early here. Cafes open as early as 6am and seats start filling fast from 7-8 am, so it is true when they say the early bird catches the worm.

We stopped by Commune Cafe before our day trip to Mount Tamborine. If you’re interested, I will be writing a separate post about some day trips you could do from Gold Coast, especially if you’re a nature lover.

Commune Cafe is located at Burleigh Heads, right beside Gold Coast Highway. We actually passed by this quaint little cafe on our way to our apartment from the airport on our very first day and made a mental note to come back for a visit.

I have a soft spot for corn fritters and chai latte. If I see them on the menu, I’ll definitely place an order for these two items. And that was exactly what I did at Commune Cafe. What I like about the food here is that everything is made from natural, organic ingredients, so you can be sure that you are feeding your body with nothing but the best.

The corn fritters here come with generous servings of avocado, rocket salad and a tangy thai chilli sauce dip, which goes surprisingly well with the star of the show. I loved it.

The chai latte is freshly brewed from tea leaves and served to you in a little metal pot, which makes the experience all the more authentic.

What did JW have? Well, he is just as predictable as I am when it comes to breakfast. Eggs Benedict is his Archilles’ heel and he orders this all the time whenever we go to a cafe for breakfast or brunch.

Outdoor seats
here are aplenty and this is one cafe where you can sit all day long, bask in the sun and soak up the good vibes with a cup of coffee and some delicious yet healthy organic food in
tow. It is a beautiful spot to relax and chill with fellow friendly
cafe-goers who never fail to wear a warm smile on their faces.

Commune Cafe

Address:

1844 Gold Coast Highway

Burleigh Heads

QLD 4220

Opening Hours:

6.30am – 3.00 pm

Travel, Uncategorized

Travel: Elk Espresso Cafe in Gold Coast

June 16, 2015 by Regina Chow No Comments

I was under the impression that cafes in Gold Coast pale in comparison to those in Sydney and Melbourne, but my recent trip to this sunny city proved me wrong.In fact, JW and I came across quite a number of good cafes thanks to recommendations from Urbanspoon, now known as Zomato (the Australian equivalent of Hungrygowhere) and Elk Espresso at Broadbeach was one of our favourite spots. If you ever visit Gold Coast, you have to come here for breakfast or brunch.

Why Elk Espresso? In a nutshell, the casual, laid-back Australian vibe and friendly service at Elk Espresso go hand-in-hand with its unpretentious yet absolutely delicious food to give you an experience that you’ll never forget. No wonder it is so popular with the locals!One of the most popular items on its breakfast/brunch menu is the very photogenic French Toast which comes with a medley of poached pears, salted caramel and dehydrated berries with vanilla bean mascarpone (A$17.50). Its prepossessing appearance is bound to brighten up any instagram feed.

The salted caramel sauce adds just a hint of sweetness to the french toast while allowing the natural flavours of the fruits and berries to shine through. I loved the refreshing touch of vanilla bean mascarpone which further enhances the party of flavours in your mouth, giving a new dimension to the overall taste.

To complement the comparatively sweeter french toast, we ordered a savoury breakfast favourite – Potato Hash with bacon, avocado, rocket, free-range eggs, hollandaise sauce, garlic, thyme and mushrooms (A$17). What a mouthful, literally, but this makes such a hearty and satisfying breakfast.

Aside from seasoned chefs, there is just something special about the eggs in Australia. They are always perfectly poached,with bright orange yolks that ooze out like liquid gold when you cut into it.

The portions are very generous and despite the temptation, we were way too full by the end of the meal to add anything else to our order.

Well, except that a cafe experience is never complete without a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, and he had to have his coffee and me, my hot chocolate.

The cafe latte (A$3.60) is good by Australian standards (usually much higher than Singapore’s) but in comparison to the hot chocolate that I tried at Lindt Cafe in Sydney, I felt that the Lindt Hot Chocolate (A$5.50) here could be richer. Don’t get me wrong though, it was gratifying nonetheless.

We had such an enjoyable experience at Elk Espresso that we headed over to the owners’ new restaurant, Sparrow Eating House at Nobby Beach for dinner during our stay.

If you were wondering, yes, we gave two thumbs up for both establishments, and I can assure you that you wouldn’t want to miss them for the world.

*****

Elk Espresso

Address:

16 Chelsea Avenue

Broadbeach QLD 4218, Australia

Tel:

+61 7 5592 2888

Website:

http://www.elkespresso.com

Instagram:

@elkespresso

Opening Hours:

6am – 4pm

Travel: Commune Cafe in Gold Coast

Travel: Elk Espresso Cafe in Gold Coast

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