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:
Website:
http://www.elkespresso.com
Instagram:
@elkespresso
Opening Hours:
6am – 4pm
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