You would think that as I work on the Gold Coast, and because my little sister lives there I would actually have experienced more of its cafes and restaurants. Unfortunately the sunny GC does not have a reputation for having the finest food establishments, and until recent years even a good cafe or a good coffee were scarce. Knowing the cafe culture has picked up and that I should really sus things out, I drove down to Broadbeach for a brunch with my sister back in December.
I had heard great things about Elk Espresso, which actually has a sister cafe further south at Mermaid called Vintage Espresso. Arriving at about 9am on a weekday, the place was packed out with barely a table to spare. Its a great open space with a vine covered feature wall, funky pine and steel furniture, polished concrete flooring and a relaxed beach vibe.
My piccolo arrived fast, a strong wakeup call, well made with a great creamy layer of microfoam atop. I chased this up with a freshly squeezed watermelon, orange and pineapple juice.
I got jealous eyes over my sisters creme brulee thickshake however. This was a meal in itself, super thick and creamy with a sprinkle of white chocolate flakes. It had to be eaten with a spoon before it melted enough to drink. This thickshake is a reason alone to visit Elk.
Avocado and feta mash came out nicely smushed atop some delightful olive and rosemary toast accompanied by a corn salsa and two perfectly poached eggs. The corn salsa was slightly disappointing. I did expect a little more than simply corn and felt it overwhelmed the dish too much. I pushed a lot of it aside. I do love when cafes have different types of bread options rather than the usual turkish bread or sourdough.
My sister had the much better option of potato hash with avocado, rocket, hollandaise and poached eggs. It usually comes with bacon but she substituted thickly sliced ham which was an excellent decision. The potato hash were round golden balls of deliciousness, the hollandaise was lightly drizzled and didn’t overwhelm and again, the eggs were done perfectly.
I was quite happy with Elk, and would gladly recommend it as a great place to eat to anyone lost amongst the shining fluoro lights and takeaway fish and chips shops that you usually see on the coast.
Love,
C
Elk Espresso 16 Chelsea Avenue Broadbeach Ph 07 5592 2888 Open 7 days Breakfast and Lunch www.facebook.com/pages/Elk-espresso
All of that looks pretty good.
It’s funny with the good old GC – that for vegetarians, vegans, etc – our food options are actually way better on the Gold Coast. There’s a vegan yum cha, a vegan pizza place, and an excellent raw food place. We go down often!
Vegan yum cha sounds good, whats that place called?