Shouk Cafe - Paddington, Brisbane. In one of Brisbane's most prolific suburbs to get breakfast, Shouk opts to be more elusive than many of the other choices. It is on the corner of two suburban streets, and we are talking deep suburbia away from the main streets. A bit earlier than usual, my dining buddy and I were out of the house making a beeline for this place; it had been talked about a lot with much ardency in the foodie sector, and was really popular with both local's and non-local's alike. Luckily, we managed to get there in time as about half an hour after getting a table, Shouk was full up and more people were trying to get in only to be disappointed in missing the opportunity. I will say to those people, keep on trying. Simply because after all of it is said and done, you could not ask for a better run, more enjoyable and pleasant place to eat at for breakfast.
This is not an overt hyperbole; everything about this place operates at an A-grade level. We are talking about:
fantastic design - there is the layout of a corner store among all the houses. Just open the glass sliding door and there you are in a brilliant looking and feeling cafe. They have fitted it out well to manage to fit in so many tables. There was a whole second back area for tables. To further get the Mediterranean vibe, the owner's have utilsed fresh paint and a mosaic tile bringing out a lot of flair. With one of the streets that it corner's onto being essentially the hillside, diner's out the back can expect to prepare for a scenic view.
brilliant service - this is both really friendly service, and efficient team work that contribute to having one of the best finds in recent memory. The crew show a great deal of love to their craft. Food arrives in a sufficient amount of time and you are made to feel welcome. Even with a full house on board, the planning and efficiency that has gone into covering all bases makes sure no one is ignored or overseen.
a pleasant atmosphere - with a great deal of cleanliness, a good choice of location, wonderful ambiance and the service contributing a great deal. It has a laid back atmosphere, perfect for any kind of weekend breakfast.
and most of all, the keystone to any good, much less great, cafe or restaurant - the food. It showcases the best aspects of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine: how inventive it is, the colourful nature, sharp flavours and a general enjoyment of food as a whole with plenty of aesthetics. Specials were on a roll of brown paper on the wall for every diner to see. Like any self-respecting cuisine from that region, it also has a great deal of emphasis on coffee.
That was the first order of business, like always. This coffee was so good I came back for seconds at the end; both times were a double shot cappuccino. They use Veneziano blend, therefore it has a rich and aromatic flavour to it along with a decent amount of strength. Few choices so as much encouragement as the choice of blend that a cafe decides upon; there are a few guaranteed blends that shall deliver a consistently tasty and strong brew and Veneziano is one of them.
The menu is an eclectic mixture of Israeli-inspired dishes. Therefore, with plenty of nearby and historic influence there are hints of Arabic flavours, plus some African and plenty of Eastern European echoes which all make a great selection. This is one of the most vibrant and exciting menus I have come across. Some of the norms still exist; but with tangines and dishes which contain distinct flavours why settle for those?
Having to decide upon one dish is really hard, and with how good the food is returns are warranted; therefore, it that is some good news on that front. After quite a while of indecision, I finally went with the lamb shawarma. It is almost like a kebab, shaved bits of meat from a bigger cut that is slow-roasted for many hours before being served in a variety of fashions.
At Shouk, the lamb meat is served on top of flat bread then accompanied with pickled red onion, olives, artichoke heart, houmous and lemon. This meal is served big and high. The amount of meat is generous and the mixture is well done; they do not skimp on any of the aforementioned ingredients. It is not only that it is so generous, but the lamb is really tender and the deep flavours of it are allowed to come out accompanied by sharp, strong flavours.
As usual, I opted for some sides. At Shouk, they have a set price for the whole of the sides ($3 each) with a good deal where you can get two for $5. Even going down to the sides menu, it starts getting hard to know what to select. Ultimately, I opted for haluomi and Merguez sausage. Both sides were delicious and great choices. As always, the haloumi was great and this time it was cooked just right - still slightly soft and moderately sharp. Merguez sausage is a type of sausage made from beef, lamb or a combination of both. It is often used in North African cooking along with Middle Eastern and some parts of Southern Europe. This sausage has a spiciness to its flavour. I quite enjoyed it as well.
My dining buddy got a latke stack. These are Polish potato pancakes topped with cream cheese, dill, two poached eggs and pickled red onion plus a choice of either ham or smoked salmon to complete it (my dining buddy chose the latter). It ought not to be said at this moment, yet at the beginning there was the usual swapping of the other's plate. Therefore, I did get to try a bit of the latke stack. It was also delicious, very tasty. A more subtle contrast to the shawarma, there were still distinct tastes throughout. The latke was similar to a rosti, cooked until it was crisp. The other components were top quality, with the smoked salmon injecting its sharp, distinctive flavour into the mix plus a complimenting dill-cream cheese mixture finishing it off. For something that has such as simple looking edge to it, there is plenty of attention to detail to make something delicious.
Even if you are not a "foodie" per se, this is one that ought to be sought out. They say that breakfast is where people are the most predictable and boring with their breakfast choices, and with Brisbane being one of the most prolific cities for having breakfast out often people would want something different. What Shouk does is throw some much welcomed variety into the mixture even bucking the trend of "breakfasty" food choices to those less particular.
It used to just be a term tossed around, but now to have to use it it has got to mean something. This time around, there is no joshing, or mincing words, or saying it to just appear polite. I would be more than happy to make a return to this place, mostly on the basis of the all-round quality (and I often just go by how good the food is) as well as the variety there is to eat. Shouk is enjoying a well-deserved siege in popularity among diners; hopefully, that can continue into the future and that the restaurant has a long and vibrant life.
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