Cafe Groovy

Quite happy with the value for the desserts (waffle, mango mousse, sticky date pudding), taste and the presentation were great. Both visits were satisfying, definitely coming back in the future.

We went for Breakfast Saturday morning (9/7/16). Firstly, the service from the waitress was first class. She was very friendly and attentive. We ordered coffee first up which was well made and flavoursome. For breakfast we ordered the Eggs Benedict and the Waffles with Bacon. Both meals were tasty. Not as packed as other venues which is a shame because we think it was one of the better meals we have had in the precinct. From our perspective a thumbs up and we recommend. We'll be back.

Cafe Groovy, despite its name, isn’t decked out like an Austin Powers set. It is, instead, warmly lighted with white walls and black accents, and furnished with French cafe-style wood and wicker-backed chairs, and marble-patterned tabletops. The counter as you go past. Along the same stretch of Logan Road in the Stones Corner village as Shady Palms and Five Burroughs, it has mainly al fresco seating, but all under cover. As the front of the cafe is essentially open to the street, there isn’t really much of an indoor/outdoor divide. The only issue with that is the exposure to cigarette smoke from pedestrians going by on the footpath. And it carries all the way from further up the row of shops.

Another addition to the expanding southern area of Brisbane, turcked in the streets of Stone's Corner Cafe Groovy Dessert Bar gets the idea of going out for sweets right. That being said, I did not try the sweets the first time around, but looking at the menu it figures they know what they are doing. Most of the menu offerings at Cafe Groovy are, as it can be inferred from the moniker, desserts. These range from classics such as sticky date pudding to more decadent, inventive dishes including their patented waffle stack. That is how you go about dessert right down to the bone. Additionally, they also cater to the savoury tastes so as to not isolate too much of an audience, or in an astute sort of way, is it catering to the same mentality of dining out?

Whatever is taken from that, Groovy appears to be a place to socilaise over a meal and often that means sharing foods - whether sweet or savoury it is here to include everybody. Also, when it comes to the weekend Groovy also has one more trump card to gain an audience. It has a substantial selection of breakfast items - but more about that later.

Walking in Stone's Corrner one day, my dining buddy and I were going past justi trying to find a place to have breakfast. This was an all new cafe that had been in development for a while; it was signed outside what it was going to be thus a lot of anticipation was present. That week the two of us were there, the menu was right out the front and like any place that looks slightly on the radar, we read the menu. I had heard about it beforehand, but with the diet he is on at the moment I more or less wrote off Groovy assuming it was purely desserts - which exist quite a bit around town. Seeing the new breakfast menu - which I am eventually going to get to, hold your horses - thought it sounded good enough and went on in to nab a table. This turned out to be a good idea, as it is another gem to be found in this nape of the woods.

While in Stone's Corner, it is not unusual to get a distinct look and aesthetic down, especially when the place is not al fresco. When it becomes al fresco - as such with Groovy - the look starts to become a little more simple; Groovy has done that opting to the environmental feel of eating in the fresh air.

What is already starting off on a good foot is their coffee. The coffee that they use is among the best choices possible - Bellaroma. What works is that the roastery is right down the road; talk about having your coffee being locally sourced. It was, as usual, the first order of business ordering the coffees upon arrival. I ordered a doppio to start with, and as usual it is hard to go wrong with that drink. The coffee was served hot, it had a rich, deep flavour and was very strong. In future if I am here for a sweet, I know that it is in good capable hands.

And now we get onto the food being reviewed - their breakfast menu. Breakfast has become so common as a dining out option in Brisbane, that sometimes any place that has it often ends up looking too much the same with all of the options available. It almost appears like they are going through the motions instead of providing why people like to go out. Around half of the menu is some basic items, with a couple getting twists on them (such as avocado on toast being done two ways) and the other half getting a bit more adventuorous, or at least inventive.

From Cafe Groovy Dessert Bar, I ordered their dill, ricotta and zucchini fritters. They came with bacon, two poached eggs (as usual, like it needs to always be said, with the yolk runny), pinenuts, rocket and a beetroot relish. On the side I ordered some potato rosti. This was really, really tasty. It was mostly because of a balance of different flavorus, some subtle and less pronounced and others distinctive, though not over-riding anything else.

Fritters appear to be a mainstay of breakfast places now, usually based on corn. This was a twist on that, having the subtle flavour of dill seasoning the actually really lovely zucchini, combined with ricotta (which is more or less there for texture rather than flavour) to make something really good. It was cooked to the right degree, being slightly crispy. The bacon was good as always, a little less crispy than usual, and in a generous quantity. The pinenuts were toasted, which is a simple manouver but one that makes a massive degree of difference both in terms of taste and in terms of texture to a meal. For me, it is always welcome as an addition. Rocket probably exists to add some freshness to the meal, and the real highlight as far as an addition goes has to be the relish - it is bright, distinctly flavourful (you cannot mistake beetroot for anything else) and smooth. The eggs were perfectly cooked, and when pricked the yolks ran down over the meal and combined well with the rest of the sauce reminants (one of the reasons I prefer them over easy, another is to do with texture preference). On the side, the rostis were also really good. They were obviously homemade, being square and having grated potato formed really well - it was not stodgy or anything. This went particularly well soaking up yolk and sauce from the meal.

Yes, there was some sharing around. He got to try a bit of mine, and I got to try a bit of his. My dining buddy ordered baked mushrooms, which were stuffed with mashed sweet potato, feta, and chorizo with poached eggs served on the side. It was also very good, fantastic quality and fresher than the one that I ordered. The mushroom was cooked to that perfect consistency, where there is a small window while cooking, where the juices were really coming out and the flavour was as well and it still maintained the solid texture. Combining sweet potato and feta is one of the most appropriate and a perfect mixture as a filling. Both creamy, with the feta having a bit more bite to it and the sweet potato being merely smooth. It stood well on its own grounds, and compared favourably to the fritters. If this is any indication of the level of quality from their fare, it is reason to be optimistic.

The service was overall really good. One part that really made it all the more worthy was that during that time, it said on the board (which I had not read) that all breakfasts were a set price including a choice of coffee. Not even the extras were counted on the bill, thus ultimately I had scored a really good value deal even with just accounting the regular, no frills cost of the menu item I ordered.

Stone's Corner has really taken a turn for the better in recent years. One way that I have heard to describe it is it is almost becoming like West End and that I can see why. Sheer variety, and a high average of quality with the dining options involved. With one continuous array of several options on one side, and that not being all, it is driving the cost down quite a bit from all the competition - and that is a good thing for the said reasons. It is only continuning that way as of writing.

The Groovy Dessert Bar is one example of this. It does provide good quality, wholesome and tasty food. What is also a plus is how it steers clear of the high price that most dessert bars unfortunately bring to the table; a set price is on the menu for the majority of the items. This is situated in the right place, with the right audience. It has aesthetics done well in the right places - with the food, and the ambience of the restaurant - and enough of a vibe to really start a new focus and paradigm in this area. The dining scence has just gotten a lot more interesting.