Right in the middle of a semi-industrial area in the inner north of the Gold Coast, an old weatherboard house has gotten new life breathed into it and over time has become one of favourites, not just with the local people, but from residents all round trekking to samples its delights.
One time I was down the Gold Coast with my parents and it was over the Easter long weekend; from the other direction, the elder sister had come up with her daughter and husband. Getting to the crux of the story, the two younger men were set out on a road trip off to this place after hearing so much about it.
To call this place popular would be one of the biggest understatements of century. Getting a table is luck of the draw, and the best way to do it is if you are here as part of a duo or a bigger group, just have one memorise the orders and go in to give the order at the counter. The second round of going in (which was for a second coffee and some sweets) was my turn, the line to the counter went around the perimeter of the cafe, and snaked out the door mid-way through. This was with two waitresses manning the counters.
Service is always on the go here. Chaos would often ensure, but I reckon that it was under control and being well-managed. From the big line, it is impossible to miss the giant kitchen out the back, and the chefs are busy little beavers in there. The whole place is working like a clock, preparing and serving the orders into paper baskets and then transferring them quickly to the counter. Next, a member of the waitstaff will take it to the assigned table. Rinse and repeat. All of this to get pretty quick and efficient service that is friendly enough for how much of constant a buzz the workplace is.
Inside alone is fairly spacious, but around the front is where the real good design is to be found. So many tables are strewn around and it is well shaded with heaps of umbreallas. It is kind of like eating in a paddock. Each table is presented decorated with a tin bucket that has the serviettes, menu and cutlery already in it, a sugar jar for drinks, and a couple of bottles (acting like vases) with flowers in them. That touch is what I reckon makes such a difference.
With the menu, it manages to get a combination of being ecclectic with the philosophy of keeping it simple co-operating to its advantage, and then being characteristic. The menu involves a lot of meats which are slowly cooked for many hours (such as pulled pork and beef brisket), freshly baked breads, making do with locally sourced produce and coming together it feels really wholesome and hearty. Down to the bone, this will win over exotic in the long run. Adding onto that, within the cabinets there is a selection of sweets and pastries which could give some specialised sweet shops a run for their money. Plus, artisinal breads are on offer and customers can duck in and simply buy some loaves. It has carved a niche really well.
After some thought about it, this is kind of rustic fare. Everything has the feeling of being freshly made from scratch, merely hours to minutes before it is on your table. Most of it I could imagine being served at a traditional farm house (which, again, it sort of replicates well). It's filling, it's straightforward and they can muster something up for everyone who comes here. What more could be requested? This is bound to continue changing, which is more incentive for locals to keep returning.
Going into the drinks, there is the offerings of tea and coffee, plus fresh juices. Speaking of the drinks, that is a way to start off this meal. As per usual, the business was with coffee. What I went with, starting to go different if I can, was a filter coffee: V60 pour-over. This had a smoother texture, a more subtle flavour than espresso and felt a little fresher in some ways. Also, it was different and taking a break from the norm often makes things more interesting; that is the case recently I have found with filter coffee.
When it came to the food, for me it was none other than a Cuban sandwich. This is a simple, hearty and effective combination of slow cooked pork, leg ham, mustard, Swiss cheese and some pickles, toasted. With how it tasted, it is more or less what you would think. The pig meat - both of them - was tender, chewey and had such a good flavour that is smack somewhere between mild and distinct. The pickles always had a vinegary bite when you come across them and the cheese had melted well into the bread. Simple, and no complaints here.
My brother-in-law got what sounded the most appealing, and that was the Philly cheesesteak. This is the signature sandwich of Philadelphia (in which fans will compare endlessly how to order one - just Google about it and see), which is essentially a sandwich with grilled, chopped up steak, (usually) onions and a choice of cheese with optional extras around. This is served in a roll, and is street food defined. It goes a bit alternative here by having slow cooked beef brisket. Adding onto that is provolone cheese (by the by, one of the "correct" cheeses to order in Philly), onions and capsicum, with the optional extra of jalepenos added - which was requested. There is doubting it here, this was by far the better one of the two.
First off, this was piping hot. You could burn your tongue on it, or if a bit dropped in your lap you would know it. That is a good thing for this sucker to be. Spliting it in half was a litle tricky. Once you sink your teeth into, all kinds of goodness is abound: tender, deeply flavoured meat combines with a sharp bite of melted provolone, and the combination of cooked vegetables mixed in adds some good texture to the mix. A big fan of spice speaking here, that bite of jalepeno pepper is always welcome. All of this, in a crusty eight-inch baguette. One place which specialised in cheesesteaks back in Brisbane, I had been to several times before; no time there is anywhere as good as this one.
The brother-in-law and I are on the same page with food in a number of ways, and one of these is about squeezing a little extra in. Oh yes, that means sampling the sweets (and with what is on offer here, you would be a fool not to). Leaving it all up to chance with me, I went in and had an idea what looked the best. However, just one look of it and I knew it was going to be it - an almond croissant which was also mixed in with chocolate and banana - split to share. While I was at it inside, I also got a coffee to go with the sweet. This one was none other than the usual doppio.
I'm not sure if it only counted for the espresso-based beverages, so I put it here. The coffee that they use is the Reservior Blend which comes from the Single Origin Roasters. This bean was a milder one, and was smoother in texture. It is not one for those looking to have a pure caffiene hit.
As for the pastry, oh goodness it was tasty. There is little need to describe why an almond croissant would taste so good, and most of it is a buttery texture through the pastry. Melted dark chocolate, and sweet banana added some good flavours to it. It was just the the right stage that they used the banana, so it was not too potent in the pasty and dark chocolate is always a great addition. The nuttiness of the almond butter rounds it all up into one tasty morsel. It was worth it.
Paddock is surely worthy of their reputation from around the Gold Coast. All you have to do is look at the crowds and from how far people come to try the fare. With an air that is really vibrant, relaxed and what really ties it all together is the unique, high quality fare where no one ingreident comes first, but more so how they go together. And for that reason, I give it a thorough recommendation to anyone, and that is doubly so towards fellow foodies.
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