Seam Magazine Online

by linsey rendell

“Just letting you know there’s a five minute wait on coffees,” Keith, owner and barista of the morning says apologetically.
Five minutes! Outrageous! (sarcasm). “That’s fine,” I answer.
“Okay, make that 5 and a half,” Keith replies cheekily.
If a café thinks waiting five minutes for coffee is a dilemma, then you know the service is good.

Willow & Spoon is a much-needed addition to the kinda-sleepy-kinda-busy suburb of Alderley. This little café has been bubbling along for over 2 months now and is quite the popular spot for families, youngsters and businesspeople alike. When we arrive late-ish on a Saturday morning, we manage to nab the super comfy couch out the front. You just sink into its mustardy-brown hug. We order at the counter, receiving a number emblazoned wooden spoon in a vintage coke bottle for our order. The front seating is sunny and warm – almost a good idea to bring sunscreen if you’re the milky-skinned type. You can also sit inside among the vintage furniture and retro prints, and there’s more room out the back as well. Our coffees ($3.80, no extra for soy!) are not delayed, with my latte surprisingly good. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, but local roasters Blue Sky Coffee (and Keith’s barista skills) don’t disappoint.

Accompanying your coffee are teaspoons from travels past, the ones with little crests on the end from the town where they were bought as a souvenir. My grandmother used to collect them so I’m quite smitten. Wooden troughs of rosemary and pots of olive trees add a hint of greenery to the edge of the traffic-ridden main road. The sounds of which fade into the background as I chow down The Willow – bacon and eggs, tomato braised red lentils and semolina toast. I wasn’t so sure what the lentils would be actually be like when they came out… I admit I was a little worried. But they were delicious in a pesto-esque form. The eggs were delightful and runny, the golden gooeyness mixing well with the tomato braised lentils.

My brunch date had the ‘Chloe’s Wild’, which was a mixture of mushrooms including enoki on corn bread with garlic, spinach, tomato and haloumi. The mushrooms were bursting with flavour and the haloumi wasn’t squeaky, which is always a bonus. I love that W&S have gluten free options for bread and that they not only taste good but are a nice texture, void of similarity to cement bricks. There are a few quirky options on the menu for the experimental among us. The honey glazed “p’z + carotz” with beetroot, goats curd, red peppers and poached egg whizzed passed our table many a times, and the beef cheek with cauliflower gratin, tallegio cheese and poached egg was a super tempting bizarre brunch choice.

If you’ve only got a speck of spare time, pop in for a coffee or tea (from local boutique tea makers Nine Owls Tea) and sit at the bar Italian-style. It really does feel a little like Europe. Overall, prices are at the slightly higher end of the breakfast scale, but the quality, taste and service won’t upset you or your gluten-intolerant tummy.

Willow & Spoon
2/28 Samford Road
Alderley QLD 4051
Ph: (07) 3113 3810
www.willowandspoon.com.au
Breakfast Tuesday-Sunday
Lunch Tuesday-Saturday 12-2pm