LET HER EAT CAKE
With a menu focusing on the bare essentials, this light, bright cafe will get your morning off to a sweet start
NUDE SISTERS WHOLE FOOD KITCHEN 3/90 MARKERI ST, MERMAID WATERS Open: Monday to Friday 6.30am – 3:30pm, Saturday and Sunday 7am – 3pm
LIFE’S too short, eat the cake.
Scrawled on one freshly painted wall, it’s a reminder to those visiting Nude Sisters to get their priorities straight … you’ve got to be quick to get the pick from this treat cabinet.
The rich range of raw, vegan cakes and desserts is the main attraction at the new permanent base of sweet dreamers Georgia Homer and Bec Askey. The Gold Coast friends had punters lining up at their Night Quarter stall before putting down roots in the 45seat space at Mermaid Waters.
There’s a light touch in white tiled walls, blonde timber and potted greenery and a fresh femininity in the detail of matte pink plates and beautiful blooms. A vegetarian breakfast, lunch and drink menu expands on the sweet specialty.
They do a good job with the Allpress organic coffee, although it risks losing limelight to flashy newcomers like the reishi mushroom latte (medicinal not magic).
Matcha, chai, turmeric and beetroot are also in the line-up, along with kombucha, marbled coloured smoothies and smoothie bowls (try the cacao and peanut butter combo).
The all-day breakfast menu is a collection of well-executed essentials with a few little touches to make it their own.
The hint of chilli and parmesan through the fluffy scramble ($15) is so satisfying, while coconut and maple adds a lovely toasty note to house roasted granola ($15).
Order two slices of sourdough with your choice of trendy topping ($14): avocado, feta, dukkah and chilli oil; ricotta, roma tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze; and hommus, goat’s cheese, garlic mushies and fresh chilli.
Tossed spinach, kale, broccolini, roasted almonds, avocado and quinoa make for a brimming breakfast bowl that can be topped with a poached egg ($16) or tofu scramble ($18).
When lunch kicks in from 11am you can order DIY Vietnamese roll-ups ($16), lentil and chickpea curry drizzled with coconut yoghurt ($16) and a veggie burger ($16.50).
There’s a sensitivity to dietary requirements beyond the regulation menu markings – after I ordered gluten-free toast on one dish, the server volunteered her favourite GF friendly choices.
I only wish they’d been as proactive on another fundamental. When we arrived, every free table in the halfempty eatery was cluttered with the evidence of meals heartily enjoyed. We cleared off a corner for ourselves, but the situation wasn’t remedied in the 40 minutes we were there, even though the waitress visited our overburdened table multiple times to deposit dishes. It was the only jarring note in overall good service; chirpy staff full of smiles and meals delivered promptly. And, stashed in a smartly branded takeaway bag, my extra slice of cake (remember those priorities) was ready to roll when I was.