NAUGHTY & NICE
Crazy shakes and cheat meals hit Currumbin Waters with the opening of a new cafe, but you may not feel as guilty as you expect, writes Sally Coates
TURNS out gym junkies hate healthy eating as much as regular folk, and the proof is in the pudding. Or in this case, the crazy shake.
Personal trainer Andre Campbell and gym junkie Ray Jang ironically came up with the idea for Guilty Cafe while at the gym, watching hoards of people flock to a popular cafe and wishing they could create something that had the same impact.
“We were throwing around ideas – I wanted to do something with crazy shakes, but we wanted to do food as well,” Andre says.
“I wasn’t one of those trainers that was all eat clean and never treat yourself.
“I was more about a structured diet in the sense that you can have sweet things but in moderation. Don’t let dieting take over your lifestyle, you can still enjoy yourself.
“So when we decided on Guilty Cafe the aim was to make people feel good once they try our food, a place where people want to bring their friends and family.”
Once Andre and Ray decided on the concept, all that was left was the planning, menu, suppliers, finding the location – OK, there was plenty to do, but the guys took it in their stride.
“It took us more than six months to find the right location,” Andre says.
“Originally I thought a very high traffic area would be good like Surfers or Broadbeach but after I thought about it I thought somewhere isolated would be better.
“Somewhere we can build a relationship with the community and get to know people rather than just tourists popping in and out.
“We weren’t in a rush, we needed that time for testing and getting everything right.”
Andre came up with crazy ideas and Ray, a chef and former cafe owner over in China, brought them to life.
The shakes were the main focus, the reason the cafe is a little guilty.
“We clearly don’t aim to be a healthy cafe. You know how most people feel guilty after a cheat meal or naughty meal?” Andre says. “They feel guilty but they feel happy too. That’s what we wanted Guilty Cafe to be all about and the crazy shakes are the thing that makes people happy.”
There are currently four crazy shakes on the menu, including a chocolate shake with a chocolate rim, covered in M&Ms, topped with Ferrero Rochers, crushed peanuts, choc wafers and a Tim Tam sandwich. Other flavours featured are smashed cookies and cream, sweet and salty caramel and the strawberry fairytale.
The rest of the menu, which Andre describes as being “small but done well,” contains plenty of dishes that are probably healthier than meals you’d cook at home, or meals you wouldn’t feel too guilty about.
The breakfast bagel sounds like the ultimate hangover cure, with bacon, egg, hashbrown, cheese and lettuce, and the chicken avocado salad with seasonal mixed vegetables, marinated slowcooked chicken and a flowered avocado will earn you some body brownie points.
Open 7am to 3pm Tuesday to Sunday, Guilty Cafe could be a contender for your next cheeky cheat day.
Guilty Cafe, 174 Galleon Way, Currumbin Waters