NOT YOUR USUAL SMOKO

Foodies willing to venture off the well eaten path can tuck into cafe classics with a Thai twist at Molendinar’s newest cafe, writes Denise Raward

THE Brick Cafe is new to Molendinar’s industrial zone, but it’s not exactly your traditional tradie smoko stop.

The cafe is the first venture of owners Louis and Danica Vell and offers serious coffee, hearty cafe-style breakfasts and a lunch menu with a Thai twist.

Louis’s family has always been in the food game and when he saw the opportunity to open his own place, he decided to take the jump.

“I thought it was time to take a bit of a risk,” he says.

“My family has a Thai food background and I’ve always worked in hospitality so I thought that would give me enough of a start to go out on my own.”

Louis and his landlord worked together on ideas for the cafe on the ground floor of a new commercial building, constructed with rustic bricks to let in natural light while still providing shelter from the elements.

“You probably wouldn’t expect to find a place like ours where we are,” Louis says.

“But that’s not a bad thing because the word’s spread pretty quickly among the workers in the area that we’re here. We get a lot of office workers who’re happy to get a good coffee and some quality cafe-style food.”

Louis serves Southport’s Silipo coffee, which he says has received the thumbs up from his customers.

As well as offering a selection of grab-and-go food for tradies on the run, Brick has a western-style breakfast menu and brings the Asian flavours in for lunch.

“That comes from my family background with Thai food,” Louis says. “We do most of the favourites – curries and noodle dishes – but there’s also sandwiches and sweets as well.

“There’s already been good feedback on the quality of the food, which makes me pretty happy. We’re starting to get repeat customers too, which is a good sign.

“I think there’s something for everyone and at this early stage, I’d just like to invite anyone in the area to pop in, have a look and just try us out.”

The Brick Cafe, 9a/27 Industrial Avenue, Molendinar, open Monday to Friday 6am-2pm