SUBURBAN SMASH
You’ll find far more than your average avo on toast at this new Reedy Creek cafe, writes Amber Macpherson
THERE would be little point in describing The Allotment Cafe’s menu because, by the time you read this, it would have changed again.
However, a dish available for a couple of weeks on the evolving blackboard will give you an idea of the genius of its owner and chef Simon Capewell. Be prepared — what starts out as a simple staple goes from zero to 100 real quick.
“We’ve got an avo on toast — I make an avocado mousse, I put it in a jar, then I make a citrus salad and I cure salmon, put that in the jar with a bit of watercress, then I pump it full of smoke, then we seal the lid in the kitchen,” Simon says. “As it goes out (to the customers’ table), the smoke is infusing the avocado and salmon as well.
“Then when they pop (the jar lid), they get some of the smoke coming out, which adds another element to it.”
As you’re probably now aware, Reedy Creek’s newest cafe is not your average breakfast and lunch bistro. Simon has spent most of his career cooking in prestigious restaurant kitchens in the UK and Australian capital cities.
His appreciation for food as a whole — from paddock to plate — is evident throughout The Allotment, where the decor takes inspiration from nature with plenty of greenery, timber and a deck for alfresco dining.
“With a name like The Allotment, we’re all about the community,” Simon explains.
“Our coffee is certified 100 per cent organic, that’s through Seven Miles. All our meat is certified organic.
“We’re going to build a herb and vegetable garden out the front. We’ve already got people coming in offering us cuttings of herbs and pumpkins. If someone brings us 10 pumpkins, we say ‘have an espresso on us’.”
Simon says he always wanted to open a cafe that steers clear of bacon and eggs, preferring to offer an ever-changing menu of seasonal ingredients. “I’ve been a chef for longer than I care to remember and this was the only thing left on my bucket list to tick. I’ve done the overseas thing, I’ve worked in big hotels, I’ve run the big hotel — it was the only thing left to do, really.
“You go out for breakfast or lunch and I just found Gold Coast food being very same-same.
“I wanted to do something up here, do something small and interesting.”
He thought about opening in a trendy restaurant precinct, but suburbia beckoned.
“I could have gone to Burleigh, I could been paying two or three grand a week rent,” Simon says. “If I start out with a little place in the ’burbs, I’m not going to lose everything if it doesn’t work. That’s the honest answer.”
While it’s hard to predict what will be listed next, local produce will always play a huge role in shaping the menu.
“We’ve got two blackboards, one for lunch, one for breakfast, and we change that every two weeks, purely so I don’t get bored,” Simon says.
“(I get inspiration from) cookbooks, Instagram, I’ve probably got about 130 cookbooks at home. We might chuck an eggs benedict on next week. But we’re talking about using charcoal buns, doing something with that.”
Simon plans on creating a community around The Allotment, bringing people together to appreciate the work that goes into creating food.
“There’s a park across the road I want to turn into a herb and vegetable garden,” Simon says.
“Get the schools in the area involved, learn about their vegetables and do cooking classes. Give a bit back and educate people, what food’s about, where it comes from and how it all works.”
The Allotment Cafe is open Monday to Saturday 7am to 3pm at 7/50 Woodlands Drive, Reedy Creek