RAISE THE BAR FOR BRUNCH

With champagne-infused hollandaise and cocktails to match, Paradise Point’s new cafe is off to a spirited start, writes Amber Macpherson

RISE and dine! This new Paradise Point cafe is putting a grown-up twist on the first meal of the day, blending fine-dining ingredients into morning staples designed to be washed down with a cheeky cocktail.

Cross and Feather is owned by mates Pete Jeary and Clark Lynn, who met working in wellknown UK steak restaurant company Hawksmoor.

Pete says he and his business partner wanted to bring the brunch culture and level of service of the UK and Europe to the Gold Coast.

“We met in London and we both worked for restaurants where the passion for service and quality is pretty much unmatched,” Pete says.

“Cross and Feather is something we always wanted to do ourselves, bringing what we were used to in London to the Gold Coast.

“We wanted to bring people what we loved and experienced. We’re both very passionate about food and drinks.”

With an award-winning cocktail recipe to his name (called Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew), Pete hopes Cross and Feather cements the concept of breakfast and booze on the Gold Coast.

With 19 cocktails to choose from, drinking diners are well catered for.

“It’s common place in Europe to have a boozy breakfast and boozy lunches,” Pete says.

“If you have a boozy breakfast here people think there’s something wrong with you.

“We’re all grown-ups. We want to have a cheeky brew, or pina colada or bloody mary with breakfast.”

The food menu lends itself to this concept too, infusing liquor and refined flavours into experimental brunch options.

The hollandaise on the eggs benedict is infused with champagne, the eggs on sourdough can be topped with Green Ant gin-cured salmon,

and the daily made granola is sprinkled with passionfruit pannacotta, tapioca, guava gel, blood orange sherbet and coconut custard.

There’s also 12-hour confit free-range pork belly, and king fish ceviche with sunrise lime and fermented cucumber for lunch.

“The Gold Coast, we’re doing OK for cafes. We wanted to bring something that other people weren’t doing,” Pete says.

“Lots of things on our menu have a boozy or spicy finish to them.

“We’re taking everything you love about breakfast and taking it up a few notches.

“We’ll happily make you sausage on toast if that’s what you want, but we want to make something exceptional and enjoyable and fun.”

The fit-out features a strong dark blue colour scheme with blonde timber, hanging lamps and a black ceiling. It was designed and executed by Pete and Clark, which Pete says adds to the sentimental value of his first business venture.

“Neither of us have any renovation experience,” Pete says. “It was a complete learning curve.

“It was definitely worth it. It feels so much more personal. I look at the paint on the walls and it gives me a warm feeling.

“Everything fits so beautifully together.”

Cross and Feather is open daily from 5.30am at 2/2 Grice Avenue, Paradise Point

WE’RE TAKING EVERYTHING YOU LOVE ABOUT BREAKFAST AND TAKING IT UP A FEW NOTCHES