SAVOUR FLAVOUR FREEDOM

There are no tastebud teases at this cafe – the entire menu is gluten-free

MARIE ANITA’S GLUTEN FREE CAFE

2364 GOLD COAST HIGHWAY, MERMAID BEACH

Open: Daily from 7am to 4pm (kitchen closes 2.30pm)

AS one of those fortunate people who can eat everything, I can only imagine how frustrating it is to open a menu and drool over a dish that’s off limits. There are no tastebud teases at Marie Anita’s, where the entire extensive menu is free of gluten and refined sugar, and there are almost as many dairy-free and vegan dishes.

Owner Marie James says coeliacs – used to scouring menus for that little GF symbol – often don’t know where to start when they visit.

“They get overwhelmed when they see how much choice they have. They’ll say, ‘Come back for our order in half an hour, we’re not used to this’,” she says.

“Because everything is gluten-free – even down to the drinks in our fridge – there can be no cross-contamination and that’s a big relief for them.”

The cafe has just moved to Mermaid Beach after reaching capacity at its original Burleigh base. The new highway hangout (formerly home to Finger and Bones and Vivre a Vie) features a bigger kitchen that will allow for expansion of their wholesale baking business, but there are plenty of perks in the works for diners too.

The “secret” garden out the back will get a makeover, with lights and a shaded deck setting the scene for ambient dinners, functions and special seasonal nights. A new menu is on the cards, but there are still a couple of weeks to enjoy the many favourites among the current crop.

My pick from the all-day breakfast menu is buckwheat pancakes, piled with fresh fruit, organic pure maple syrup and coconut yoghurt ($18).

The cafe makes its own sorghum wraps that can be filled with free-range fried eggs, streaky bacon, organic mushroom, grilled onion, avo, spinach and raw cheese sauce in a better-for-you version of the brekkie wrap ($20).

For lunch try the organic mung bean burrito with shredded angus beef cheek ($26.50), or the pan-seared wild-caught fish on a hearty, warm sweet potato salad base, topped with a tangle of living sprouts and tahini sauce ($27).

That barely scratches the surface and the choice on the refreshment front is equally boggling: juices and smoothies, kombucha, living elixirs, looseleaf teas, organic affogato and dandelion lattes.

There’s more in the cabinet, including raw peppermint slice and plump apple crumble muffins, plus a spread of takehome bread. Unique flavours like turmeric and black pepper are among the organic, glutenfree artisan range, which is handmade every day Monday to Saturday.

There’s no doubt Marie Anita’s turns the tables for those with dietary dictates, but the sweet setting and wholesome flavours should appeal to a much broader audience.