From lemon and ricotta doughnuts to Lebanese kawarma – is this Brisbane's best breakfast?
Justine Whelan may just be Brisbane’s unofficial breakfast queen. As the co-founder of West End’s iconic The Gunshop Cafe, she helped revolutionise the morning dining scene in the Queensland capital with its launch that brought bold, brave and unique fare to diners for the first time.
There were Asian stir fries, pho, pasta – all for breakfast. It was a gamechanger at the time, leading to Brisbane’s current thriving brunch culture. In 2006, Whelan sold The Gunshop before opening Anouk in Paddington in 2007, and 15 years on, it continues to be one of Brisbane’s busiest cafes.
Whelan is still among the friendly faces greeting guests at the white timber and glass door, moving tables around the tiny cottage tenancy to make room for the queuing hoards. Her professionalism and passion has been passed on to staff, with the young team some of the most proficient and impressive of anywhere in the state at the moment. Our waiter knows the menu inside and out, and delivers the level of service normally only seen in fine dining restaurants, with empty water bottles replaced literally within seconds of hitting the table, and a level of attention that is thoughtful and welcomed.
Whelan’s global approach to all-day fare continues at Anouk with the menu moving from the Asian-style, three-egg omelette ($24) with hoisin duck and herb and pickled veg salad to lemon and ricotta doughnuts ($17) with berries and mascarpone stemming from Italy.
The huevos flamenco ($19) takes inspiration from Spain, with eggs baked into a sweet roasted capsicum broth with a hint of Indonesian influence thanks to the sambal oelek, while warmed white corn tortillas sit on the side of the cast-iron pan ready to scoop up all that saucy goodness. Moving to Lebanon, there’s the cafe’s take on kawarma ($23). A dinner plate-sized pita bread comes topped with hummus, chilli-flecked lamb mince, crispy chickpeas, a fried egg and a pool of pomegranate molasses which takes the dish from the everyday to the addictive with its bright sweet tanginess.
The pineapple and raspberry frozen fruit shake ($8) echoes the same flavour profile of sweet-tart refreshingness and is the ideal match from the cafe’s non-alcoholic options … if you don’t feel like a very well made Merlo coffee that is. Although, a pomegranate mimosa or Mrs Collins would no doubt make just as splendid a pairing from the succinct but out-of-the-ordinary drinks list, with wine only covering bubbles, whites and pinks, with reds left to BYO. There is, however, a completely separate gin list, with a flight of the spirit also available for $25.
The only negative to Anouk is the noise. Concrete floors and brick walls echo the sound around like a concert in a deep valley with not even the plush banquette along one wall or the greenhouse of potted plants enough to soak up the racket. But in itself, the hubbub is also part of Anouk’s charm. It’s the soundtrack of diners enjoying themselves … and after such a rough start to 2022, maybe this is something we all should embrace.
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