A sign of a good cafe is how it handles itself during the challenging moments. On a visit to Plentiful in Graceville, in Brisbane’s southwest, things aren’t going to plan for the popular eatery according to our exasperated waitress, who tries to put on a brave face amid the chaos.

The biggest issue, we’re told, is the dishwasher has broken, causing delays in the kitchen and to meal times on a busy Sunday morning. Throw in running out of two of their regular milks for coffee and there is plenty of reason for the staff to be stressed.

While this could easily erupt into an apocalyptic-style disaster of caffeine-deprived, hangry customers raging like the mutated, flesh-eating scientists in Resident Evil, the smiling, industrious team pull it together, with meals arriving in good time and coffees made well, despite having to substitute milks.

This positive attitude can also be seen through the cafe’s menu: a contemporary line-up of popular and unusual dishes with playful names such as the “Just a little egg-stra” for eggs on toast with tomato chutney, or “Wholly crumpets Batman!” referring to two crumpets topped with yuzu curd, praline coconut cream and meringue; or “Orange you glad” for orange fried chicken and house waffles with fennel and orange slaw.

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Playing into the fun is our “Prawn to be wild” ($18) – the cafe’s take on the yum cha favourite of prawn toast. This version comes with the sweet, chive-studded crustacean mix spread across two slices of crusty sourdough rather than the usual fluffy white bread used.

The seafood mixture is then topped with sesame seeds and pan fried to deliver a golden crust. While traditional it is not, it’s certainly tasty with a viscous sweet and sour sauce pooled on the plate for dipping.

Also taking on Asian inspiration is the omelette ($24). The just-set egg mixture envelopes a rubble of pork mince that’s described as “spiced” on the menu but extremely delicately so, leaving a shot glass of ginger, sesame and tamari on the side to deliver the dish’s big flavour hit. A little accompanying salad of pickled carrot and ginger and a dome of steamed rice turns this into a more-than-hearty breakfast. 

In addition to the robust, acidic milk coffees using Five Senses’ Darkhouse blend, the cafe employs a single origin, say a Tanzanian option with red apple and cherry chocolate notes, for its black varieties, with batch brew and an iced batch among the line-up (all coffees $3.50-$7). Not after coffee? There are juices, milkshakes, thickshakes, teas and smoothies, including the cucumber and spinach-dominant “Cleanse my soul” ($10) too.

They can be enjoyed in the cafe’s minimal dining room inside, warmed with wood detailing, or on the seemingly more popular footpath outside linked through large bi-fold windows. Wherever guests choose to sit, however, staff are there to make the experience a pleasurable one.

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