K and I went up to the Gold Coast recently for a short break. We stayed on Chevron Island – close enough to Surfers Paradise to be near the action, but far enough away that we could still have quiet nights without worrying about noise on the streets.
Though we actually started off with the best intentions of making ourselves a simple and healthy breakfast in the little kitchenette of our holiday apartment, we actually ended up going out for breakfast every morning. The one we had at Duo Deli Cafe was definitely the pick of all our breakfasts out!
Duo Deli Cafe is located in an unassuming quiet little strip of shops on Chevron Island. Even early on a weekday morning when all other shops are closed, there was a steady stream of locals going in and out of the cafe for breakfast and coffees. We sat ourselves on a table outside so that we could enjoy watching people coming and going.
I wasn’t expecting much when we sat down (standard brunch fare right?), but I was actually very surprised by the variety and originality of the breakfast menu. Rather than the usual bacon, eggs and toast, they had such original dishes as Israeli eggs, or rustic home-made chorizo beans.
I ordered a lychee and mint ice drink to start the meal as it was a hot day – this was absolutely beautiful. Refreshing and sweet, with a slight minty taste that almost had me thinking that I was drinking a mojito at 10am in the morning – how very decadent!
I ordered the toulouse sausages with two poached eggs, relish, herbed potato rosti and organic sourdough. It sounds like fairly standard breakfast fare, but it’s remarkable how something simple can be turned into a real gourmet feast just by selecting some good quality ingredients. A high quality sausage. A home-made potato rosti and relish. Perfectly poached eggs. Fresh baked sourdough. Great ingredients make for a great meal, no matter how simple.
K’s meal was really interesting, as he ordered the Israeli eggs with tomato, chilli, parsley, mint, garlic, coriander, evoo, lemon, and Turkish bread on the side. The dish came out in a pan, having obviously been baked briefly in the oven. The mix of spices combined with the sweet sourness of the tomato really combined well with the baked eggs in the middle of the dish. There was a good amount of chilli in the dish as well – enough to give it a kick, but not enough to start making you sweat on the hot day.
Overall I rate Duo Deli Cafe a 8.5 out of 10. A good quality breakfast for a reasonable price that’s not aimed at tourists is hard to find on the Gold Coast. This is a real hidden gem!
