BSKT Cafe, Gold Coast, Queensland - AUSTRALIA

[Cass]

BSKT CAFE

« 4 Lavarack Road, Gold Coast, Qld, Australia  « www.bskt.com.au  «

 

 

(Image from: http://thebluemacaron.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/bskt-cafe/)

 

As we pulled up, the BSKT Cafe looked nice enough, but nothing special. Given that we were spending the day surfing on the Gold Coast (nar-nar Dice, nar-nar   ), we fancied eating something other than the typical greasy Coast 'meal' of take-away fish-and-chips, and Google predicted the location to be less than a 20 minute drive from the beach we were surfing at, we figured we didn't really have anything to lose by trying it out. We were there on the recommendation (and facebook review) of a friend who'd recently visited (and whose brother just happens to be the head chef).  We ended up being very pleasantly surprised. This place was awesome! Those stars at the top of the post do in fact mean that, overall, despite it's less-than-stellar appearance from the outside, I give it four-and-a-half out stars out of five - here's why:

 

Location / Accessibility ««««

Conveniently located on a corner of a main road less than 15 minutes drive from Surfer's Paradise, this place is both just far enough away from the madness of the main Gold Coast tourist area to avoid being swamped by every man and his dog at meal times, and close enough to the main surfing beaches to not be an inconvenience to grabbing a decent bite to eat between surfs. It was easy to locate, and it seemed like sufficient car parking was available on the side-street next door. There was even a little parking lot on the opposite side dedicated to the more motivated, inclined-to-cycle-for-a-meal type customers. The only reason this place loses a star for location from me is because... well, because at nearly a 2 hour drive away from my house, it's just too far to have five stars.

 

Cost for 2-person Meal $$ ($30-60) «««««

The costs of breakfast/smaller dishes range from $10-19, and larger lunch/dinner meals are $18-26. A fair bit more expensive than ye old fish-and-chips, but I'd say definitely reasonable judged on the quality and size of meals we received.

 

 

​Ambiance ««««

   

 

Basically the cafe is just the downstairs of a building just back from the beach. It backs onto a hotel or something, but I've gotta hand it to the owners/designers/staff - BSKT does a lot for ambiance given the little, somewhat pokey space they've got. Inside is relatively open, light and airy, and cleanly relaxed like a good beach cafe should be. Couple that with the chilled and friendly attitudes of the staff, the suitably audible but not-invasively-loud background music that they used, the partially-complete local artwork drawn directly on the walls, the general mood and other decor and, for me, BSKT achieved the relaxed but hip, healthy, active 'urban eatery style' atmosphere that their website says they're going for. There was something about the place that just made you want to eat healthy and clean. One star down because some of the building materials/extra furniture looked really outdated and/or kind of tired and worn, which for some reason kind of deducted from the beachy look and feel rather than enhancing it.

 

Food «««««

The food.

Oh good Light, the food. A whole week and one day later, and I'm still thinking fondly about that food. I just can't get it out of my mind. It was definitely good. Very, very good. All of it. Presentation, quality, taste - the lot.

-Starters-

We ordered and shared the CRISPY KING PRAWNS   - With Garlic Aioli, Chilli Puree & Lime Essential Oil. 

They were well presented, fresh and very, very tasty. There were enough on the plate to share, and we didn't go hungry, but they were so nice I don't think either of us would have complained if there were more!

 

   

 

 

 

-Mains-

I had the SEARED WILD TUNA   With Coconut, Fresh Basil, Cashews, Smoked Mackerel & Quinoa Salad. Sarah had a beef and noodle dish with spinach and a small sort-of salad (it's not on the website's menu, and I didn't eat much of it, so I can't give you more detail than that, and the fact it was also yummy). But all of it was divine. Absolutely divine.  I am not a fan of Tuna, but that tuna steak was so perfectly seared and filling and tasty and healthy, cooked like that it's just become one of my favourite foods. The coconut, basil and cashew mix in the quinoa was a combination that paid off for the dish overall and definitely complimented the tuna. My tastebuds and my stomach were definitely satisfied following that meal. It wasn't big to look at, but I was actually so full I should have stopped about half-way through (and I'm a big eater). The rest of the menu is filled with other equally healthy, interesting and terrifically-tasty-sounding meals. I doubt any of them would disappoint.

 

 

 

 

 

-Dessert- 

 

Dessert is actually what we came for. Precisely, we came for the 'coco-whip' - a dairy-free soft-serve apparently made from coconut water. As someone who now mostly avoids dairy, and who completely loves coconut, this sounded like a win to me from the moment it was recommended/posted on my friend's facebook feed. It was AWESOME. Lighter than ice-cream, creamy, but without that greasy taste, filling, but not heavy. It was kind of perfect. Much more flavoursome with the granola than without, but tasty and very moreish in both cases all the same!

 

 

 

 

 

Service ««««

The service from wait staff was friendly, helpful, well-mannered and adequate. Food was served super quickly and fantastically presented. A star down because the (very genuinely apologetic) waitress forgot our drinks until after we'd finished eating and subsequently reminded her (Indian chai tea - was lovely once we got it). 

 

 

 

 

 

So yes, overall - four and a half stars out of five, and the highlight of our day down on the coast. It's safe to say that if that's the way the BSKT crumbles, I'll definitely be back, and I certainly recommend it to anyone making a trip to the Gold Coast (nudge, Dice, nudge)!! Hopefully y'all enjoy it as much as I did when you finally get there! Bon appetit! 

Edited January 30, 2014 by _Eb_

[BridMorgan]

Eb - 2