It started out as a walk home from dropping off my car for a service, doubling as exercise for me and an attempt to tire out the puppy, and ended up as a chance to try the newly opened Paleo Café on Latrobe Terrace in Brisbane’s Paddington.
An offshoot of the Paleo Café in Cairns, this café is all about lifestyle – eating and living as they believe Mother Nature intended. In a Paleo world this means selecting a good variety of lean meat, seafood, eggs, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and berries. It also means avoiding consuming dairy, grains, legumes, sugars and preservatives which our bodies were not designed to digest, they say. The bottom line is true Paleo is 100 per cent gluten, dairy, grain, sugar and preservative free.
You might assume that if you are not following a Paleo diet then there’s nothing here for you. That would be a mistake. There’s plenty for everyone from Banana pancakes or Zucchini and kale frittata to Paleo free range eggs benedict and yes, there is bread. It’s a bit different from what you’d normally find at a café but certainly passes as bread-like.
My breakfast was a parfait with layers of granola, coconut yoghurt and mixed berries washed down with local Elixir coffee.
The lunch menu has plenty of lean protein including seared salmon, slow roasted pork belly and grass fed sirloin plus a selection of salads, curry and soup.
There’s even a kids menu with coconut crumbed fish and Paleo bolognaise with sweet potato noodles.
I found the service friendly and helpful and Bella appreciated the large dog water bowl.
All they need are the daily papers and life would be perfect.
It remains to be seen who is more tired after the long walk, but I strongly suspect the puppy, Bella, has more recuperative powers than I do.
Best tip: Put aside your prejudices and give it a go.
Bottom line: Prices range between $9 and $20 for breakfast
Paleo Cafe
Kerry Heaney
Disclaimer: Ed+bK paid for this meal