Chimney cake specialist Kurtosh opens in Brisbane
A new cafe specialising in a famous Hungarian dessert and selling cakes by the gram rather than the slice has opened in one of Brisbane’s trendiest new foodie precincts.
QWeekend
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If you’re the type of person who sees a cake cabinet and wants to try one of everything, I have found the place for you. Kurtosh is the latest addition to West End’s old Peter’s Ice Cream Factory development, West Village, and – some may say ingeniously – sells cake by the gram, rather than by the slice.
The enterprising concept has been a roaring success down south for a few years with six eateries in NSW and one in Victoria, and now they have launched into Queensland.
The fit-out feels European, in equal parts cosy and chic thanks to black-framed windows, whitewashed brick walls and heavy timber cafe tables with cast-iron baby Paris bases. But the stars of the space are the brass-trimmed cake cabinets and the Kurtosh-making station, for which the venue takes its moniker.
The name Kürtosh comes from kürtoskalács – a traditional Hungarian yeasted pastry often called a chimney cake. At the eatery, diners can watch through glass as the sweet treats are made. The chef spirals a ribbon of dough around a special rolling pin, before brushing on a glaze and dusting liberally with sugar. The pastry cylinder is then ready to be baked on a rotating spit until its exterior glows golden and glistening. Next it’s time for a coating in cinnamon or coconut ($8) or crushed nuts ($9), or have Nutella baked into the crust ($10).
Our pistachio version hits the table warm and shimmering, pulling apart like a saccharine slinky with the outside crisp and just firm, the inside soft and bun-like: a uniquely simple pleasure.
As for those cakes, there are no fewer than 17 filling the cabinets on my visit – and that’s with many having already sold out – with everything from chocolate cake and sticky apple, cinnamon and walnut tea cake to espresso and almond roulade and lime and ginger meringue tart all for $6.50 per 100g.
Everything is made in a central kitchen in Sydney before being shipped to the Brisbane cafe, ready to be cut to your specified weight by the friendly staff.
You can choose as small a portion as you like (within reason), but we opt for 50g slices of five different varieties: the tiramisu, raspberry cheesecake, cookies and cream cheesecake, red velvet with cherries and chocolate mousse, and the hazelnut truffle slab.
Each serve ends up being about two bites – perfect for a taste – with the effortlessly light, triple-layered tiramisu and not-too-sickly baked raspberry cheesecake the standouts among a fairly solid line-up.
Coffee comes from Seven Miles and is pleasantly bitter, providing welcome relief to all that sugar; as does a properly spiced chai latte, heavy with cardamom, and brewed in an individual teapot.
For those who crave something sweet but can’t commit to a whole piece of cake, Kurtosh is genius – just make sure you order one of those chimney cakes.
Kurtosh
Shop TR-06, 111 Boundary St, West Village Retail, West End
3667 8386
Open
Daily 7am-10pm
Verdict
Food 3
Service 3.5
Ambience 3.5
Value 3.5
Overall 3.5
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