French toast sliders and caesar salad with a twist: Brisbane CBD cafe wowing diners

Wholesome, top-notch ingredients are at the heart of this Brisbane cafe offering playful twists on classic dishes.

As you walk down Brisbane CBD’s grungy-cool Burnett Lane – overflowing skip bins lined up just a wrapper toss from some of the state’s best bars – you can hear Felix for Goodness before you can see it.

This place hums with the cool cafe set on weekends sipping macadamia milk lattes and tucking into dietary friendly fare, while on weekdays it’s home to a procession of office and retail workers, chasing something more than a cabinet wrap or mass-produced sandwich.

Felix for Goodness fills an old loading dock space in Brisbane City. Picture: David Kelly

Since its inception nearly a decade ago, taking over the former loading dock of a record store with an uber chic industrial fit-out, it has been a dining destination intent on pushing culinary boundaries, driven by the best seasonal produce and a determination to make wholesome food delicious.

Although it was sold last year by the talented Sam Pethely (Florence cafe, Camp Hill), the new owners, who are keeping a low profile, are upholding those same values.

The result is a food offering that changes with the seasons and dishes that excite both the diehard foodie and the critical nutritionist with fruit, veg, legumes, seeds, nuts wholegrains and ferments used in unexpected and creative ways.

A maple pumpkin dish at Felix For Goodness. Picture: David Kelly

Take a pea and edamame risotto made with groats not rice, or a jackfruit shawarma omelette. Another prime example is the venue’s fun take on a chicken caesar salad ($28) – tapping into the global trend of reimagining retro eats.

Here the cafe classic is elevated, with the usual dry pieces of overcooked chicken replaced with poultry poached gently in coconut milk until tender, crispy bacon making way for pliable ribbons of gorgeously fatty prosciutto; nutty, golden, fried tempeh instead of croutons, and shards of the softer, creamier pecorino rather than the harder, drier parmesan.

Verdant crisp cos lettuce leaves still form the base, interspersed with cooked witlof hearts for texture, while a bright basil dressing substitutes for the usual creamy mayonnaise-style sauce. It’s simple but also a little fancy and I love it.

The chicken Caesar salad. Picture: David Kelly

Also getting a twist is the ubiquitous French toast – this time manifesting as sliders with fresh fruit and frozen yoghurt ($28).

Calling them sliders or French toast, however, is pure marketing.

These are none other than jam-filled doughnuts.

They are very good jam doughnuts, though, made in-house with a fluffy crumb and sesame seeds on their crust for savouriness.

The only issue is the puddle of syrupy, sickly sweet strawberry jam on the bottom of the bowl that not even the tart hockey puck of frozen yoghurt or fresh strawberries and blueberries can balance. Maybe a coulis would have been better.

The French toast sliders. Picture: David Kelly

Espresso coffee is Felix’s own blend made by Parallel Roasters with fruity notes, there is also a rotating array of single-origin batch brews, chai, turmeric lattes, fresh juices, smoothies, frappes and sodas.

For lunch or brunch, there are cocktails as well as beer and wines.

Felix for Goodness is carrying on its legacy with pride as evidenced through the knowledgeable, engaged staff.

And judging by the crowds and the racket they make as they dine, this cosy, cool cafe continues to win fans.

For more reviews visit delicious.com.au/eatout

FELIX FOR GOODNESS

50 Burnett Lane, Brisbane City

3161 7966

felixforgoodness.com

Open Daily 8am-2pm

Verdict - Scores out of 5

Food 4

Service 4

Ambience 4

Value 3.5

Overall 4