Neighbourhood favourite reopens after flood wipeout 12 months ago

An Auchenflower cafe is back bigger and better than ever a year after the Brisbane floods.

Walking past a duo of fiddle leaf figs in pink pots and through the salmon-hued door into the pretty-as-a-picture Peach Cafe in Auchenflower, you would never know that just 12 months ago it was a submerged mess, destroyed by last February’s floods.

The cosy eatery lost almost everything – including the work started on an extension out the back – and had to be closed for five months to repair the damage. But just over a year on and this little neighbourhood favourite – loved by local mums for the park next door and Instagrammers for its dreamy white contemporary cottage vibe accented by peach-hued details – is once again thriving.

The new back area at Peach Cafe, Auchenflower. Picture: David Kelly

That renovation is also fully finished, offering an extra 60 seats both inside in a glass-bordered box with polished concrete floors and outside at picnic tables under peach-toned umbrellas. But on a hot day, it’s the original front part of the cafe cooled by a pumping airconditioner and lined with Scandi-style white and timber furniture and an abundance of greenery that is the place to be. To address the slightly fragmented dining spaces, the cafe has a QR code system for customers to order.

With a smartphone, the easy-to-read menu pops up with all dishes illustrated with photos and each coming with options to add on extra elements. Our drinks arrive in minutes, with a smiling waitress delivering a flat white devoid of bitterness and highly smashable, alongside a smooth chai latte. There are more adventurous drinks on the menu, with everything from a Bueno milkshake to a petal-topped Turkish delight hot chocolate with strawberry syrup.

The Little Lebanon flatbread. Picture: David Kelly

The food arrives with equal haste from a modern menu that takes the traditional and flips it upside down. I’m talking about, say, “The Beachside Benny” ($23) with panko-coated prawns inside a brioche baguette, topped with poached eggs, miso sambal, prawn crackers and hollandaise sauce. It looks impossible to eat, but it would sure be fun trying. Or there’s the Biscoff cheesecake ($24) presented like a cube coated in cereal crumbs and comprises Hong Kong-style French toast and condensed milk ice cream.

The aburi salmon poke bowl ($28) is just as challenging to eat as the Beachside Benny looks, with an abundance of finely sliced carrot and cabbage going flying across the table as you dig for the deliciously dressed rice noodles at the bottom of the bowl. Thankfully, the blow-torched salmon slices are easy to pick off the top, ready for a tumble in the accompanying puddle of kewpie mayonnaise, and to be capped off with a sliver of ultra fine pickled ginger.

The aburi salmon poke bowl. Picture: David Kelly

A bigger bowl and some dressing on the carrot, cabbage and edamame would take this dish from good to great. Requiring far less dexterity and culinary acrobatics is Little Lebanon flatbread ($22). A flatbread covers the plate, its tanned exterior ringed with a punchy, salty za’atar, and crowned with fried eggs, buttery soft haloumi, pink pickled onions, hummus and soft herbs for freshness. A delight.

While Peach Cafe may have endured serious hardship, it has come out stronger for it.

For more reviews visit delicious.com.au/eatout

97 Haig Rd, Auchenflower

peachcafe.com.au

Open

Mon-Fri 6.30am-2pm Sat-Sun 7am-2pm

Verdict

Food 3.5

Service 3.5

Ambience 4

Value 4

Overall 3.5