New Shakespearean cafe serves up breakfast sure to attract Instagram likes

Served spilling out of a paper cup, this just-sweet caramelised bubble waffle is likely to send the Insta crowd into a frenzy and is available in Brisbane’s western suburbs.

To be or not to be, that is the question.

It’s from one of Shakespeare’s most famous soliloquys, but a rather odd name for a cafe. However, after the past 18 Covid-riddled months, contemplating life and death as the great Bard did may be more fitting than it seems at first glance.

For owners Urvik Bhalani and Reagan Nongkhlaw (and new partner Sean Donnelly), however, the moniker is inspired by their first act – popular Kenmore cafe Method To The Madness, in Brisbane’s west – which opened in 2018, also taking its name from another line in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

To Be or Not To Be cafe in Westlake.

The Kenmore operation has proved a suburban winner, drawing a loyal local following with its inventive breakfast and lunch fare, and the same script has been rolled out for the audience at To Be Or Not To Be in Westlake, in Brisbane’s southwest.

With a more theatrical fit-out of stone-hued dramatic archways both inside and on the covered deck outside, wrapped with plants and anchored with heavy timbers, the eatery features an all-day brekky menu of carnivorous, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options as original as the playwright’s works. Dishes stretch from a bostock – a brioche-based hybrid of French toast and almond croissant soaked in syrup – to the on-theme “Shakespeare Dislikes Covid-19” with quinoa toast, beetroot hummus, avocado, seeds, goat’s cheese and poached eggs. When lunch kicks in, more dishes are added: a fermented chilli and blue swimmer crab laksa, cheeseburger and lamb shank massaman curry.

The outdoor area at To Be or Not To Be cafe in Westlake.

It’s a comforting and nourishing menu built around big flavours, extended with a cabinet filled with cakes, brownies and gluten-free treats, plus pastries from Brasserie Bread.

Chinese pork Benny ($21.50) is the cafe’s twist on traditional eggs Benedict with two runny-centred poached eggs peeking through an avalanche of yuzu-spiked hollandaise on crushed potatoes, with the achingly tender glazed pig on the side. A crispy potato rosti would perhaps work better than the soft spuds for texture, but the flavours are on point.

The eggs Benedict with Chinese pork belly.

However, if it’s Instagram appeal you want, it has to be the Hong Kong peanut butter waffle ($19.50). Served spilling out of a paper cup, the just-sweet caramelised bubble waffle is perfectly crispy on the edges with soft, pillowy pockets ready to soak up dots of berry coulis, citrus curd and a deathly rich chocolate cremeux. A glitter-like dusting of freeze-dried raspberries and orange segments on top helps to cut through the richness of the dish, further enforced by chunks of dark chocolate and peanut butter brownie and Tim Tam peanut butter ice cream.

The Instagram-worthy Hong Kong peanut butter waffle.

Veneziano beans are used for strong, bitter coffees on milk, as well as batch brews, cold brews and a “coffee spritz” featuring tonic water and dehydrated mandarin. Juices, smoothies, milkshakes, Aperol spritzes and mimosas are also available.

But perhaps the star of the whole experience is the cast – a friendly team of knowledgeable staff who go above and beyond, with a sense of humour as cheeky as Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. It all makes for a show worthy of much applause.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

180 Westlake Drive, Westlake

3161 7346

tobeornottobe.com.au

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

THE VERDICT – Scores out of 5

Food 3.5

Ambience 3.5

Service 4

Value 3.5

Overall 3.5