Inside Florence cafe Camp Hill: The Brissie cafe loved by our top chefs

Ask many of Brisbane’s top chefs for their favourite breakfast spot and this southside eatery is likely the answer.

Ask many of Brisbane’s top chefs for their favourite breakfast spot in the city and the answer is Florence in Camp Hill.

Why? For some, it’s the cosy yet contemporary fit-out. The way Brisbane-based architect Peter Kuhnell and furniture maker Talty Sargent have transformed a nondescript, old corner store into a cafe that’s as homely and comforting as it is modern and unexpected. There’s the original wooden floorboards juxtaposing against a glossy, stop-and-stare, curved timber wall that extends from behind the counter to the ceiling above. Plus the inviting retail space at the rear of the all-white, VJ-lined venue, where curved shelves house artisan-produced crockery, house-made preserves, free-range eggs, coffee and more for sale.

Florence Cafe in Camp Hill. Picture: David Clark

For other chefs, it’s the service. The welcoming staff, well-versed on the menu and with a passion for their jobs only felt by those who truly believe in where they’re working and what’s being produced.

But for most, it’s the food. An all-day menu that takes on the ordinary and tries to reinvent it in ways where unequivocal, pure deliciousness is the focus; while simultaneously offering dishes designed to challenge what many would consider to be standard breakfast fare. Pickled mussels with almond cream on toast, anyone? It’s a menu that can be as simple (think omelette, fish burger) or as exciting (barley dosa with bottarga) as you please.

But overall, it’s the vibe owners Elizabeth Florence and Sam Pethely have created since opening the venue in 2018. The sustainably aligned pair, who embrace seasonal fare by working closely with local growers, farmers and producers, has slowly refined their offering to something that is truly their own – intriguing, unique and absolutely rave-worthy.

Featuring more diced eye fillet than can surely be profitable for the price, is the must-order beef tartare ($26). Like a raw version of your nona’s best ever ragu, the meat is tossed through parsley, chives and a rich tomato sauce and topped with anchovy fillets, dollops of stracciatella and olive slices, ready to be scooped up with a deep-fried sourdough. It’s the type of delicious that elicits swear words and big smiles.

While for the sweet tooth there’s the scrape-the-bowl-clean, dairy-free rice pudding ($18). It’s enviable viscous texture is contrasted by crushed, lightly roasted macadamias, while a cheek of slightly underripe mango gives tang and balance to just-sweet Bee One Third honey poured over the top.

It’s the ultimate “treat yourself” breakfast alongside one of the cafe’s superb Parallel Roasters coffees, or a smoothie or kefir. Or if you’re really spoiling yourself, there’s a handful of cocktails, a line-up of locally made beers, plus a tight yet thoughtfully composed wine list celebrating mostly Australian smaller producers.

In an intensely competitive breakfast market, the chefs have got it right. Florence is a destination worthy of favourite status.

FLORENCE CAFE

54 Martha St, Camp Hill

0493 117 933

florence-cafe.com

Open Seven days 7am-2pm

Verdict

Food 5

Service 4

Ambience 4

Value 5

Overall 4.5

For more reviews visit delicious.com.au/eatout