The hidden Brisbane cafe worth searching for
While you may have to look hard for this tiny suburban cafe, its unique multicultural offering and killer drinks ensures it is worth the hunt.
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Unless you were looking for it, I don’t know if you’d ever find Dovetail Social in Highgate Hill.
The cafe is tucked away from the South Brisbane suburb’s main dining strip in a quiet residential street surrounded by houses worth eye-watering amounts.
It’s an odd spot for an eatery, but this seems to be part of Dovetail’s secret recipe.
The cafe, owned by Adam and Rejoice Thomson, has a sister venue, Dovetail on Overend, in Norman Park, in Brisbane’s east, in an equally obscure suburban backstreet – again
surrounded by homes for those with ocean-deep pockets.
In fact, so strong is this hyper local, secret-location tactic that Dovetail Social is almost at capacity on a midmorning Sunday visit.
Baby Boomers sit in the cosy cottage’s front dining room, just a sugar sprinkle away from the open kitchen and cake cabinet filled with house-made doughnuts, tarts and cakes; while young couples enjoy brunch in the tree-lined, covered courtyard outside with a cute, lakeside mural lining one corner. It’s lovely and peaceful, but as the temperature drops, it will no doubt call for some outdoor heaters.
With Adam a coeliac and Rejoice in charge of the kitchen, much of them menu is gluten-free or has a gluten-free option, but that doesn’t make for a boring offering. In fact, this multicultural montage of flavours is anything but, with Rejoice incorporating her Filipino
heritage with dishes such as adobo, the stir-fried rice noodle dish pancit bihon, and the pork jowl-filled kabute rice bowl; sitting alongside the likes of empanadas, breakfast pizzas and a
classic Reuben.
Korean pancakes ($22) similar to Japanese okonomiyaki are also part of the global spread, with two large tempura-looking disks featuring batons of zucchini, grated carrots and hollows of spring onion held together by a dense gluten-free batter. The kimchi on top is terrific, and while they’re a little on the heavy side, they would make great hangover fodder.
The Philippines are again represented in a beef brisket dish ($22.50), with the shredded meat
sweet and sticky from a barbecue and pineapple sauce. It tops toast and a fried egg, with a cheese-filled sweet potato croquette on the side, and a garnish of dressed rocket and pickled
radish to balance the lot.
It’s the drinks that are the real star here though.
The coffee is smoother than a professional con artist, with the silky brew using Almanac beans; while the chai latte made on Byron Bay macadamia milk is comfort in a cup, warm with cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. But it’s the Violet Crumble milkshake that has my brunch date in raptures – the thick bubbly blend intensely sweet and absurdly chocolatey, just like at the much-missed childhood milk bar.
Maybe it’s the gluten-free credentials, or perhaps it’s the allure of a hidden location, whatever it is, Dovetail Social has certainly become a cafe people are eager to seek out.
DOVETAIL SOCIAL
49 Laura St, Highgate Hill
0474 253 678
Open Wed-Sun 7am-2pm
Verdict – Scores out of 5
Food 3
Service 3.5
Ambience 3
Value 3.5
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