Waffles, fondue and churros: Inside Cairns’ new chocolate cafe

A Belgian chocolate cafe has opened in Cairns, boasting a menu of decadent chocolate desserts perfect for any sweet tooth.

The churros for two and pistachio acai on offer at Oliver Brown Redlynch. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Belgian chocolate cafe has opened in Cairns with a menu of decadent chocolate desserts.

Oliver Brown opened in Redlynch Central Shopping Centre earlier this month to massive crowds that have continued nearly two weeks on.

“It’s been crazy busy, people have been showing too much love,” manager Michael Kim said.

Mr Kim said he didn’t expect the amount of traffic and said “people had been coming from everywhere”, citing customers who had been driving from Kuranda to get their hands on the store’s chocolate offerings.

The smashed avocado is one of the options for those who aren’t chocolate lovers. Picture: Brendan Radke

Oliver Brown first opened in 2010 in Sydney and has more than 45 stores across Australia, mainly in NSW.

The Redlynch store’s menu offers a plethora of dishes infused with Belgian chocolate, including fondue, crepes, sundaes, and a range of rich chocolate drinks.

Last week they also launched a range of acai bowls, with flavours such as pistachio and biscoff.

But for those without a sweet tooth, there is a savoury brunch menu too, ranging from savoury crepes to fish and chips and loaded croissants.

The chilli egg and chorizo croissant is another option from the savoury brunch menu. Picture: Brendan Radke

The store is run by three friends and business partners Michael, Jason and Jun Kim.

Michael and Kim run sushi store Super Sushi which has various stores across Cairns, but were eager for a new challenge.

So, when friend and company director Eric Song expressed an interest in a Cairns Oliver Brown store, Michael and Jason joined forces with friend Jun Kim to take on the venture.

Store managers Jun Kim, Michael Kim and Jason Kim have all been Cairns locals for the past 20 years. Picture: Brendan Radke

Michael said Jun, who has worked in the food supply business for the past 16 years, manages the floor while Michael and Jason focus on the business side.

He also said they had already hired more staff to keep up with demand and have about 10 staff on per day, three of which are dedicated baristas who all trained in Seoul, South Korea.

Originally published as Waffles, fondue and churros: Inside Cairns’ new chocolate cafe