Mosaic Cafe at Avoca has people talking
For authentic Lebanese cuisine with a modern Australian twist, it is hard to go past Mosaic Cafe at Avoca. Here’s why.
Central Coast
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There is a reason people are raving about Mosaic Cafe at Avoca Beach.
It’s the same reason the Lebanese inspired cafe, with a contemporary Australian twist, sees it consistently ranked in the top five on TripAdvisor.
“I think it’s because we have that point of difference,” co-owner Heidi Sarkis said.
“It’s Middle Eastern (cuisine) with modern Australian inspiration ... and we are a cafe.”
Open for breakfast and lunch from Wednesday to Sunday, and dinner on Friday and Saturday Mosaic boasts seasonal specials along with a wide selection of tried and true favourites on the menu.
“I think people have the misconception Middle Eastern food is overly spicy,” Mrs Sarkis said.
“We’re all about flavour, all our food is really flavoursome.
“I’m really proud of the fact that in three years, to be number one or two on TripAdvisor, in such a short period of time is a great achievement.”
The cafe might only be in its third year but the couple’s story began in the 1970s on the dance floor of a Sydney nightclub when Heidi, from Scandinavia, met Lebanese-born Jacques Sarkis.
The unlikely pair married and moved to the Central Coast 25 years ago where they started manufacturing Lebanese food, dips such as hummus and baba ghanoush, and salads.
They started selling their foods at farmers markets until the brand — Jacques Kitchen — became established as a high-end boutique Lebanese food producer.
Today Jacques Kitchen supplies some of Sydney’s best restaurants but Mrs Starkis will not be drawn into name dropping.
But the public can pick up Middle Eastern spice mix za’atar, tabouli, hummus and other Jacques Kitchen delicacies at Mosaic, which has been somewhat of a natural extension of their food manufacturing business.
Jacques Kitchen products are also sold through Fresko Fruit at Kincumber.
A licenced venue, Mosaic offers diners the opportunity to try Lebanon’s national drink `arak’ which is made from grape alcohol mixed with aniseed and then aged in clay pots for two years.
But if a cuppa is more your thing, the cafe also offers traditional Middle Eastern coffee.
The first favourite we tried was the signature all day breakfast the Mosaic Special.
It features two generous slices of sourdough topped with poached eggs, bacon, smashed avocado with garlic — because as Mrs Sarkis explains “Lebanese have garlic in everything except ice cream” — feta and za’atar.
It has all the familiarity you would expect from these ingredients, only supercharged through the bespoke za'atar, which sends your tastebuds on an exotic journey to Arabia.
Next was the slow roast lamb sandwich with red wine gravy, potato, lettuce and lemon aioli. Delicious.
We finished with a tasting plate for two, which is where the Middle Eastern cuisine really comes to the fore with haloumi, skinless lamb sausages, meatballs, tabouli and falafel to name a few.
It is all simply divine but the traditional Lebanese pickles are an absolute surprise — in texture, taste and vibrant colour — and perfectly balance the other more dominant flavours.
There are plenty of good reasons people are raving about Mosaic at Avoca.