Gold Coast Taste review: Blackboard Coffee, Varsity

CAFE kings Nick Pearce and Marc Kinvig didn’t have to go back to the drawing board but there are surprises in their latest offering.

Blackboard’s waffle and chai yoghurt gelato. Picture: Jerad Williams

THE successful never stand still and so it is with one of the Coast’s cafe revolutionaries.

In January Blackboard Coffee unveiled version 3.0 of its original Varsity Lakes cafe.

Owners Nick Pearce and Marc Kinvig worked with Studio Workshop on a striking fitout for the prime lakeside space.

Fans swirl from lofty industrial ceilings and the raw timber palate is softened with a surplus of foliage.

It may be in Bond Uni’s backyard and well supported by Varsity Lakes’ student population, but there’s a maturity about this latest incarnation that should appeal to diners of all ages.

Gimmicks like the syringe-injected doughnuts that spawned a legion of copycats take a back seat to produce-driven dishes that give gorgeous local ingredients the space to shine.

While the coffee that started it all retains rightful pride of place, that other coming-of-age perk is a cheeky vino with lunch.

Or Aperol spritz with breakfast. Breakfast cocktails, including gin and juice, a passionfruit bellini and mimosa, kick in from 10am.

Balter and Stone & Wood also get a look-in, sitting alongside supercharged smoothies and vibrant cold juices.

Cravings aren’t confined to a timetable — the menu flows from breakfast to lunch, an organic evolution from berry-loaded puffed cereal with honey milk ($13) to saucy double-patty beef burgers ($19.50).

We tried a little from column A and a little from column B — all simple spins on classics.

Aromatic truffle and lashings of goat’s cheese take scrambled eggs on toast ($18) into more luxurious territory, and it would be easy to get attached to the hash-potato eggs benedict ($18.50).

The gnocchi is a truly beautiful dish, with a forest of wild mushrooms to explore between potato parcels, tied together by burnt butter and a shaving of pecorino, all for a very reasonable $19.50.

Ice cream sandwiches ($7), gelato tubs ($7) and gelato sticks ($7) supply summer vibes for dessert, but there’s also a very well-stocked treat cabinet to complicate the decision.

A petite lemon-meringue pie was all the excuse I needed for a second shot at Blackboard’s reliable brew. There’s also a range of raw slices.

The service was among the friendliest I’ve received, but after some long waits to place orders I would have preferred it to be more proactive.

No such complaints about dish delivery — everything made it to the table in good time. It feels like a well-oiled machine.

Overall, the revamped cafe is another strong statement from very savvy operators … just don’t expect them to sit back and smell the coffee beans for long.

BLACKBOARD COFFEE

7/240 Varsity Parade, Varsity Lakes

Open: Daily from 6am — 4pm