Willow And Spoon

WILLOW AND SPOON HAS MOVED TO WILSTON AND IS AWAITING A NEW REVIEW.

There's something about this funky foodies' cafe with its retro couches and armchairs scattered throughout that invites lingering, whether over a book, a newspaper, a conversation or just to sample more of the brilliant fare on offer.

And there are plenty of places to linger, from the sunny pavement sofa, the colourful main dining room, or, for a getaway, wander through the kitchen to the rear. Here the concreted space under the building, which once would have contained nothing but Grandma's washtub and a resident blue tongue lizard, has been cutely populated with tables and chairs, lamps, a toy box and more arm chairs, with a spill over of tables on weekends onto the lawn by the Hills Hoist.

As for the menu, it's a brunch style affair, featuring dishes to awaken anyone out of a sleep like the Sleeping Beauty, aka poached eggs, muffin, tarragon, mushroom duxelle and tomato-honey and garden pea sauce or, for something lighter and like nothing healthy you've ever had, the Passiflora – home made granola, pepita, hazelnut and rockmelon with black rice pudding and divine passionfruit labna. Or make a quick side trip to New Orleans with the Gourmet Traveller award-winning Voodoo Chicken – hot southern fried chicken, honey beans, poached egg and papa ghede salsa.

As much thought has gone into the children's menu as the other with baby waffles, blueberry maple and ice-cream, fried chicken and poached egg on toast or petite bacon and egg wih croissant with shakes or babycinos.

Meanwhile the coffee is expertly made Newstead-based Blue Sky and tea is Samford-based Nine Owls, with a choice of chai, Breakfast or herbal. Last but not least the sweets offerings (muffins, slices, tarts, pies and puddings) include a decent range of gluten-free.

On Thursday to Saturday evenings Willow & Spoon turns into the friend's house with the master chef in the kitchen as locals pile in for personal service and superb home cooking designed to share such as house bouillabaisse for two or Kilcoy sirloin for four, tempered with smaller dishes like soya braised pork belly, choi sum and oyster mushroom or pan roasted quail, speck and garden peas with café de Paris butter.

NOTE: AS OF JULY 2 2014 WILLOW AND SPOON ARE RELCATED TO: 190 Newmarket Rd Wilston