DINING: Envy Cafe at Cotton Tree. Source: The Courier-Mail
"GLUTTONY?" asked the waitress, as she put a tall glass of party-pink fruit juice in front of me. She's certainly got me worked out, I thought, as I sipped my mixture of watermelon, rockmelon, strawberry, apple and mint.
She'd have been just as correct had I chosen the strawberry/guava/pineapple/apple mixture called Sloth, because it's very easy to commit all seven of the Deadly Sins in Cotton Tree, especially at Envy Café, where you can feel very smug about the sheer healthiness of it all. And while you can commit any of the Seven Deadlies for a mere $6.50, the food is fresh and healthy enough to make you feel good about everything you eat there.
We began with corn fritters with bacon or mushrooms ($17.90). The mushrooms were soft and juicy, with a taste that made you think of fresh fields and pastures new, but the fritters were a little dry and there wasn't quite enough house chutney, sour cream or avocado to moisten them. Friend-of-the-day chose eggs Benedict on a generous stack of potato rosti.
The house hollandaise was really tangy. No wonder it's become the café's signature dish. It costs $17 with bacon and $17.90 with salmon. The fact there's no tough toasted muffin underneath, but soft potato rosti, flips it towards perfection. Certainly it will be my choice next time.
There's a generous breakfast burger at $14.90 with everything except a beef patty, and you can have it all day long (both the breakfast and lunch menus go all day). Bircher muesli is soaked in fresh apple juice and served with linseeds, grated apple and Greek yoghurt topped with fresh fruit ($9); the fresh fruit stack would be ideal for two or three people to share as a starter, if such a thing is allowed at breakfast, as it comes with yoghurt, almonds and praline ($14.90); and the big brekkie consists of free-range eggs your way with a choice of four sides ($18.90).
Moving to the lunch page, we noticed posh sandwiches on a choice of five breads, including gluten-free, at $12.90, and a delicious vegetarian stacked salad with four ingredients, including cinnamon-roasted pumpkin, topped with grilled haloumi and pepitas ($18). There are burgers, both vegetarian and meaty ($18.90), open grills on Turkish toast; and a daily gluten-free quiche ($14.90) and home-made soup with toasted buttered sourdough ($11.90).
So although there's everything to lift the vegetarian's (even vegan's) spirits, there's no prissiness about meat eaters, and such people can enjoy their steak sandwiches with relish. And the coffee is worth a trip on its own.
It's cheerful and laid-back, and it's not just the locals who love it, so if you're up Maroochydore way (or near the sister branch at Mooloolaba), give it a try. Envy is just the kind of café that every beach township needs.
ENVY CAFE
Address: Argyle Building, Shop 5, 31 Cotton Tree Parade (known as The Esplanade), Cotton Tree
Phone: 5443 8489; envycafe.com.au
Opening hours: 6.30am-6pm daily
Liquor status: BYO bottled wine only, corkage $2 per person
Prices: breakfast $6.50-$19; lunch $11-$19; house-made biscuits and cakes from $3; Vittoria coffee from $3
Owners: Nicole and Chad Hoffman
Chef: various staff
Parking: free on-street
Wheelchair access: yes, and to toilets
Other: seats 60; all credit cards except Diners and Amex; counter service; take-away, vegetarian, gluten free; airconditioned; own toilets; noise level moderate
The score:
Food: 14
Service: 15
Ambience: 14
Value for money: 14
About the score: 0-5 go somewhere else; 6-9 major change required; 10-13 reasonable, room for improvement; 14-16 good; 17-19 excellent; 20 the pinnacle
