Queensland Restaurant Review: Canteen, Noosa Junction 5-7 January 2011

This unassuming cafe at Noosa Junction is always crowded during the peak summer period and by rights, should always be crowded.  Whilst not on the main drag at Hastings Street, and without the view of Gympie Terrace, it would be easy to over look this little gem at the junction.  However consider this: Canteen serves really fresh, honest food, has a lovely vibe and is littered with attentive but casually friendly staff.

The menu isn't huge but has a number of yummy-sounding breakfast and lunch options.  We made at least 3 visits over 3 days to this little beauty, having tried many others on Hastings Street.  By why queue for something inferior?

Over the course of the 3 visits we ordered several breakfast and lunch dishes:

Bircher muesli trifle.  I'm not sure why I don't make this for myself at home BUT I AM GOING TO START! Awesomeness disguised as a healthy, tasty treat:

Poached eggs with mushrooms, rocket & goats curd:

Big breakfast of poached eggs, bacon, chorizo, mushrooms, rocket, roasted tomato & tomato chutney. Heavenly flavours, although my dining companion noted the tomatoes were a little overdone.  We could overlook the overdone when the rest was so good:

Fried eggs with bacon, rocket & tomato:

[I am pleased to report that all the eggs were soft & runny]

Tomato tart tartin with goats cheese and caramelised onion (although truthfully, I couldn't taste any goats curd in the dish) which was beautifully presented and contained gorgeous, dark green rocket which was bursting with peppery-freshness (unlike some other recent destinations who chose to serve the older, yellowing variety):

Thai beef salad with cucumber, snow peas, coriander, tomato, cashews & nam jim dressing... A party of flavours and textures in one divine salad:

The kids shared the calamari with aioli (and I ate their orange & fennel salad):

and slurped chocolate milkshakes which contained illegal amounts of vanilla icecream & chockie sauce:

We all shared the chippies which were crunchy on the outside, soft & fluffy on the inside:

Oh.  And the coffee.  Very good indeed.  Apparently if you buy a coffee or juice you also get 1 hour of free internet too. 

Our visit to Noosa this year was short but personally I'm very glad we spent so much time at Canteen.  We'll definitely return next time we're in Noosa.

Canteen Cafe

Shop 24-6 Sunshine Beach Road

Noosa Heads, 4567

Ph:  07 5447 5400

 

Open 7 days: 7.30am-5.30pm, Closed Xmas Day and New Years Day