The Brick Café is not what it may first appear. A smart little café at the front of a new commercial complex in Molendinar, behind this façade of newness there’s a strong family heritage.
If we’d looked more closely at the top of the menu, the clue was there all along: ‘The Brick Café by Boonchu Thai’.
You may not recognise his name but Louis Vell, who owns the café with his wife Danica, spent his high school years working in the kitchen of his parents’ Broadbeach restaurant, Boonchu Thai.
Since it opened in 1986, Boonchu was, for many, the ‘go to’ place for a tasty takeaway, their clients following them from Raptis Plaza to their present location in Surf Parade, Broadbeach.
Now it’s time for the next generation to open their own establishment, an open breezy space in the ground floor of a reclaimed brick building within sight of Olsen Avenue.
Louis and Danica’s Brick Café is fast becoming a favourite place for workers, open from 7am for a fast and inexpensive breakfast, coffee and treat, or a tasty lunch.
Louis serves Silipo Coffee’s award-winning Nero, a traditional Italian coffee blend well suited to espresso, rich and dark with a peppery spicy start with a berry finish. It’s a full-bodied easy drinking brew.
A traditional café breakfast menu runs all day with many items priced to go: Brekkie burgers for $7.50, a Brekkie wrap for $5.50 or in combo with a small coffee for $8.
There are other favourites to eat in, such as Eggs on toast, Eggs Bene, Smashed Avo and Thai omelette, but the real difference kicks in at 9am.
With some of his extended family helping out at The Brick Café, Louis has brought across some of Boonchu’s favourite Thai dishes: Clear chicken noodle soup, Laksa and Combination soup, as well as stir fries and noodle dishes such as Pad Thai and Pad See Ew.
Curries and stir fries are priced at $12, including Beef Massaman, Green chicken curry, and Chicken in plum or oyster sauce. Panang chicken curry is our favourite – a cracker, rich and fragrant, served with a side of rice.
Noodle dishes and soups such as Tom yum and Laksa range from $15 to $20 depending on your choice of meat, however they’re generously sized dishes – our noodles easily two meals for those with a smaller appetite. Choose your level of spice: mild, medium, hot or even Thai hot!
There’s a cabinet of sweets to go, cold and hot drinks (including Thai Royal coffee – interesting!) and Louis does catering for functions in the local area.
But it’s the Thai food we’ll be back for. Who needs to wait for lunchtime? Couldn’t we tuck into a Thai Chicken Soup or Combination soup at 9am for brunch?
9A/27 Industrial Avenue, Molendinar Ph: 07 5597 2648
Open: Mon – Thurs 7am – 3pm; Fri 7am – 5pm
NOTE: Soup photo credited to The Brick Cafe.