Bear Boy Espresso opens.
Bear Boy Espresso opens.
Happy days Helensvale, your quality coffee and epic ears prayers have been answered in the form of a brand new brunch spot, Bear Boy Espresso.
Having only opened their doors in the last week, the new space on Hope Island Road (just off the motorway) has already become a firm favourite amongst locals and if you’re not a northern dweller, we suggest scheduling in a little trip ASAP.
Bear Boy, named for owners Brodie and Andy Howard’s love of the name Bjorn (meaning bear in Scandinavian), can be found on a corner block and it’s open and spacious with high ceilings and both indoor and outdoor seating.
A peachy terracotta bench inspired by travels through India is the centerpiece of the newbie with greenery dripping from the ceilings and a neon bear face on the back wall bringing it all together. We love.
The menu is filled with the breakfast and lunch staples you know and love but all with a little bit of extra goodness and some boasting a little Asian twist.
Come 2020 (so like, tomorrow), the menu will be changed seasonally so you can probably manage to try something different every time you go.
For now there are tasty treats like Mango Bao made up of a cinnamon spiced, fried bao with fresh mango, compote and coconut ice cream. So good.
There’s also the Big Bear Benny with a crispy potato waffle – made in-house, two poachies, housemade hollandaise, wilted spinach and your choice of bacon, garlic and thyme mushrooms or Tasmanian smoked salmon. Also very tasty.
For lunch, the Skinny Bear Salad Bowl was quite special with a house falafel, quinoa, kale, pickled red cabbage, radish, avocado, sweet potato, ginger puree, edamame beans and drizzled with sesame oil. LOVED this.
There are also lunchtime burgers and a chorizo linguine that sounds like absolute heaven on a fork.
Coffee-wise the crew are using Single O out of Surry Hills for two reasons; the first being, it’s excellent and the second being the brands’ ethical practice when it comes to paying farmers properly and ensuring dollars go back into the farms to continue the quality of bean growth. Great.
Bear Boy’s house roast is called Killer Bee but they’ll also be featuring micro roasters throughout the year and will focus on educating folks on specialty coffee including hosting cupping events.
All in all it’s a beautiful space with both quality food and coffee and will no doubt lead the charge in the northern Gold Coast’s growing foodie scene.
Get up there and show them some love.
LOCATION: Shop 66, 502 Hope Island Rd, Helensvale
HOURS: 6am until 4pm daily
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
The Gold Coast foodie scene has been a place of profound change and transitions in recent years. We may be bias, but we think our café culture is very much in line — if not surpassing — our southern neighbours.
And with it, we have variety: from gorgeous beachside espresso drop-ins to laid-back chic industrial spaces which effortlessly ooze coolness. We reckon anyone from the big cities that have visited in recent times has likely left feeling a tad jealous — so they should, right?!
The northern end of the Gold Coast has been no exception to this building momentum of late, with venues regularly setting the bar high with only the best coffee and premium café dishes. So, when it’s time to break the fast, and you find yourself at the northern end of town, we’ve kindly compiled a rundown of the best places, where we implore you to make that happen. Enjoy!
Funnybone Coffee
From the owner of cult coffee stop, Good Day Coffee in Tugun comes this reasonably new addition to the Helensvale circuit. Aesthetically from the outside, this open café space screams minimalistic eye-catching vibes that will make leaving this spot rather tricky, especially when the staples are yummy Acai Bowls, Coconut Porridge and Eggs Benedict of both the regular and vegan variety.
Where: 2 Laurel Drive, Helensvale
Daark Espresso
The ever-admired Chirn Park (just north of Southport) is a little hive of foodie goodness that the northern side of the Coast was certainly due. Daark Espresso sets the bar high, from its uber-friendly staff to its sumptuous breakfast menu littered with favourites like the dessert-for-breakfast Panna Cotta boasting peach, mango, & coconut with a crunchy granola & seasonal fruits. Ohh and make sure not to make plans for the rest of the day because their lunch menu will make you want to stay!
Where: 2/41 Musgrave Avenue, Labrador
WavyBone
Chirn Park has gone and done it again with a café that looks like it has just waved goodbye and walked itself out of a Melbourne laneway; it hasn’t though, it’s just the ultra-vibrant WavyBone, of course! The Wavy B & E Roll is a winner and goes down a treat with a perfectly poured Blackboard Coffee, one of the Gold Coast’s original coffee roasteries. Throw into this mix a turntable forever pumping out sweet rhythms and a chance to grab yourself some dashing WavyBone branded apparel: we think you’ve likely found your next favourite breakfast hangout.
Where: 1/36 Musgrave Avenue, Southport
Anchor Bouy Café & Bar
The aptly named Anchor Bouy is where you are guaranteed some finely poured Elixir coffee and a great breakfast menu, all whilst you stare lovingly at the array of boats in the marina and wish to yourself you lived at Sanctuary Cove. One dish you MUST try is the Breakfast Bruschetta. It’s to die for with your choice of bacon or house smoked salmon, avocado, cherry tomatoes, poached eggs all served on top of lightly toasted sourdough and drizzled with hollandaise.
Where: The Marine Village, Masthead Way, Hope Island
Substance Espresso
Can we just say, how good is a seasonal menu? It keeps things interesting and fresh in our eyes! And with that in mind, the team at Substance Espresso has their menu hinge on seasonality, with specials aplenty and the added acceptance that dessert for breakfast is a bonafide thing. Oh and to top it all off, the barista’s there accept nothing but consistently good coffee, which means the first drop of golden liquid is as good as the last. We’ll meet you there!
Where: Shop 2/10/12 Lae Drive, Runaway Bay
Bear Boy Espresso
Coffee is well and truly the ultimate focus at Bear Boy Espresso. Speciality blends coming from Market Lane in Melbourne are regularly featured with the added addition of pour-over and batch brew as well as your standard espresso-style coffees. Caffeine aside, the venue is a feast for the eyes and somehow more reminiscent of Northern Europe than Queensland. The menu brags some usual flavoursome suspects as well as a dedicated section to the little ones. We can’t go past their self-proclaimed ‘OG’ the Big Bear Benny. A crispy potato waffle, two poached pggs, house hollandaise with sautéed greens and your choice of garlic thyme mushroom, smoked bacon, pulled pork, or smoked salmon. The options are endless!
Where: Shop 66/502 Hope Island Road, Helensvale
Cross + Feather
Situated on one of the forever-bustling little streets of Paradise Point, Cross + Feather dishes up all your favourites with quirky little spins. And because breakfast is for champions, the team at Cross + Feather generously serve it all day. We cannot recommend enough the Crossed Avo which includes fresh avocado, heritage tomatoes, Persian fetta, purple basil salsa verde, native dukkah, smoked green tea salt on a sprouted wheat sourdough. YUM!
Where: 2 Grice Avenue, Paradise Point
Words by Alex Mitcheson.
Coffee makes the world go round, fact. Without it we would all just stay asleep and never worry about another responsibility again. Sounds kinda nice really but it’s absolutely not feasible and so, we are very thankful for coffee and in turn, coffee shops.
Excitingly there’s a new one of those up Helensvale way and it sounds like a pretty good time. It’s called Funnybone Coffee and it can be found within the local community’s multi-million dollar The Surrounds Leisure Centre serving up beloved Blackboard Coffee and a menu filled with taste sensations.
The newbie is the latest venture of Gold Coast coffee connoisseur Damian Swan who opened Tugun fave Good Day Coffee four years ago.
The idea behind Funnybone was to create a community meeting spot where everyone feels welcome, serving up everything from breakfast on-the-go to lunch with friends or a quick coffee on the way to work.
Kitted out with handcrafted timber communal dining tables, cosy nooks and overlooking the grassy expanses of one of the best playgrounds in the area, Buckler Park, Funnybone is perfect for the whole family.
To eat you’ll find all your favourite staples made using good quality, locally sourced produce including sourdough from Pixel Bakery in Molendinar and delicious sweets from Bes Kitchen.
There’s a delicious range of toasties, breakfast burritos and fresh pastries plus homemade cookies in changing flavours.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of visiting Helensvale’s impressive The Surrounds Leisure Centre, be warned that you’re in for a good time. There you’ll find a suite of premium amenities including a lap pool, private multi-purpose room, a fully equipped gymnasium, and change facilities plus plenty of stunning open green spaces.
Head up to check it out and grab yourself some goodies from Funnybone Coffee while you’re at it.
Guaranteed good times await.
LOCATION: The Surrounds Leisure Centre, 6 Emerald Drive, Helensvale
HOURS: Open seven days from 6am
