Fat Belly Kaf - Restaurant Review

the Greek-inspired shopfront 

Why Fat Belly you ask?  Because the previous owner was vastly pregnant, and they thought this would be a great name for a restaurant.  Let's face it, the location is odd, being right in front of a local motel, and on a road that takes you through town.  But don't let this faze you!  Inside it is quite charming, the food is very tasty and our waitress Henrietta (from Argentina) was lovely.   

We met up with our potter friend Miss BP for dinner and a chat. We live nearly 3 hours apart, so don't often get to see each other. Miss BP is having a bit of a life change at the moment, so we had lots to catch up on.  And we were all hungry, so dinner was an urgent must.

babaganoush with smoked sesame and flatbread $9

This was only very lightly smoky, and for me could have had a bit more flavour.  I like this dip to be really tangy and bringing back memories of campfires:)  But it was pleasant enough, and kept our hunger at bay till the rest of the dishes came out.

Next came oysters (of unknown source) with a fingerlime sherbert. Yep folks,  I ate them all by myself.  Mr P. doesn't indulge, and Miss BP wasn't indulging either (reasons unknown:=)).  

1/2 doz. oysters w/- fingerlime sherbert $18

These were delightful little morsels, and were consumed very quickly.  Henrietta came back to pick up the plate, and said with surprise: "You had them all?"  Yes indeedy Henrietta, I did!

By this time, we were sipping on our drinks; a glass of sparkling wine for me, chardonnay for Miss BP, and chinotto for Mr P.  As we were staying at the motel, we only had to walk about 30 metres to our room, but Mr P. still abstained:=)

sparkling wine $10  

chinotto $3.50 

delicious, salty pan-fried sheeps' milk saganaki $16  

The saganaki was really tasty.  It had a zingy, cheesy saltiness which leaves you craving more.  It is a little like halloumi, but without the slippy-slidy skid across your teeth.

Miss BP's strong potter's hand squeezing the life out of the lemon:)

eggplant and feta balls $4 each 

Loved these balls!  So tasty, so flavoursome.  I could easily have had a few of these charmers.

crispy spiced squid w/- mojo picon $18  

I think there was some cummin in the coating here.  Delicious!   The squid was tender and spicy, and very moreish.  I think I ate some of Miss BP's share too.  (Mr P. doesn't eat squid either).  He is a sad disappointment to me in the seafood department:=))

I nearly forgot to mention the chicken souvlaki!  The 2 skewers rested on a bed of roasted buckwheat salad.  This was a new flavour to me, as I have only ever had gloopy buckwheat porridge that my mad housemate used to make us eat back in the day. (Oops, getting carried away there).  

This dish was crunchy and different and tasty according to Mr P.  I think he was talking about the salad!  I had some reservations about the souvlaki itself; it seemed a bit dried out and not as flavourful as it could have been.  And perhaps a leetle bit expensive for 2 skewers?

chicken souvlaki with buckwheat salad $27 

vegetable moussaka w/- almond sauce, zucchini chips and tabouleh $28  

     
This dish belonged to Mr P. and Miss BP, but I did have a wee taste.  Sadly for me, I found it too overwhelmingly sweet.  I think the caramelised onion had been braised with a fair bit of sugar, and not left to do its own thing for long enough.  So instead of getting the natural sweetness of the onion, it seemed to be mostly sugar.  I may be wrong here, so excuse me Fat Belly Kaf if so.  The zucchini chips were splendid though!

To finish the night, and even though we were bursting, we just had to share a kataifi crema.  This came in a large glass bowl, and was worth every mouthful of the overstuffed bellies we were going to bed with.  It was rich and creamy, and full of lovely pastry and nuts.  

kataifi crema $16    

the (newish) wooden deck which would be great on a summer's night  

We had a lovely night catching up over dinner in beautiful Brunswick Heads.  This is the cutest little coastal village you can imagine, sitting at the head of the Brunswick river, with the sea just a whisper away.  It is still a bit hippie, a bit downmarket (in a good way), with interesting shops and not many Sydney tourists - yet!
Don't tell anyone else about it:=)  

26 Tweed St., Brunswick Heads NSW
Ph: 02 6685 1100