Goodies Cafe - 33 Front St, Mossman. Ph:     07 4098 1118    

Goodies Cafe in Mossman is away from the ubiquitous polish of the contemporary eatery design, after all, there needs to be places for hippies to buy food, especially with the Daintree Rainforest being so close.

Along comes Dave Evans, with his range of organic, chemical free and health oriented fare. Goodies offers forest dwellers and city slickers alike a slice of part country, part boho, retro-rustic local flavour.

Dave first arrived in the Douglas Shire in 1987. He remembers when Port was still a country town, much like Mossman is now, with its old shopfronts and community vibe. Surely he’d know the area well enough to flinch at the idea of taking over a health food café in the main street of an old school cane town. Yet that’s the thing about Goodies; it’s one of those nifty little surprises.

As was the price tag for the homemade vegetarian lasagne, long black and bottle of water. Just fifteen bucks.

As for the lasagne, which Dave himself made, it had that wonderful, homely, non-commercial taste that’s rare in modern dining. The flavours were fresh and clean, the dish simply presented. It was an unfussy lunch, and even the coffee was good.

While it’s true that much of what passes for country cooking is, um, bland and uninspired, Goodies overturn that notion by insisting on fresh, local grown produce and an honest but still modern approach.

However, Dave is quick to point out that the Chocolate Brownie with which I’m tempted is not so much organic as just plain evil. It’s a dense, good sized serve of satisfying sweetness, not too sugary but fabulous with coffee.

Naturally, Goodies serve sandwiches, gourmet pies and other take out lunch treats, (check out their fab, great value wraps), but they also offer a range of fresh and whole produce. North Queensland tomatoes, organic watermelons, organic pastas, exotic Asian sauces and boutique teas line the shelves, adding to the ‘corner store’ aesthetic.

Then there’s the breakfast thing, the fully cooked, free range egg and pancake variety; a country classic with a healthy gourmet twist. Don’t miss it.

Terms like genuine, personal and honest keep springing to mind while you’re at Goodies. It has the warmth of a local diner but the friendliness of a café that knows the value of the curious visitor. Surely one of the shire’s best pit-stops. And if you time it right, you’ll get to see some local hippies.

Goodies Cafe in Mossman

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