Cubby Bakehouse — Restaurant in Chinderah

Cubby Bakehouse is located in Chinderah, with views of the Tweed River. The food was so good I had to learn more about it while I was stuffing my face. So massive kudos is apparently due to Ben and Ursula Watts and their creative team of bakers - because what they’ve managed to do with the venue and food is pretty amazing.

On our visit we indulged in a variety of treats, not because we went in there to do that, we just went in for a coffee, but when we got there we thought we might try “something”, but then as a group, we just found it was too hard to choose.

So we ended up trying: the salted caramel and red velvet cookies, they were the perfect amount of crunchie and chewy and one and a coffee was a decadent treat. The blueberry muffin with lemon curd was just a clever flavour combination, I would definitely get one again.

We couldn’t decide between the jam donut eclair or the lemon meringue eclair, so we ended up with one of each. I love lemon meringue pie and jam donuts in the original forms, so was excited to try them as eclairs. I enjoyed both, I normally like a bigger hit of zing in the lemon part of my lemon meringue than what this offered, but it was still cool to try, and the jam donut one I liked a lot.

The almond croissant was all the things you want one to be: flaky, buttery, and generously filled. We all got coffees or hot chocolates and they were good quality.

Cubby has outdoor seating and there are picnic tables across the road with views of the water. We sat there and all enjoyed the relaxing time we spent catching up, even if we spent a lot of the time discussing all our yummy treats we’d ordered. Cubby is a nice place in a nice place. If you want savoury or more substantial food, they have that too and I’ll definitely be back to enjoy more of their offerings soon.

The clever combinations of flavours and the thought that has gone into the menu is clear. The team here have worked hard to make something special for the area and their customers.

The staff are friendly and efficient and while the line was long, you don’t wait long for your coffee once you’ve ordered. I highly recommend stopping by for a delicious treat on your way past. It is also worth going out of the way to...

Addendum today: Hubby, sister and I went again today for lunch. The music was incredibly loud and grating; we asked if it could be turned down, which they did for about two minutes then back it went up! Food was fab, but service is very mmm - shall we say whimsical, and a bit lacking. A male waiter was a bit offhand; tho sis and hubby said in fact he was rude. Take that as you will... Hubby and I were heading down to Northern Rivers last week, so I suggested (in a strong manner) that we stop at Cubby’s to try their pastries. Though the service was a bit…lacking, shall we say?, the food was wondrous. I took one bite of my salted caramel éclair, and nearly swooned with pleasure. ‘This is the best éclair ever!’, said I to hubby. The little pearls that pop on your tongue, the squidges of swirly caramel, the pastry to die for… And the lemon tart was melt in your mouth pastry with sweet and citrusy custard. The meringue on top was so pretty, so delightfully browned, and lustrous. Oh and there was a cute little white chocolate smiley C that I ate with happiness too. My coffee was fine, with a pretty swirl of foam. Hubby’s baguette sanger with ham and cheese had him drooling. He loved the bread, crispy outside and soft inside; delicious ham and cheese – this was a winner for him. The Bakehouse has a bit of an industrial feel going, with large pendant lamps hanging over the counter. And the cabinets are just chockers with heaps of wonderfully enticing pastries. Chinderah is a tiny little river town, and the bakehouse overlooks the river. You can sit, eat and enjoy the peaceful views. It was all so unexpected, to find such a fabulous eatery in such a tiny place, which has a caravan park and not much else. Apart from the slightly offhand treatment by the server cum waitress, we had a delightful break on our drive south. Oh, and yes the Gold Coast ladies were in full flight, swooping down and grabbing tables so...

We drove an hour to have breakfast there because of some positive reviews we saw online. I've got to say that this is a profound disappointment many because the people who are preparing the food have ideas but don't have solid culinary knowledge. The coffee was ok but the ambience in the garden was terrible due to a lot of traffic coming around about including large commercial trucks and Jets passing overhead. Inside there were a few tables but loud music. Online there are lavish pictures of pistachio cream croissants with kataifi pastry on top, that turns out to be only offered somewhere near Christmas.

We ordered a ham and cheese croissant and the French toast. The croissant was good but the ham and cheese filling with disappointing one slice of ham one thin slice of cheese melted. Not generous. But the biggest disappointment was the so-called French toast. Served on a plate with fresh fruit which was nice but absurd microgreens thrown on top of the fruit. Fresh cream was served on the plate next to the heat of the French toast and so most of it was melted by the time it came to us. Worst of all the dish was not French toast. French toast is brioche bread and pan fried. This was a large thick piece of bread on its own coated in sugar and cinnamon and grilled. People and kitchens who think they're making their own version of something should actually have a wider experience so that they're consideration actually is based on some sort of professionalism. This approach was cheapskate and childish. Of course the place was busy and there is nothing else really nearby. But it shows that the public may well be lazy in regard to what they put in their mouth. This version of so-called French toast is an insult to anybody who has ever had the real thing. To sum up it's not worth a trip and you're better off going...