The Cinema Cafe

Profiled by de Groots Media
The Cinema Cafe has got style and it’s got class, but not in the contemporary sense. There’s no polished stainless steel to be found here, unless you count the kitchen. Rather the Cinema Cafe has elegance and style from a bygone era, with rustic red velvet booths, polished wooden floors, stained glass light fittings and busts of movie greats. This is because it has been in Bulimba the longest out of all the Oxford Street cafes and it flaunts its history with pride. The working movie house itself is a few doors down and has its own (not quite as classy) cafe, but movie goers still flock to the original in droves.

Rest assured that while the atmosphere is classic, the menu has been updated and there are plenty of contemporary snacks and meals to choose from. Choose between fragrantly fresh gourmet breads for starters, including the gluten-free bruschetta gratinated with olive tapenade, topped with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, virgin olive oil and vincotto. For a little Asian influence try the warm salad of Peking duck on mandarin and star anise pancake with lychee, cucumber pickle and hoisin glaze. If you’re feeling really indulgent and movie-star glamorous, why not spoil yourself with the double-baked cheese and chive souffle?

Meagan Hepworth