BREAK THE FAST … every day is a feast with eats such as The Flying Nun’s Bishop Burger. Photographs // Richard Waugh

Wholly devoted

Heaven is the comfort food and divine atmosphere
that tempt at this church turned noshery

When we arrived at The Flying Nun Cafe for Saturday lunch, the line of customers waiting to place their orders at the counter stretched nearly out the door. With two hungry children in tow, that would usually have been enough to send us elsewhere, but it was too late – the quirky set-up, smiling patrons and friendly staff had already reeled us in.

Housed in a former Uniting church, The Flying Nun spills out of the pretty wooden chapel with its bright stained glass panels (handmade by co-owner David), across shady decks and verandas, through a mosaic-tiled, enclosed pergola and down on to the surrounding grass verges. Ponds, Buddha statues and lush gardens surround the place and a spectacular macaw by the name of Jasper had the children mesmerised.

There are tables tucked away in corners for those seeking privacy, and cream-cushioned rattan sofas down on the grass that would be ideal for settling in with cake and a coffee.

The lunch menu offered some fairly standard cafe fare – pies, a burger, vegie stack – but all presented with a gourmet flourish. We ordered a Bishop Burger ($19), the french onion soup special ($9.50), and, from the children’s selection, the Nun’s Own Chicken Fingers with fries ($8.50) and penne with bolognaise sauce ($8.50).

The burger was vast and impressive – the wellseasoned patty layered with crispy bacon, a large slice of Dutch smoked cheese and house-made beetroot relish. It was marvellous, as were the beer-battered chips on the side. My french onion soup was rich and savoury with gorgeous gruyere-topped croutons, and the children’s meals were equal in quality to our own, particularly the pasta with its unctuous and tasty sauce.

There was a long wait for the food, so we decided to order coffee and cakes to take away. The coffee is from Zentveld’s, a Byron Bay hinterland roastery and coffee plantation, and our latte and long black ($3.80 each) were both spot on.

A staff member was happy to bag a slice of hummingbird cake ($7), chocolate brownie ($4.50) and piece of rocky road ($4) for us to take with us. The large cake was moist and sweet with lots of cream cheese icing, and the two chocolate concoctions were among the best I’ve ever had – the brownie light in texture, dark in flavour and almost liquid inside; the rocky road divine with a very grown-up filling of Turkish delight, pistachios and marshmallow. Each day, up to 70 per cent of the Flying Nun’s cakes are gluten free and none the worse for it.

The Flying Nun may be in an old church but this is no place for abstention. Next time, I might fast in advance.

 

THE FLYING NUN CAFE
16 Station St, Samford
Ph: 3289 2288
Head Chef: Nathan Ayre
Owners: Linda Barker & David Doery
Tue-Sun, 7am-3pm
GF & V options
Major credit cards & Eftpos
Wheelchair access
On-street parking
Food // 9 drinks // 8
Service // 9 Ambience // 8

By Jane Scott

Source: Brisbane News 2010

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SAMFORD’S Flying Nun is soaring to new heights with its home-grown approach to food.
Owner Linda Barker said `The Nun’ was now growing a lot of the produce used in its freshly made delicacies.

Ms Barker said not many restaurants and cafes had the space to grow their own produce.
`We want to provide our customers with nourishment on every level, not just with great food but a very warm and welcoming environment,’ she said.

Ms Barker, who co-owns the cafe with David Doery, said The Flying Nun was always evolving.
Ms Barker said 95 per cent of the `scrumptious’ cakes were made in store.
`We spent six months researching coffees to find the perfect blend, finally settling on Zentveld’s from the Byron Bay region.’

Coffee lovers have also been frequenting the haunt for its unique decor, artwork, and garden features that create a cosy atmosphere.

The cafe opened its doors in July last year and Ms Barker said the fast-paced success was keeping the owners busy. The Flying Nun is open daily from 7am to 3pm, Tuesday to Sunday, 16 Station St, Samford. Phone 32892288.

Source: The North West News

 

SAMFORD: The Flying Nun has landed in Samford and after just a week in business her popularity is soaring.

Nestled in Samford Village, the cafe’s stained-glass windows, dramatic vaulted ceilings and comfortable surrounds have drawn foodies in for a bustling trade. Owners Linda Barker and David Doery opened The Flying Nun for breakfast and lunch, six days a week and are delighted with its reception so far.

“What we tried to create was a unique place, somewhere people can come and relax,” Ms Barker said. “They can grab a coffee and find a nook somewhere.” The cafe exudes a certain country charm reminiscent of its days as a church and it’s fused with contemporary furnishings and fittings to create a little slice of heaven.

One Samford coffee-lover said she loved the atmosphere. “It’s just great to have something like this in Samford,” she said. Mr Doery said the creation of The Flying Nun was a labour of love with homemade cooking, handmade stained-glass windows and a vaulted ceiling purchased from a chook farmer.

“It was a portable cemetery shelter on wheels and it was built by the Brisbane City Council,” Mr Doery explained. “But it was too small and they sold it to a chook farmer, and we saw it and bought it from him. “It took ages (to put it all together) because I put the mosaic tiles on the outside of the building, that was actually every weekend for about 18 months.”

The Flying Nun is at 16 Station St, Samford. Phone 3289 2288.

Source: The North West News

 

Heavenly place on any Sunday

There’s always something innately special about old churches.

From the vaulted ceilings to the stunning stained-glass windows, they capture your eye and imagination. Meander along the plant-lined boardwalk and be greeted by the cutest, cottage style church converted into an utterly delightful café.

Set up by local hairdresser David Doery and chef Linda Barker less than a month ago, it’s a heavenly place to spend a Sunday. There are four dining spaces – two in the main timber-clad building with polished floorboards, stained glass windows, brown and black rattan chairs and timber laminate tables.

Then there’s a separate temple-style building covered in tiny, ruby-red mosaic tiles with slate floors and the same tables and chairs as the other spaces. Finally, the outdoor area has boardwalk-style flooring, lush tropical plants, cream-cushioned lounges and rattan bar stools. We sat outside trying to soak up the winter sun while reading the menu.

The café operates as an all-day dining spot with breakfast and lunch dishes available from 7am.

The offerings are typical of most cafés with favourites such as muesli, churchmade beans on toast, and bacon and eggs available for breakfast.  Lunch features choices such as risotto, pasta, sandwiches and salad.

We tried the pancakes, mushroom omelette and the haloumi burger.  After we ordered at the counter, our meals were brought to our table in good time by a young and friendly waiter who had quite a task squeezing the large plates on to our small table.  The omelette was filled with thick slices of button mushrooms, spinach and fetta and was exceptionally light and delicate in texture and flavour.

The pancakes were positively divine, with three thin buttermilk discs stacked on top of each other with a dollop of smooth and creamy mascarpone and a jug of maple syrup on the side.  I had asked for the accompanying stewed rhubarb and strawberries ($3 extra) which provided a fantastic tartness counterbalancing the sweet syrup and melt-in-your-mouth pancakes.

Next was the burger. A thick, white toasted bun was filled with gorgeously soft haloumi, roasted eggplant, fresh tomato, sweet caramelised onions and a slightly spicy harissa mayo which tied all the flavours together beautifully.  Crunchy fries came on the side and were particularly moreish.

There is also a cake cabinet inside with a variety of sweet treats, some made on the premises.

The café doesn’t have a liquor license, but there is plenty to quench a thirst with everything from milkshakes and spiders to coffees and cordial.

For a lovely, relaxing breakfast or lunch in tranquil surrounds, The Flying Nun Café is worth the drive.

Where:  The Flying Nun Café, 16 Station Street Samford Village, Ph:  32892288

When:  Open six days from 7am (closed Monday)

What:  Breakfast $6-$18,  Lunch  $4-$17

Verdict:  Food  14.5,  Service  15,  Drinks  N/A,  Ambience  16.5

Anooska Tucker-Evans

Source: Sunday Mail, 26th July 2009

 

"OH, Sir Jasper, do not touch me!"

Daniel, the lovely young waiter who served us, had never heard that risque old song, so my joke about the eponymous blue and gold macaw in the cage outside went over like a lead balloon, until I sang the song sotto voce, to the delight of the wait-staff but the acute discomfiture of my friends, especially when I got to the bit about slipping between the lily-white sheets with nothing on at all.

What has all this got to do with flying nuns, I hear you cry? Only that this embarrassing incident took place at a cafe in Samford called The Flying Nun, although what the Uniting Church, whose building she occupies, would have to do with such a personage is a moot question.

And I've never met a nun (or many pious pew-sitters) who would have eaten such exquisite food as Linda Barker and David Doery serve up to the delighted denizens of Samford or, at least, not without strong pangs of guilt, worth at least three Hail Marys and Pater Nosters on the penitential scale.

As happy heathens, we had no such scruples, but couldn't decide to start with Linda's made-on-the-premises cakes before the hungry hordes gobbled them all up, because there was already only one slice of chocolate-beetroot cake left, and we didn't know if there was another one lurking in the kitchen.

In the end we decided to risk it and start like proper people at the beginning, which meant, in one friend's case, the special-of-the-day duck risotto ($18), which came with big chunks of roasted duck breast, rice cooked to the precise point of softness, mushrooms and snow peas, with just enough cheese to hold it all together without overpowering it. A drizzle of balsamic on the edge of the plate gave it an extra zing.

On the standard menu was deep-fried calamari ($16), here crumbed and obviously flash-fried very fast, because it remained as tender as the proverbial baby's bottom. The accompanying salad, fresh from the nun's very own vegetable garden – my, what a busy lady she is! – was also zinged up with a vinaigrette, and the chips were all right too.

The burgers being devoured by the bike riders at the next table must have been stacked at least 12cm high, and required three toothpicks and both hands to manage, and even then, not very gracefully. But lycra bike pants and graceful feeding habits don't necessarily go together. The Monk burger, with minced steak and about five other ingredients costs $18, and was excellent value for money, while the haloumi version with field mushrooms, caramelised onion and beetroot, char-grilled eggplant and pesto mayo, was $2 less. Both came with a hearty serve of chips, and I'm sure would have set them up for a record-breaking ride to the top of Mt Glorious.

Other items that caught our eye were the Middle Eastern lamb salad served on couscous with harissa yoghurt, and rocket on the side to cool it down ($18), and the goat cheese, caramelised onion and mushroom frittata for vegetarians ($13). Incidentally, most dishes can be adapted on request to cater for people with a gluten intolerance.

And so to cake, good enough to please Marie Antoinette, much less a nun, flying or flat-footed. We did miss out on the chocolate and beetroot cake, although the chocoholic made do with a big fat brownie, all crunchy on the outside and semi-liquid in the middle, as it should be, while my other friend had the most lemony-tart tart you'd find this side of heaven; and I had the religious version of that old standard orange and almond cake, here beatified into a mandarin and almond combination served with rich double cream.

Next time I'm going for breakfast to try the buttermilk pancakes with vanilla mascarpone and maple syrup, jollied along with rhubarb stewed with strawberries ($12), and maybe followed up by pumpkin sourdough bread served with lychee blossom honey ($5), all washed down with a couple of cups of guilt-free free-trade Zentvelds coffee.

And then I'll know I'm on the highway to heaven because soon, Linda assures me, they'll be changing the long, long queue-up to order at the counter and making it more user-friendly, so that old men with wobbly knees will be able to stay upright, Jasper will neither touch nor bite, and all God's chillun will have wings.

Address: 16 Station St, Samford Village
Ph: 3289 2288
Hours: from 7am every day Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday). Last coffees at 3pm
Liquor status: BYO, corkage $5 bottle
Prices: nothing over $18, Zentvelds free-trade coffee from $3
Owners: Linda Barker and David Doery
Parking: plenty on-site
Wheelchair access, toilets: yes to both
Other: Seats 80; counter service; all credit cards except Diners and Amex; vegetarian and gluten-free meals; all three inside rooms airconditioned; open some public holidays, but ring first; own toilets; noise level depends on the customers, some of whom can be very loud, especially on a Friday lunchtime.

The score Food: 16 Service: 12 Ambience: 17 Value for money: 17
About the score: 0-5 go somewhere else; 6-9 major change required; 10-13 reasonable, room for improvement; 14-16 good; 17-19 excellent; 20 - the pinnacle

Alison Cotes

Source: The Courier Mail