Our first ‘free’ day in Cairns just happened to be a
Saturday and it was sunny and warm.
I needed my morning caffeine fix so headed off to Caffiend Cafe Art Music, which is tucked down a graffiti laneway on
Grafton St across from Rusty’s market, it’s a trendy café that also specialises
in music and art. There is cupping sessions, live music sessions and art displays.
Menu is not lengthy but what is on offer is drool worthy.
Here we start with the Morning Glory - two poached eggs, Marshes local bacon, roast pumpkin, oven dried tomato, smashed chat potatoes with red wine vinegar dressing with slaw. I am told this was pretty good.
I go with the Chilli Jam Poached Eggs - two poached eggs on wood fired sourdough, house made chilli jam, avocado and Marshes local bacon with pickled cucumber slaw.
This was a fabulous breakfast. The poached eggs are gooey and oozes yolk all over my sourdough, exactly how I love my eggs and toast. The chilli jam offers some heat and the pickled cucumbers offers a little zestiness to the dish.
After a leisurely breakfast we head over the road to Rusty’s markets. Buzzing with locals, families and tourists and definite regulars are out doing their shopping for fresh produce and sampling some great coffee’s, juices and tropical fruits. Rusty’s is held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and offers up some wonderful tropical fruits and so much cheaper than what we get in Sydney (obviously as it’s all local).
The rainforest is perfect for coffee. Coffee Works has a stall at Rusty's or you could visit Coffee world out in the Atherton Tablelands.
Loads of different blends and flavours.
coffee beans
I jumped on the giant avocadaos for $1 each. My avocado lasts three breakfasts and was unblemished and the best ripened avocado I have ever had. So creamy and rich spread on my toast!
hass avocados
Always a delight to sip on fresh sugar cane juice and by the length of the line PTN sugar cane is a popular one.
sugar cane and lime juice
garlic, ginger, tumeric, galangal
The red dragon fruit is vibrant and the deep red of the flesh is mesmerising.
Red dragon fruit
I eye off a stall on the other side of the market where the line is 3-4 deep and I wonder what people are waiting for. Any curious foodie would be intrigued, so I headed over to see. I could see people sipping from freshly husked coconuts, always a great sign, but a little further beyond this stall was the grated coconut and honey stall.
OH HELLO! This is more like it.
For $2.00 you get a half a freshly grated coconut drizzle in local honey and then you get to scoop it out with little spoons whitled out of the outer layer of a coconut - absolutely ingenious!
I'm in awe! the honey is sticky and sweet and blended with the shredded fresh coconut flesh it is a great little snack.
grated coconut and honey
The markets are a must do on a visit to Cairns over the weekend. Grab some fresh produce and have a picnic down along the Esplanade (or at the public pool that is there). The markets also have a few food trucks that offer up burgers and noodles. There is a small bar and you can sit back and listen to some live music too.
I wish I had the room to sample some of the food trucks. It looked pretty delicious.
After a few hours of some down time, shopping and some sunbaking by the public pool and reading we headed over to the Cairns Courthouse Hotel for the afternoon of cider a early dinner and just generally some chill out time.
Played a few games of Keno (which I don't noramlly partake in) and had a few ciders. Before the bistro closed we had a burger and some flathead fish and chips.
Standard pub grub.
and I won $3 on Keno......
cider and some keno
works burger and chips
fish and chips
Grated coconut with honey is such an awesome idea. And so cheap too!
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