The former owners of Peppercorn have upped sticks and moved to Kelham Island, bringing with them a glorious spot of sunshine.
Google ‘Noosa’ and you’re met with various Australian tourism websites telling you to ‘experience the most popular beach resort’ in the country. One site even describes it as being surrounded by stunning beaches and lakes where you can learn to surf, paddleboard and kayak in the Noosa Everglades. Whilst jumping in a canoe and traversing the River Don *might* be a completely different experience (and one we don’t recommend, like, at all), Kelly Ware and Charlie Curran’s Aussie-inspired café bar has brought a much-welcomed dose of sunshine to Alma Street, Kelham Island.
Don’t be fooled though, this isn’t a trashy café with novelty menu items named after ‘Sheila’ or various other ignorant Australian stereotypes, Noosa is inspired by the way of life on the Sunshine Coast and one which truly came to fruition after a trip to see Charlie Curran’s kids, Lucy and Jack a couple of years ago. “We went over in January of last year and were inspired by the food and coffee culture over there,” Kelly told us earlier in the year. “It’s the most stunning place. We were so impressed by the brunches. Eggs benny, granola, fresh juices – that’s what we’ll be doing here.”
True to her word, when Exposed popped over to try the food (which has near enough been every day since Noosa opened), the sheer sight of their eggs benedict was an experience in itself. Two poached eggs rested on top of a huge potato rosti, topped with hollandaise sauce and crispy bacon. You can also order this with their ‘Noosa honey-roasted ham’ or home-smoked salmon. We couldn’t picture a better brunch.
For something a touch more sweet, our photographer (ol’ sweet tooth he is) tried the freshly made waffles with streaky bacon and maple syrup which got what I think is the universal sign for my-mouth-is-full-but-I-really-want-to-let-you-know-that-it’s-nice. For balance, I had the halloumi sandwich with a hummus and harissa sauce on thick white bread. Despite the simplicity of it, it went down an absolute treat. The generous slab of halloumi certainly helped… We haven’t even mentioned the eggy bread of the day or the signature ramen bowls yet. We’ll leave that up to you…
The most impressive thing about this place though, is the transformation of the interior. Before Noosa, Urban Social turned the unit into something of a dark and dingy dive bar. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but the difference in atmosphere as soon as you walk in is noticeable. Now, it’s light and airy. There are colourful neon signs and a graffiti wall painted by local artist Paul Staveley. The large benches encourage a sociable environment and the staff here treat each and every customer like a returning friend.
If brunch isn’t on the agenda, early morning coffees are provided from 8am. The bar has a selection of bottles as well as Peroni, Blue Moon, Abbeydale Brewery’s Heathen and Aspall on tap until 11pm. Wine, champagne and cocktails are also available. What else do you need? Perhaps all that’s missing is the sunshine itself…
noosacafebar.co.uk// 1b Alma Street, Kelham Island, Sheffield, S3 8RY
