Kookaburra Cafe
I'll Have Vegemite With That!

Kookaburra Cafe and Accommodation is, as you might guess from the name, run by a couple of Aussie expats, Chris and Jenny Bluefields.

So how did a couple of artists from Oz manage to move all the way to Cuenca and start a restaurant?

It's probably best to let them tell it in their own words...

Once upon a time there were two people who lived in Australia, in a tiny hut in a forest on the side of a mountain. One day, they decided to move to Cuenca because, after many years looking on the internet (yes, even the forests have wi fi...) they discovered it was a perfect part of the world to have a big adventure in and they loved big adventures.

After selling their tiny hut and after 2 days flying around the world on a number of planes, they arrived in the City of their cyber dreams and immediately bought a big old building on a long narrow street. It's true, that's exactly how it happened, más o menos.

This restaurant, which received its first visitor in December 2009, quickly became a favorite expat hangout, where you could always meet someone you knew, and someone new to Cuenca, while enjoying some great food.

The Menu

Many of the items on the Kookaburra Cafe menu are dishes that you won't find done the same way anywhere else in Cuenca. The main reason is because Chris and Jenny buy organic whenever they can. And fresh.

Breakfast

Breakfast, which is served until noon, offers several styles of eggs.

They include scrambled, fried (with mushrooms on toast) and an herbed omelette.

If you like fried veggies, you can have a fried tomato or fried mushrooms.

Or try the pan fried potatoes in garlic butter (have them with the ají sauce—delicious!!).

There's also muesli, stewed apples and peaches in honey, and wholegrain toast.

Sides include jams, honey, yogurt and almonds.

Lunch

The greens in the lunch salad (which comes with a delicious dressing) are organic.

There are toasted sandwiches, including roasted pepper, cheese and onion, and cheese, tomato and onion.

And then there are the abbreviated sandwiches:

• the world-standard BLT
• the ALT (avocado lettuce tomato)
• the ELT (egg lettuce tomato)
• the BLAT (bacon lettuce avocado tomato)
• the BLET (bacon lettuce egg tomato), and
• the BLEAT (bacon lettuce egg avocado tomato)

Not big into sandwiches? How about gluten-free vegetarian soup or potato tamales (also gluten-free) with either the vegetarian or chicken option?

Or try vegemite, on toast. We haven't yet, but we're bound to some day!

Desserts

You can enjoy a chocolate brownie, with or without ice cream. Or try a piece of cheesecake, or the apple pie with ice cream. They're all delicious.

Beverages

We love the fresh juices. Have an apple/celery/carrot juice, or beet juice with some ginger added to it. Yumm!

You can also enjoy real brewed coffee (not that common in Cuenca, or anywhere else in Ecuador for that matter), an espresso or a cappuccino.

Jeff is definitely impressed with the hot chocolate, which, unlike most places, isn't hot milk with some chocolate added to it.

You can also have a mochaccino, black tea, herbal tea, or green tea.

Cold drinks include bottled water con gas or sin gas, soft drinks and bottled juices, mini-bottles of wine, and beer.

Prices

Prices are very reasonable. Two can have breakfast or lunch for $10, unless you're determined to try just about everything on the menu. And the prices include the tax (but not any tip you may feel inclined to leave).

Location and Hours

Kookaburra Cafe and Accommodations is located at Calle Larga 9-40, just west of Benigno Malo.

Chris and Jenny have a blog, which you can reach at kookaburracafe.typepad.com. You can also email them at kookaburracuenca@gmail.com.

Or call them, especially if you want to rent one of their two rooms, at 09-0874202.

Cafe hours are Thursday to Sunday, 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. (although they often stop serving food shortly after the lunch rush). But coffee and dessert are available right to 4 p.m. They're closed Monday-Wednesday.

By the way, if you show up on a Thursday afternoon, you could find yourself on a massage chair in the courtyard, melting in the sun while Cameron works wonders on your back, neck and shoulders. (That's her working her magic in the second photo, above.)

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