The bunting is up and the kitchen is humming, signalling to Paddington dwellers that Shouk Cafe is open at last. The corner cutie perched upon Collingwood and Hazlewood Streets has taken a very different turn to its predecessor, JazzCat. A fresh lick of paint and a bright banner of mosaic tiles has transformed the honey-hued bar and restaurant into a perky new daytime hangout for a plate and a cuppa in Paddington. After meeting in Israel several years ago, co-owners Guy Frawley and Adi Shabtay opened their first venue this month, creating a light and laidback fit-out to complement the views of Paddington’s rolling roofs below.

Taking its name from the Hebrew word for marketplace, Shouk Cafe fuses the kind of nosh you’d find on a table in the Middle East with a few Western tweaks. You’ll find hangover cures along the lines of a shwarma flatbread sandwich stuffed with slow-cooked lamb, pickles, hummus and tahini sauce and Tunisian-style baked eggs in a spicy tomato sauce with optional merguez sausage, as well as lighter fare like the coveted cumin-and-lime crepe souffle.

Shouk’s cosy coffee lounge is perfect for a spoon into goats milk and date panna cotta with poached fruits and pistachio crumble, or take your tahini cookies to the loveseat out the front. Sippers are spoilt for choice with Veneziano coffee, an assortment of teas and a refreshing limonana blend of ice, mint and lemon on the drinks list. A liquor licence is on its way and guests can BYO for now, while the owners have also hinted that dinner and a downstairs basement area may be popping up on the radar soon.

Shouk Cafe
14 Collingwood Street, Paddington
Ph: 07 3172 1655
Open: Monday to Sunday 7:30 am to 3:00 pm