OWNER DEBORAH Wray says her customers frequently remark on how good everything tastes, and I’d have to agree.

“It’s simple, clean food that allows the flavours of the organic ingredients to shine through,” Deborah says. “Organic is for people who make food a priority.”

It was her son’s chronic fatigue that spurred Deborah into organic food, and now it’s a way of life for her and husband Gary Davis. They opened their first Gold Coast store in Palm Beach in 2005 and there are now two Wray Organic stores on the Gold Coast, but only the Newmarket store, which opened last May,
includes a cafe.

The store is filled with organic produce, including eggs straight from the farm, organic milk and even some lactose-free vanilla “ice cream” made with oat milk. There’s a wide range of in-season fruit and veg, including apricots, which were like a childhood memory – plump and oozing with juice that runs down your chin. And, proving that organic customers are no different from the rest of the world, close second to the fruit and vegetables in the popularity stakes is the range of organic chocolate!

The grains include hulled millet and amaranth flakes, which I’d never heard of before, but I was assured they’re easy to cook and very tasty. And there’s plenty of opportunity to taste, as the store provides all the raw ingredients for the cafe. Want to know what the ancient South American grain quinoa, (pronounced keen-wah) tastes like? Try one of the plump round patties with a choice of
relish in the cafe.

There’s only a blackboard menu, as Deborah likes to take advantage of whatever is new and fresh in stock. Today, the frittata might be spinach and tomorrow, asparagus, but you’ll always find four salads, a range of burgers and patties, soup of the day and a delightful selection of sweet treats.

It’s not a meat-free cafe, but rather offers selections that include vegetarian alternatives. As you would expect, the salads are prepared fresh daily and displayed in a large cabinet.

The proof was in the tasting and although some of the names were unfamiliar, the flavours were interesting and full without the overpowering use of garlic or chilli favoured by some establishments.

For those looking for something familiar, the organic pies are gluten-free and have no nasty hydrogenated fats and preservatives.

As well as organic Di Bella coffee, there’s a range of teas and a hot chocolate option that, according to some customers, is just like they serve in Paris.

Drop in for breakfast any time after 8am, seven days a week, and try the double organic egg and ham sandwich.

This is not an exotic restaurant, but rather a great place to stop for breakfast or lunch on the run, or you could be like the regulars and make a cafe stop your treat after the weekly shopping.