Joan Bowen - a cafe with heart

Nestled in a quiet estate, Joan Bowen is a little undiscovered gem. With a pretty art décor interior, staffed by teenagers with special needs and assisted by professionals in the industry, this is truly a café with heart. It is also the perfect place to throw that long awaited get-together with friends or simply to chill after a day at work.

 

Although the menu is not extensive, they are good at what they serve up. I popped by the day after their official opening with my family and had a kickstart to lunch with calamari rings and garlic mussels ($8.90). While the calamari was decent, the garlic mussels topped with creamy cheese was the one that proved to be a real hit and we were deferring politely to one another as to who would have the last bite.  Next up were our mains and between us, we had the chicken schnitzel ($9.90), fish & chips ($9.90), mushroom aglio olio ($10.90) and rosemary lemon chicken. The portions for the chicken schnitzel and fish & chips were pretty generous and I must say I especially liked the former. It was nicely breaded and did not suffer the usual schnitzel downfall of being overfried or being too dry.

 

Although it did not come with any special sauce toppings, it was tasty enough to hold its own.  Being a fungi lover, I pinched a bit of my mom’s aglio olio order. Although I would have liked my aglio olio to have more chilli flakes and a stronger garlicky taste, I like that they mixed a variety of mushrooms which brought out a subtle spectrum of flavours. Suffice to say, my mom finished up every bit of it. The mushroom aglio olio is one of Joan Bowen’s vegetarian options so veggie-lovers and meat-lovers alike will be able to find something in here for them to bond over.   

 

If all else fails, go for the oreo cheesecake ($5/slice) which is surprisingly addictive. While dining at the café, a neighbour popped in to take-away the cheesecake alone, perhaps a testament to its popularity. Most oreo cheesecakes I have tried tend to be overwhelmingly cheesy with a hint of oreo but this café’s version is quite the reverse. The cheese factor is still there but the oreo taste comes through a lot more and that surely, is one of the sweetest way to top off your meal.