Decked Bar & Cafe

After coming to Paddington Central for months since I moved into the area, I’ve been eyeing this tiny little café but never had a chance to go in. Since a friend asked me to lunch today, I decided to try one of their coffee packages ($ 7 coffee-​cake, $ 10 coffee-​sandwich, $ 12 coffee-​Turkish). We sat down at a glass table covered in bubblegum (you know those hard colorful shelled ones?) and there’s a glass coffee table covered in cassette tapes. They serve milkshakes in retro glass bottles and the chicken pesto Turkish is absolutely yum. Very fresh and hot, made from scratch rather than reheated. The workers are über-​friendly and they seem to be well-​acquainted with their regulars. It’s quite refreshing and I’m sure I’ll come back here for a quick café fix soon enough! P. S. Bonus points for playing Nirvana Unplugged on the stereo while I was there!

Decked is a very funky little café. Located upstairs (level 4) at Paddington Central, across from the doctor’s surgery, Decked is the only little café along it’s strip. If you sit outside you’ll only get a view of the surgery waiting room or Spoon café; but Decked compensates for this by making its interior very attractive.
The tables (two of which are outside) are a wonder: built into the tables, beneath the glass top, are bundles of miniature toys. For example, one table top offered a few of a mosh pit of toy cars. Another contained those army-​men toys; another marbles; another colourful plastic gum balls; another lego, etc. There’s also some cool books and magazines to leaf through while you wait for your meal, including a range of cool Where’s Waldo books for adults and a Banksy art book.
I didn’t eat the food; it looked fresh, delicious and to be made from fairly raw materials. I ordered a vanilla skinny cappuccino with some trepidation: often, coffee shops make vanilla-​based coffees too sweet and too vanilla-​dominant. However, the vanilla cap from here was perfect — not a small achievement.
It was a strangely cold summer day when I visited and the air conditioning was blasting inside, giving me the chills. It was to the point that I wouldn’t want to eat in, as I’d be too cold to be comfortable. I gather the air conditioning is just set to its default summer setting, however, and on 95% of Brisbane summer days the indoor temperature would be very welcoming.
The staff were young, nice and hip, in line with the Paddington vibe.

Decked Café & Bar is a great addition to Paddington Central, offering light brunch and lunch menus, coffee, milkshakes, freshly baked muffins, and a range of sandwiches to hungry locals. The delightful fit-​out is inspired by love for everything retro and under the glass of your table you could find anything from smurfs to cassette tapes. My arancini with salad was delicious and more flavoursome than most arancini I’ve tried, with the outside coated in delicious pepitas and the salad fresh and filling. Very cute, very satisfying — go in and try something!