As soon as you walk into High Tide on the Esplanade at Mujimba beach you are immediately hit by the offbeat atmosphere and engaging staff as they go about the business of welcoming people for their morning coffee. About to kill for my first coffee and having great trouble choosing between the legendary cruffin or a large fresh strawberry and white chocolate muffin I decide to have both and within no time I have the treats and the best looking latte I have ever seen.
I have been here a few times and have always found the quality to be exceptional. It is not often a café has three of the best being close to the ocean, great coffee and food and a great atmosphere. Once again, my latte is found to be an amazing experience; moussey, a beautiful caramel colour, the crema clinging perfectly to the sides of the cup – all signs of fresh beans and a committed barista. A heavenly ritual from start to finish!
It is busy and a quick glance around suggests High Tide is a hub in the area for young and old surfies, gorgeous gym fit mums and their babies, retirees and the odd entre on lap top; not surprising as the vibe is so relaxed and friendly.
It is clear the owner Lyndon Gordon is serious about coffee. So nice to see, there is nothing worse than finding a cool looking café and the coffee is sub-standard. The point…?
High Tide is a wonderful place to sit and take in the world with a couple of interior magasines for company. The interior here tells of loved and diverse art works and bespoke fittings; a stunning copper coiled light shade, quirky odds and ends, a little green knitted cactus and cute little succulents in odd pots. The design has a thrown together unpretentious look and feel; breezy beach shack meets hip urban café.
High Tide post a Gig Guide at the end of each month on their Facebook page for Saturday and Sunday night’s entertainment. We rocked up late on Sunday afternoon Sept 10th and it was packed with a broad cross section of locals. Mo Swagger entertained us – saxophonist, rhythm guitarist and vocalist; they played a bunch of “just the right” contemporary tunes in a feel good laid back way. A few wines, ocean breezes, Monday stalled, what could be better? The trio had an epic sound and the punters loved it.
The striking thing about this café is the focus on things that matter (high quality food and coffee, broad range of beers and wines, staff who clearly love their job, and in sync entertainment) and a complete disregard for things that don’t matter, such as shoes, sand, dogs, kids and prams, a bit of dishevelment, sharing a table etc. We need more attitudes like this on the Sunshine Coast; life is both too short and too stressful for irrelevant fussiness.
Lyndon Gordon is a game changer; he recognises what it means to be a focal point in Mujimba and the ability that affords High Tide to make a difference no matter how small. High Tide is a keen supporter of local visual artists with a new show going up every month. Many local artists struggle for recognition in the mainstream and this is an excellent way to not only showcase art but for artist’s to earn money to keep making art. The value of any artwork is in the eye of the beholder irrespective of price. High Tide by definition is linked to the beach in more ways than one thus it makes sense to showcase coastal art albeit by no means exclusively. The eclectic art shows provide another singular reason to visit High Tide.
Across the road is the Mujimba Surf Life Saving Club; a 1970s club house in pale mint green with blue trim and red bottle brush cascading over one corner just forty metres from the beach – the stuff of Queensland icons where life is not taken too seriously and the beach is everything.
Seek out the crew at High Tide, tucked away on the Esplanade it is a great spot for a café (not a cute urban wanna-be in sight). Just a minute’s walk from the beach it is an institution in the area with a cool aesthetic; a well-deserved tag and we are the richer for finding it!
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