Cafe Matisse - Gympie

I'm always a sucker for good French food , my mum was a French trained Chef , yes actually trained in France ! And she trained me from a very early age.We dropped in here just prior to lunchtime , place was reasonably busy , but our order was taken promptly and with a friendly smile.We ordered take away as we were waiting on tradesmen at home , so a sit down was not possible.The place is smallish , but similar to many of the places my wife and I visited in France so many times.So was kinda nostalgic for us.We ordered 2 Quiches , the Egg,Bacon&Sun dried Tomato , and the Egg,Leek&Potato , pastry looked superb. I ordered the "Blue Moon Burger & Chips" and a slice of the Lemon tart.We raced home , to be greeted by a message that the tradies were not coming today , ah well ,that's how it goes.Sat down to eat this French feast , first tastes of the Quiches confirmed our visuals , pastry was excellent , fillings creamy eggs and flavourful additional ingredients. Not needing any additional condiments , seasonings were perfect.We both sampled the chips that came with the burger and I'm happy to report that they were cooked perfectly , not always the case here in Gympie. The sprinkle of salt that they had was just right for us , we don't like over salted foods.Now , the burger. The "Blue Moon" refers to the Blue cheese that is a major component of it , together with tomato , onion & lettuce. The meat patty was a generous size , and to me , cooked perfectly with a nice blush of pink juiciness in the centre. The bun was also excellent , stayed the course of the whole eat , without the sweetness of so many burger buns and thankfully, without any seeds !The mouth feel was great , the flavour awesome , a little messy to eat , but hey , what's a burger without some mess ! It also , did not need any further seasonings, as the balance was excellent.The Lemon tart was good , the Curd had the tartness I like , was a touch sweet for my tastes , and the pastry a touch on the thick side on the base , but I'm only nitpicking , I did eat it all , it was certainly better than others I've tasted in Gympie.I've just recently retired from an Executive Chef position , after 5 years on the Sunshine Coast , and now living in Gympie , my wife and I want all the food Vendors to really shine , and to show off the wonderful produce this region has to offer.That's our challenge to all the places here , and so far we're happy to say that the overall standard is pretty good , but as more people migrate up from the South , those standards will have to get better , as more come to live in our fabulous region.

I had breakfast here - eggs choice is fried or scrambled - not poached?? Otherwise the food was salty and a bit greasy. The coffee is ok but not the best I have had. Service is good and fast.

We stopped for lunch on the way through Gympie and were glad we did. The cafe was busy but staff were well up to the task. Although we only wanted toasted sandwiches it was easy to see that there were some great options for something more. The offerings looked great and the number of people who chose them indicates they are popular. After the sandwiches we chose to have a slice of apple pie which was delicious. Pricing was modest and the service, serving size and food were excellent. Definitely a recommendation to others and a return for us when we are in the area.

They do a Chicken burger and chips for $10 that is delicious and great value. Also have amazing desserts.

Our town has many cafes but there are only 3 places where we eat regularly. Cafe Matisse is one of them. The food is always good, inexpensive and generous serves, combine that with friendly country town service and you have a pleasant experience.