This week - Chicken Tagine

This weekends special: Chermoula Chicken Tagine proved very popular last night when the 

North Shore Community Centre came for their Christmas break-up party.

I too, had this for dinner last night. Served with pilaf and topped with chermoula and slivered almonds, I was instantly transported back to my holiday in Morocco many years ago. This dish is full of the authentic flavours of Morocco. If you love tagines I suggest you to try this now!

Yum!

New cakes!

With so many christmas parties and the school holidays upon us, our dispay cabinet 

is brimming full of goodies. 

This week, two new cakes for Cafe Alcarzar. 

 Passionfruit and White Chocolate Cheesecake

 and Celebration Chocolate Torte.

However, there are still all of our old favourites:

Baked Vanilla Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Macadamia Sauce

our yummy Bakalava and the ever popular Turkish Delight.

And if you are after something not so sweet, maybe something to takeaway, 

perhaps to your next christmas party.

Tapenade 

Hommus 

Fresh locally-grown Figs

Iranian Dates

Marinated Olives

Dolmades

Marinated Feta

Semi-dried Tomatoes

Preserved Lemons 

It's Party season!!

The festive party season has well and truly begun and Cafe Alcazar has been very busy with end of year parties. These photos were taken last week at the  Eumundi Primary School's christmas break-up party. Kiley came once again, to get the party going with her amazing belly dancing.

Diners enjoyed the night with a set 'tasting plate' menu:

Lamb Koftas served with Mint Yoghurt

Moroccan Chicken Kebabs

  Salt and Pepper Calamari

Hommus and Grilled Turkish Bread

Cous Cous Salad

Fresh Garden Salad

You can see more pictures from the night on our facebook page.

Take-home spices

Are you wanting to cook something yummy at home, but don't where to start? 

Cafe Alcazar is now stocking a great range of take-home gluten-free spice mixes. By using the recipe inside the pack, you can create delicious meals from around the world. Our range is ever-changing. With each new order to our supplier, we are eager to have something new for our customers to try. 

This is the range we currently have on our shelves:

Ethiopian Chicken

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Rangoon Lime Chicken 

Spanish Paella 

Afghani Lamb

Kashmiri Mushroom

Persian Beef

Madagascan Chicken

Chicken Kasbah

Spinach and Pumpkin Curry 

Chicken Balti

Butter Chicken

and spices for you cupboard

Ras el Hanout

Middle Eastern Mix

Harrisa Spice Mix

Za'atar

Dukkah

Which one would you like to cook?

More cake

More cake: 

Lebanese Orange and Coconut Cake

and 

Tonight on the blackboard: 

Chicken and Preserved Lemon Tagine

and 

Turkish Lamb Pide

These pides have become very popular and already looking like taking a permanent place 

on our dine in menu.

and...

don't forget our yummy Turkish Delight Cheesecake.

We hope to see you soon.

Turkish Delight Cheesecake

In the display cabinet - RIGHT NOW!

Our latest offering at Cafe Alcazar for both, our dine in and take-away customers, is this delectable Turkish Delight Cheesecake. 

Think strawberries and cream, with just a hint of rosewater and a buttery pistachio crust.

Delicious! 

Get in fast - it won't last long.

It's Friday!

Lamb and Apricot Tagine with Couscous - this was my family's dinner a few weeks ago - YUM! 

Mum, please put this back on the specials board!

We are really looking forward to a great weekend. It's so good see some of our new customers, fast becoming regulars.

Our weekly blackboard specials are very popular, it's a great way to try out some different flavours. The last couple of weeks we have made some tagines: Lamb and Apricot and Beef and Prune, and tonight:

Chicken Kasbah with Pilaf

And new today in the 'Ready to Go Freezer Meals' fridge, we've made a Moroccan Carrot and Cumin Soup, perfect to take home for a quick dinner.

Hope to see you soon.

Our new menu

It has now been two weeks since we changed over to our new menu here at Cafe Alcazar. It has been very well received by our regular customers, as well as attracting many new diners. We have been delighted by your feedback.

Our mixed sharing platters have been proving very popular. This is just what we had hoped for.

People are already booking parties for the upcoming Christmas holiday period. Yes, Christmas!

As well as booking our already popular Pizza/Pasta Party Deal (we have been doing this for 10 years) there have also been requests for a more Middle Eastern style menu. We are currently working on a menu for this, if you are interested, just contact Trish and she can let you know exactly what will be served.

Happy dining.

We made the local paper!

Cafe Alcazar's opening night has made it into the local newspaper!

"Judging by the comments of the guests at the official opening, Cafe Alcazar should prove a winner and worthy addition to the North Shore dinning scene." - Mike Garry

Practically a full page! Thanks Mike, for your kind words.

Are you hungry?

Just in!

The yummiest Turkish Delight I have ever tasted! Get in quick before the staff eat it all! Really - I mean it!

And due to their success on our dessert patter on our opening night, we have made some more Chocolate and Cinnamon Suspiros (Spanish Meringues). And for other desserts, our old favourites: Triple Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake, White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake and Lemon Cheesecake.

Our display fridge is full - for dine in or takeaway. Our dip plates and antipasto platters have been very popular in this warmer weather. Tonight:

Beetroot and Feta Dip

Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Dip

Fresh Iranian Dates 

Marinated Vegetables

Labneh 

Dolmades 

and for mains

 Lamb and Apricot Tagine

Looking forward to seeing you sometime over the weekend.

Cafe Alcazar's New Dine In Menu

Cafe Alcazar Takeaway Menu

The customer is always right!

What a fun night we had on Saturday night. Thanks so much to everyone who came along to help celebrate our grand opening. And a big thank-you to the people who filled in our 'feedback questionnaire' at the end of the evening.

Your comments have been invaluable to read. Some things that you have requested are already on our new menu and others had been discussed for our specials board. It's great to know that the things we want to cook, are the things that you are looking for, when dining out. Win, win.

Here are some of the comments from our 'feedback questionnaire'.

"Great food, good entertainment. More, More More!

"The food and presentation was amazing, the ambience at Cafe Alcazar was so inviting"

"The hommos was awesome!!"

"Loved the lamb koftas!" 

"We both loved the calamari"

"Congrats on a wonderful evening - food was amazing!"

"Had a great night, the food was fantastic. Thank-you!"

"Service was warm and friendly"

"Loved the chicken kebabs and the calamari - very tender"

"We really enjoyed the sharing plates, very important for the whole fun experience"

"the dessert platter was lovely"

"Decor is great. Homey, welcoming atmosphere"

"An excellent and a great introduction for what is to come"

" Dips and grissini, antipasto, spinach and cheese pastries, turkish delight cheesecake - yum"

 "Great night, lovely food, good company. Congrats to all involved"

I think I have already said in an earlier post, that when asked if customers would like to see a regular tasting night the answer on every response was - Yes, Yes, Yes!!!

And the winner is.....

Congratulations to JoTonkin! 

You have won a dinner for two 

(to the value of $50.00)

By simply filling in our 'feedback questionnaire' on our opening night, Jo went into the draw to win a dinner for two. Thanks for all your great comments Jo, we hope to see you soon.

We are so sorry you missed it!

Saturday night was the official relaunch of the cafe.

Last week the old Candoo Cafe sign came down and with much attention, the new Cafe Alcazar sign was put in place. Later this week we will introduce our new in-house menu. Long time customers of the cafe will see that our take-away menu is still the same, including our long list of pizza favourites.

And what better way to celebrate the changing of our name, than with a 7 course tasting menu!

The night was a huge success. A festive atmosphere was set with sharing platters overflowing with delicious new flavours. Diners enjoyed sharing the food platters while listening to authentic world music and clapping along with our belly dancing entertainment; Kylie from Bella Belly Dance.

It really was just one big party. But lets not forget the food!

 Carrot and Coriander Soup

Hommos, Tapenade, Blue Cheese and Walnut Dip served with Hand-rolled Grissini 

Antipasto Platter: Marinated Tuscan Olives, Slow Roasted Roma Tomatoes, 
Rolled and Marinated Eggplant, Roasted Capsicum, Marinated Mushrooms, Dolmades, 
Labneh rolled in Herbs, Caperberries and Pita Bread

Chicken, Raisin and Pine Nut Empanadas, Lamb and Feta Sambousek, Spinach, Ricotta and Feta Pastries 
served with Tomato Chutney and Mint Yoghurt

Platter of Moroccan Chicken Kebabs, Lamb Koftas served with Herbed Yoghurt and Salt and Pepper Calamari served with Lime Aioli

Prawn Saganaki with Grilled Turkish Bread

Dessert Tasting Plate: Turkish Delight Cheesecake, Baklava, Nougat with Cranberries and Pistachios, 
Spanish Chocolate and Cinnamon Macaroons

We were delighted with the positive feedback from the night, when asked if our diners would like to see more tasting nights, the answer was an unanimous YES! 

Maybe you can make it next time. We would love to see you.

Behind the scenes

 

 

We were so happy with the way the evening went on Cafe Alcazar's opening night. As you can imagine, changes like these, need a huge leap of faith... and a handful of helpers. I know that Mum would like to thank all of the family and friends who put up their hands up to help out, both on Saturday night and over the last couple of months.

And a special mention to Jay (who doesn't like his photo taken!) After first taking over this business solo, back in March, Mum encountered a small hiccup with staffing. Then, just when she needed him, Jay came along. He was promptly employed as Cafe Alcazar's chef. I think it was meant to be.

Out with the old and in with the new

Goodbye Candoo Cafe. Hello Cafe Alcazar!

 

In just 3 weeks, old cabinets came out and new one's went in. Finally, somewhere for the glasses. Walls were painted and floors were scrubbed. Furniture was re-covered and some beautiful wooden pieces bought.

The new display cabinet was the perfect fit. Just waiting to be filled: marinated olives, feta, sun dried tomatoes, eggplant and roasted capsicum. Lots of room for more salads, dips and desserts to offer our customers, dine in or takeaway.

The new coffee machine and a change of coffee brands. Cafe Alcazar is now serving locally roasted coffee from Poineer Coffee.

Moroccan and Indian lanterns, tribal walls rugs, mirrors, a collection of pictures from around the world and Mum's very own travel photos have decorated the cafe. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. With our new in-house menu starting on Wednesday 16th October, diners can sit and linger over platters of shared food while listening to world music.

Since the first changes to the decor of the cafe back in March, more and more bits and pieces have been added, giving Cafe Alcazar plenty of character. 

Hope to see you soon.