The Pocket

Visited 28/12/2018, Gold Coast

**Dairy Free Approved/ Vegan Options**

13 Connor Street Burleigh Heads
Gold Coast, Queensland

Another day and another scour on ‘Zomato’ later, I headed to ‘The Pocket‘ which promised me some highly acclaimed Mediterranean food. I’ve had some really good experiences with Mediterranean cuisine thus far and expected ‘The Pocket’ to inevitably join my list of places to revisit but unfortunately, it fell well short of my expectations.

The interior is relaxed, exactly what you’d expect from a beach side grab-and-go food stop. The daring wall motifs and bright colors emphasizing the liveliness of the people that frequent Burleigh Heads. It came as no surprise to me that ‘The Pocket’ was thriving in an area full of barely clothed people. Their fresh, healthy, Vegan and Gluten Free friendly fare no doubt it’s strongest selling point.

The staff I spoke to was equally relaxed and very assertive about how most, if not all, menu items could be made Gluten Free, offering me the choice as well. He assured me that the entire restaurant was Dairy Free (DF) except for 2 minor details, the coffee machine and the frappe machine. (There is even Vegan Baklava!) I must say the biggest reason why I might come back to The Pocket is because of this assurance, it can be very tiring to have to inquire, item after item, at times, whether something is DF or not. Sometimes, even after you’ve done your due diligence, contamination is something you just can’t control. I really appreciate places like The Pocket where I can order with a peace of mind.

We ordered quickly, paid on the spot and set the table ourselves whilst waiting as it’s mostly self serve. It did take awhile, but the food all came out at once so it made the wait reasonable. At first glance the food looked inviting, vibrant and indeed fresh, the thought that I’d made a good choice crossed my mind before I started on the food. We asked for extra spice and was served a single portion of chillies in oil and when we went back to ask for more, we were sneered at and was told that would cost extra, which I reckon is ludicrous considering we’d ordered 4 mains.

Chicken Schnitzel Plate ($23.50)
The schnitzel had a cracker like, crispy outside but very tough insides, reminding me of an overcooked chicken nugget. There was hardly any flavor to it other than salt and possibly a sparse dash of herb. The fries were overly mushy soft, which we’d seen coming out from a frozen bag. I don’t discriminate against fries no matter where they’ve come from but they shouldn’t give you a ‘I came from frozen bag’ confirmation when you eat it. Frankly, I’ve seen frozen fries done with better justice.

Egyptian Chicken Plate ($19.50)
The better dish of the night but also the stingiest. It’s more like ‘Cucumber and Tomato Salad With A Side Of Chicken’ than a Chicken Plate but I digress. The chicken was well charred, well seasoned and spiced with cumin; strongly paralleling the Satay of Southeast Asia.

Saneeya ($24)
This was the most disappointing dish of the night as I could have done it for less. It was basically a spiced, peppery stir fried lamb mince. There’s not much else to say except “don’t get this”.

Mezze Plate ($22.50)
This was the dish that made me realize I’d totally overlooked the point of this restaurant and I don’t know how I did with a name like ‘The Pocket’. Pita and Hummus came with all 4 dishes and I’m glad they did as they were the highlights. The hummus was basic, just how I like it and tasted as hummus should. The toasted pita was equally amazing, it had an elastic chew and smelt freshly made. I can’t be sure if they are made in house or not but if they aren’t, I need to know where to get them.

Finally, the best thing on the menu and what I think put The Pocket on the map; the falafels. Absolutely insane falafels came atop my Mezze Plate, they were crispy on the outside, yet soft and crumbly on the inside. They were light and worlds apart from the dense, one dimensional falafels I’m used to. The falafel overshadowed rest of the vegetable laden plate of tabbouleh, sauerkraut, cucumber & tomato salad, very brunt & salty capsicum, olives, pickles and the strangest purple thing which had the texture of an ear and was salted to the high heavens. If anyone knows what it might be, please enlighten me; I personally think it was some sort of mushroom. I’d crown this the most cost efficient and enlightening meal of the night.

We finished our food and left after being taught a very pricey lesson: Never go to The Pocket for anything but their Falafel Pockets.