Charles Street: The Paris End

Charles Street in Launceston is known for it's food. Lined with a huge variety of cafes, restaurants and grocers, when stuck for ideas Charles Street is where we will always go first. Specifically the end of the street which locals refer to as  The Paris End - if heading out from town you will know you have arrived if you see a cute, tree lined street - bustling with cars. The Paris End is also home of the Launceston General Hospital and now, the unmissable gigantic Hotel Charles (the largest, whitest, ritziest, most exorbitant hotel for such a small town).

Starting from St Prince's Square some of the dining you will come by are;

• Fresh - the only vegetarian restaurant in town. There will be so many reviews coming on this place soon. Being vegetarian, I come here more than I'm willing to admit.
• Elaia Cafe - I have written two reviews on here so far, here and here.
• Burger Got Soul - Notably the best burger place in Launceston.
• Cafe Mondello
• Sporties Bar - It is exactly as it sounds. I've heard the food here is incredible, however it's still on my list of 'Places I Haven't Been'.
• Aroma's - Another cafe which I've only had the pleasure of stopping in for a coffee.

I will soon write about the restaurants down the other end of Charles street (think Indian, Chinese & more cafes and bars!)

Elaia Cafe: Lunch

Evan & I went to Elaia again one day when we were in town running some errands and needed a bite to eat. Whenever we get stuck for ideas we take a walk down Charles Street - as there is a huge array of cafes and restaurants that we love eating at. I had the Calamari and Chips, Evan had a Steak Sandwich. As always - the food was prepared quickly, the service was friendly and we left in good time with a reasonable bill at the end of our visit. One thing I'd like to mention though that I've experienced a few times when dining at Elaia, they put napkins under greasy food (see below) - just make sure you remove it before you dig in to enjoy your meal as you may end up enjoying your napkin too. 

Elaia Cafe

Evan and I went to Elaia on a Tuesday evening.  There was no need to book, as most places are reasonably empty on a Tuesday. I've been to Elaia a few times and I really enjoy the laid back atmosphere it has to offer. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and there is a big fold-back glass partition for when it's warm outside. When we arrived there was a 21st birthday happening at one table, and a couple of other tables filled. Again, we had a look at their website before we arrived, which has so many delicious looking options on it. When we arrived we ordered a bread with olive oil and vinegar for entree, which was some of the best bread I've had in a long time. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of this. The waitress was quick to take away our entree -  before Evan had finished eating, and our mains were brought out very quickly.

I ordered the traditional carbonara, but requested it come without bacon, which was no issue to the chef. They offer two sizes with their mains, either and entree size or a main size. I always order the entree size - due to having a small appetite. When my meal was presented to me, it looked tiny. I'm not sure if this was because it was missing the bacon, the bowl was huge or because it was the entree size - the bottom of the bowl was visible. regardless of this, I always find carbonara to be very filling, and this was no exception. I could just feel all the carbs and fats filling in all my stomach space per-mouthful. It was very rich and garlicy, which I like, however the people around me probably not so much. 

Evan ordered a main size of the chicken linguine, which was with spicy pumpkin, spinach, chilli, garlic and cream. He said that the dish was really tasty, I tried some of the pumpkin and  would agree.

Elaia is reasonably priced for the portion sizes and quality of the food, main sized meals are all $20-$25. I would recommend this restaurant, and Evan and I will probably go there again to try another of their menu items.

Elaia Cafe - 240 Charles Street, Launceston 7230

6331 3307

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