The Cutting Board

Overview

The CBD is teeming with bland, generic cafes and their catering-company egg-and-lettuce sandwiches, might-as-well-call-it-cake muffins and wraps that have seen better days. It’s hard to find a hearty lunch that will fill you up without the guilt of of consuming a 7/11 pie, fried chicken or oily noodles.

The Cutting Board is just what the CBD ordered for lunch — fast, fresh, home-style cooking that’s both good for you and doesn’t break the bank. The best way to describe TCB is it’s a carvery, but cool. At lunch time, if you can reach the glass counters, the place is packed with city workers. Within one counter sits an exciting range of gourmet salads that change daily, in another is the carvery part — think slow-cooked meats and roast vegetables. Behind the counter, large boards let you pick and choose burgers and sandwiches that are made-to-order.

Overall the place has an Americana meets Aussie carvery influence. Beef brisket or beef ragu lasagne? Reuben or chicken burger? The best idea is to pick a meat and combine it with two sides — The Cutting Board let you choose your sides from all the salads on offer, roast vegetables and chips — for around $12-14. If you eat in, they will serve it up on one of those white, blue-rimmed tin plates with real cutlery.

The decor is on-trend with hanging edison bulbs, brown butcher’s paper menus and sheeny wooden walls. The venue itself is a grab-and-go kinda space, but round the side The Cutting Board have set up a courtyard of ample tables and wooden stools (usually in the sun) to help make the most of your lunch hour.

If you get in early enough, The Cutting Board have a shorter breakfast menu too. Our hot tip is to grab a muffin with your coffee. The flavours change daily but on rotation is rocky road; nutella, peanut and coconut; orange poppyseed and double choc; raspberry, white choc and cherry ripe; blueberry, cream cheese and fig; and strawberry, thyme and coconut. Need we say more?