Travelling Australia - give us a new town and we head for their Cafes. This cafe/restaurant was extremely popular, locals and visitors alike but crowded so we by passed the first few times. Curiosity got the better of us and in we went. Wonderful Coffee and delicious muffins made on the premises - the setting both inside and out were lovely with outside pavement tables shaded by vines - inside a fabulous oven creating part of the atmosphere watching the speed at which the chefs work. Shared tables available - a great way to meet locals. The waitress taking orders was amazingly fast at processing our order yet had the time to be friendly with out rushing.

We tried Koukla (Fangos & Fanogs) for both breakfast and dinner on a recent stay. Both meals had their strong and weak points.

Its a beautiful building to look at and the inside, like a lot of places in Daylesford has that rustic look. Its warm so all those aspects are very appealing.

We found the staff to be friendly, knowledgeable and quite patient with our table. A strong point !

Coffee was excellent - as good as anywhere we've tried (outside our regular !). The food though, was just ok. The breakfast meals were average ($$ toast !), including a most unusual and disappointing muesli. Frankly, I thought it would be a lot better but seemed to be thrown together. A real let down (particularly given the strong visuals elsewhere) was the packet honey thrown on top. Really ?

In the evening we tried a wood fired pizza - small, tasty and expensive are how I would describe it.

I think the quality of the food needs to improve to justify the meal value and do justice to the setting.

Approximate cost: $21

I loved how the main meals and majority of the menu were on the blackboard which spans across most of the restaurant/cafe. The woodfire pizzas and mocha there were amazing!! So delicious, especially the mushroom pizza.

The staff were really friendly and helpful and the atmosphere of the place was great!

The exterior caught my eyes first, being attracted to the way the building was designed just how photogenic the place was. So we decided to return for dinner.
There were a few booking for the night, but the staff were open to let us share tables and gave us the freedom to move when another table vacated.
There were plenty of affordable pizza options but the main meals on the blackboard were too tempting to pass, so I ordered the canelloni and my husband the duck leg with potatoes. The meals were absolutely fantastic. it would have been better to have more salad but the flavour was great and I couldn't get enough of it. The duck was especially tender and tasty.
Staff were friendly and attentive and the dining atmosphere really good. I would return again if I were in the area.

Approximate cost: $23

Koukla is a lovely corner ( great for sitting out side in a hot summer day next to green grape vines)place offering Mediterranean food and a big selection of wood fired Pizza, the ice coffee was strong smooth and aromatic, full of coffee flavour! My favourite was Capricciosa! really fresh pizza dough as well! You have to try it out!
<a href="http://instagram.com/p/VbFNGcvdUj">>>>Check out the pizza photo from Koukla...<<<</a>

<a href="http://instagram.com/p/VBqR8EPdc6">>>>Check out the ice coffee photo from Koukla...<<<</a>

Koukla is a funky cafe/restaurant which is definitely worth a visit. The atmosphere is lovely, rustic wooden tables & an eclectic collection of chairs make Koukla very inviting. It was especially nice with the open fire roaring away!
The staff were nice, some seemed a lttle disinterested but competent nonetheless. That being said, the waitress who took our bill and saw us out was just lovely, if only all cafe staff everywhere could be more like her!
I had the omelette - potato, feta, tomato, it was simply lovely. So fluffy and light and was served in a small cast iron pan, which kept it nice and warm. Given that it took me awhile to get through it this was a plus! The sourdough toast served with the omelette was thick and crunchy.
On the not so great side - If you are after a herbal tea, try somewhere else :/ the selection was pretty poor (which sadly seems to be often the case these days) - camomile, peppermint, lemongrass & ginger. I had the L & G which was T2, a nice tea, although somewhat on the stale side, not a whole lot of flavour in that pot! Also, on the vegie food side although my brekkie was divine if you are after choice....you won't find it here, although sadly that seems to be more of a trend these days.
I will definitely go back to Koukla next time I'm in Daylesford :) and cross my fingers they have replenished & revitalised their herbal teas!

Approximate cost: $15-25