If you’ve ventured on over to Westfield Kotara sometime over the last few months, you may have noticed the shiny new café space situated on level two right next door to Target - Convicted Blonde.

The fresh space has been serving up hungry, thirsty, and caffeine-driven visitors since its opening on September 14^th, 2022. Brought to you by local hospitality aficionado, Corey Zacher, Convicted Blonde is bringing a new flavour experience to the Kotara retail hotspot.

“Our family has been in hospitality for over 20 years. We took a break for a while and were involved in construction. As the construction industry has slowed and our passion for food was still burning brightly, an opportunity and great location present itself in Westfield Kotara adjacent to the kids’ playground and we just couldn’t say no,” Corey said.

The upmarket Miami Beach House-styled space exudes nothing short of calm energy, welcoming hospitality, and tasty food and drink offerings. Working with the creative team behind Zac Constructions, this new café spot has nailed it when it comes to being on-trend yet functional and filled with personality.

“We wanted to bring a genuine dine-in experience back to shopping centres. Over the last decade, the usual franchise brands have provided sandwiches and wraps, we wanted to have an all-day breakfast menu, beautiful fresh lunch options, and of course the best coffee.”

The Convicted Blonde team had been working tirelessly for the six months prior to opening, deciding on the perfect location, completing the fit-out, pulling together their core team, and creating their mouth-watering menu.

“Being in front of the kids’ playground, the mums are loving the regular gatherings with friends whilst the kids play.”

The menu has been crafted by Executive Chef, Shafiq Anwar who has spent his years travelling the world cooking for celebrities, billionaires, the rich and famous, and now the people of Newcastle.

“He has put together a menu of fresh ingredients that work extremely well together to ensure right up until the last mouthful the flavours shine through. The customer feedback we’ve received speaks volumes of the quality of our menu.”

The menu is brimming with an eclectic mix of your traditional Aussie favourites and some signature Convicted Blonde dishes. The Smashed Avocado Bruschetta complete with cherry tomato, watermelon radish, sumac onions, pomegranate, fetta, herbs dukkah, beetroot hummus, and zaatar dressing on toasted sourdough has been one of the most popular.

A close second would have to be the Home-Made Meatball Taco served in a rich tomato sauce with labna, pecorino, and chives. To finish? The freshly baked Baklava Cheesecake with pistachio praline, rose, honey, fresh strawberry, and Persian fairy floss is a definite smash hit.

Did someone say pancakes? Well, Shafiq has spared no expense by creating potentially the tastiest stack of pancakes with the Triple-Choc Pancake dish. Expect a stack of three Belgian choc-chip pancakes topped with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and ice-cream.

For a little bit of extra sweetness, you just HAVE to order the Baklava French Toast. Bit into egg-soaked brioche with vanilla mascarpone labna, pistachio praline, rose, strawberry compote, maple syrup, and edible flowers topped with Persian fairy floss.

Just peckish and not ready to commit to a full meal? The Convicted Blonde team have considered it all and even have a selection of baked goods ready to go so you can walk, talk, and eat whilst completing your shopping across the centre. Our pick? You can’t go past a deliciously tasty Almond Croissant!

Onto the coffee, you can rest assured that you’ll get a decent caffeine hit with beans coming from Sydney-based coffee roasters, Seven Miles Coffee.

“We knew having the playground right in front of our store that we wanted a smooth blend targeted towards mums with their hands full with the kids.”

Offering so much more than just coffee, the menu also extends to a delicious selection of shakes with flavours including Nutella, Tim Tam, Oreo Swirl, Biscoff, and Reese's.

Whether you’re dropping into Westfield Kotara to pick something up, are exploring the shops with the kids, are on the lookout for a sitdown breakfast, brunch, or lunch, or are just in the mood for something tasty, a visit to Convicted Blonde should be high on your list!