Batley’s Cafe
Once a week
Manx and I would go to Batley’s Cafe
where burgers used to cost $5.50
and came with fried egg,
beetroot and tomato sauce.
Chips cost a few dollars extra
and were smothered in salt
before being wrapped in wax paper.
The cafe was called Batley’s
after the first owner
who built it in the 1950s
out of hardwood timber.
Mr Batley painted it vivid blue
because he reckoned it reflected
the colour of the sky.
A few months ago,
his grandson hired Mr Lloyd-Davis
to sell it.
The new owners
renamed it Lake Road Espresso Bar,
took out the old fryers
and replaced them with a charcoal grill.
Now the lamb burger
comes with tzatziki and salad
and costs $15 to eat in.
Chips cost twice as much
for half as many.
Manx and I haven’t eaten there since.
The cafe is closed Monday and Tuesday
because everyone returns to the city –
or so the new owners think.
What would they know?
They only visit on the weekend
to check on the locals
left to run the place
for minimum wages.
The owners
spend their day
sipping an espresso,
talking on their phones
and watching the exotic wildlife
of old fishermen
wandering home from the lake.