The smart money is bravely placed on not following the crowd. Opportunity is often found where no man has gone before. Today I took a trip out to sleepy, suburban Box Hill (Melbourne) and had breakfast at Red Cup. This suburb is not familiar territory to me and as I drove along in the lashing rain looking for the street number I spotted a red Vespa in a service lane and decided ‘that must be the spot’ … I pulled over and was proven right. The place was packed, the coffee good, and the owners obviously knew what they were doing having owned and operated espresso bars in the CBD for numerous years before packing it all in and heading to the burbs. Michael (pictured) and Kelly Olsen have set up their latest coffee machine in what was a local icon for more than 50 years, WAM, a washing machine & electrical repair shop. A simple, contemporary cafe menu based around excellent coffee makes a welcome contrast to the dumpling house domination of Whitehorse Rd and surrounds, and it has been more than enthusiastically embraced by the locals. Open 7am to 3pm, 7 days (actually the lights are on and the coffee is flowing from 6.30am for the tradies take away during the week), Michael and Kelly have achieved their vision for a ‘cosy local’ and created a menu and space the same person can use for different reasons (coffee to go on a weekday morning, weekend breakfast with family and friends, pop in with the laptop for a snack and some social work time … their strategy made good sense to me). It’s definitely one out of the box in Box Hill. Red Cup, 1124 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill, Melbourne (almost opposite local landmark, Our Lady of Sion school).
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One out of the Box
Ah Antonio…
I’ve long been a fan of Carluccio’s food store & cafe and was so pleased to secure an interview on my last trip. Emma Woodford looks after the brand, product development, buying, retail campaigns and shop displays (ooh what a fabulous job – and not one she was offering to give up either – despite my pleading!). Whilst it has been a couple of months since we chatted (and I don’t have my notes on hand whilst taking a family break here in “raining raining raining, could it rain any more?” Brisbane) I concluded that everything I had assumed about the brand was indeed true.
Product integrity, sourcing small artisan producers throughout Italy to make exclusive products for the Carluccio’s label, respect for the relationship with suppliers, taste/flavour above all else and campaigns that celebrate the seasons is what the brand ethos was when Antonio and Patricia started the business ten years ago and it remains integral today. Emma and I also had an interesting discussion regarding time, and how interesting it would be that, if in addition to ingredient labelling, the time taken to produce artisan product was also included on packaging. Given that so much of their beautiful products are bespoke, small batch and made by hand by very small businesses it would further justify the pricing (which was not unreasonable at all according to me)… and of course the flavour. Rounding out the Carluccio’s experience is their use of various artists and illustrators to produce packaging and seasonal campaigns. The Christmas 2010 printed gift catalogue was just divine (and back in October how did they know it was going to be the whitest of White Christmases in the UK?!) A big thank you to Jo Aspin who looks after Carluccio’s PR for taking the time to organise this opportunity for me.
A very modern collection
My introduction to Jillian McLean’s award winning venues was via the web site for The Anthologist. Words like ‘culinary theatre’, ‘book the chefs table‘ and ‘the perfect antidote to the city‘ combined with some great looking food and interiors caught my interest and it was put on my ‘must visit when in London’ list. I wasn’t disappointed. Firstly, I love the thinking behind Jillian’s company name, Morgan and Drake. Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and Captain Morgan, was a Welsh buccaneer. A pioneer of the hospitality industry, Jillian is an adventurer who set off on her own voyage in 2008 to build a group of independent, innovative bars in central London with a strong customer experience focus. Her first venue, The Refinery, opened in September 2008 in the landmark Blue Fin Building, Southwark. The Parlour in Canary Wharf followed in 2009 and The Anthologist on Gresham Street has delighted City suits since opening the doors back in April this year.
This October I was so pleased to take a tour through this venue with Jillian and we talked about the latest trends in hospitality in a city that has come a long way in the food stakes in the last 10+ or so years. Research is always at the foundation of any good business and Jillian invests plenty of time travelling the East and West Coast of America, in addition to tapping into think tanks with the likes of McCann Erickson and The Future Foundation, to establish new benchmarks for customer service and dining experiences. Spend 10 minutes on the floor with her and you will see why she is the first solo woman to win a Catey Award (Caterer and Hotelkeeper’s Pub & Bar Award 2010). A warm welcoming smile, hands-on attitude, and an obvious enjoyment gained from being with her staff and customers is my immediate recollection (some people just have hospitality embedded in their gene code – they live it, breathe it, love it).
Wholly responsible for concept, development, launch and the running of all venues; in addition to an eclectic beverage offer Jillian places a strong emphasis on provenance and seasonal ingredients. An open kitchen, deli and chefs table combined with a wonderful selection of seating spaces to choose from depending on your mood (and of course fabulous loos), make these bar/cafe/restaurants a stand out. Venue number four, The Folly, opened last month and can be found on Gracechurch Street. I will be taking another very quick trip through London in mid-March and look forward to visiting the three other venues if time permits. In the meantime, Jillian and her team are heading to Oz in a few weeks time for some sunshine and inspiration (let’s hope the torrential rains stop and the sun does finally come out for summer!). I have compiled a list of some of Melbourne and Sydney’s finest drinking and dining spots for them to visit. I’d love to hear suggestions from readers too.
Unlikely find
Brisbane’s cafe scene continues to channel the cool factor. A couple of lads with a passion for coffee and fixie bikes found a hole-in-the-wall garage space in Milton that once served as a bomb shelter (we’re talking WW2 here). Convinced it would be the perfect location for a coffee machine and caffeine hit, after a lot of ‘red tape’, Bunker arrived back in August. Serving a Fair Trade organic blend from local roaster, Blackstar, I can’t wait to get back to Brissy for the festive season and see what else is worth a snoop on the bean scene. Pics via Studio Sixty. Bunker, 21 Railway Terrace, Milton, Brisbane.
30 Mill
30 Mill is not the lotto jackpot this week but I think James Laskie, the owner of this new coffee spot in a leafy Malvern Street, has picked the winning numbers. A barista who has served his share of espresso at local cafes (Woodstock and Treat), James has gone out on his own armed with a shiny silver Synesso Cyncra, a service attitude, a simple fit out (built entirely by himself and his Dad) and a small quality menu to support the coffee. As a general rule if BFF likes the coffee, I don’t… if I like it, he doesn’t… tedious really. We joined James for lunch and a chat yesterday and we both liked the coffee (that has got to be a first). Serving a Five Senses single origin house blend, the name 30 mill refers to a single shot of coffee. As of today, he’s been open for one whole week and is already doing a decent number of kilos. You can find James and his Synesso at 66 Milton Pde Malvern (opposite Tooronga Station).
Neat as a Nippy
A skilled front of house person is of equal importance to the food and furnishings.
I snapped these French waiters on the Rue St Honore in Paris and discovered The Perfect Nippy leafing through “The Art of Looking Sideways” (Phaidon). According to the book, Lyons Cornerhouses were an extensive chain of teashops in the UK founded at the turn of the previous century and closed down during the swinging sixties. The Lyon’s waitress, or ‘Nippy’ as she was known, was formally dressed and Lyon’s worked extremely hard to maintain the dress code as expressed in this instruction issued to its staff in 1937.
If only such attention to detail was applied to the middle ground dining scene here in Australia. Whilst the casual uniform category has been reinvented by the likes of Cargo Crew there is a long way to go with regard to the service skills of those wearing the designer garb.
Stop at the squirrel
Stop at the squirrel and you’ve found the new cafe/roastery for Kiwi coffee brand, Allpress. I walked in the door on the day they opened without knowing anything about the place (no signage to give me a clue). After a sniff of the air I declared to the staff ‘there is something very Melbourne about this place’ … ‘well I’m from Melbourne’ said the girl behind La Marzocco. Turns out she had worked for Nolan Hirte at Proud Mary in Melbourne (maybe I recognised her face?). Given the quality of cool shops and creative types that reside in the Redchurch St area I’d say Allpress is on a winner here. It’s directly across the road from Aubin & Wills.
Play & stay in Shoreditch
Terence Conran’s Albion Caff and The Boundary hotel is a contemporary cornerstone on Redchurch & Boundary Streets. Part cafe, food store, bakery and all round cool spot to soak up the Shoreditch style you can find things like ginger sponges, jam fancies, mushy peas and bangers & mash on the menu … an offer that I might describe as modern Brit basics or contemporary noshtalgia (soz, couldn’t help myself). 2-4 Boundary Street Shoreditch.
Sunshine on Swan
Jazz loving foodie, Jason McLaren hyphen Jones is the man behind Snow Pony and Porgy & Mr Jones. I’m happy to report he’s done it again with Friends of Mine. The man about town has put his signature style all over this place. Comfortable and of course tres friendly, JM-J has upped the ante somewhat here and delivered a tryptic work of interior art that is part food store, casual cafe and a dining section with a white table cloth in play. I’ve had a yummy breakfast and lunch and am looking forward to the Friday night light dinner and jazz that has just been popped on the menu. An interesting crowd makes for good people watching too. Look for the sunny yellow awnings when you’re at the Burnley end of Swan Street. Friends of Mine should be a friend of yours for sure. 506 Swan Street, Richmond, Melbourne.
Hideout on High
Business took me to Northland last week. On the journey I spied Gypsy Hideout, a cafe that opened a month or two ago. Whilst I didn’t have time to test the menu something tells me the food might be good. Perhaps it was the leaf on the lemon that made me think their Yia Yia (Nonna/Granny) had picked them fresh from her tree in the front garden just that morning? Seriously I’m making that up, but you get the drift… the ingredients looked like they had flavour. A first time cafe for the friendly young crew behind the counter. I wish them well. Gypsy Hideout, 68 High St, Westgarth.
