Billy Kart Kitchen

Celebrity Chef Ben O’Donoghue has worked in dozens of top Australian restaurants. But after years of cooking in fine dining establishments, he and his wife Dee wanted a seachange. “The idea of operating a café together with three kids at school seemed like a great idea. We thought it would provide a perfect work balance,” says Dee. “It’s been challenging but it’s very rewarding.”

Dee and Ben bought an old corner store in Annerley, Queensland and opened their café in October 2014. “We wanted to create a traditional local cornerstore feel with a relaxed atmosphere, but quality in both our food and coffee,” says Dee.

She says the venue’s design creates a nostalgic ambiance with cool dark colours and modern colour pops, which are sympathetic to the corner store’s origins. The name of the venue is inspired from a conversation Dee had with a local resident. “She told me that post-war local kids would ride billy carts through the streets. We thought it was an appropriate name that tied into our community-driven café,” she says.

Billy Kart Kitchen serves Campos Coffee’s Superior blend on a turquoise La Marzocco machine. “It’s a complex, rich, and sweet blend with up-front stone fruit notes and a brulée caramel finish,” says Dee. “At first people started coming in for the food because they knew Ben and we were swamped with customers. Now we’re getting just as much interest for our coffee.”

Ben has used Campos Coffee at his restaurants before, and had no hesitation in partnering with them again. “Campos Coffee is so supportive of new businesses. They supplied us with our beautiful machine and providing training so we’d have consistency across the board,” says Dee. “We love the story behind Campos too, and their business ethos really fits with our core business values.” 

Billy Kart Kitchen serves Ben’s casual yet sophisticated menu for breakfast, lunch, and Friday night dinners. Over the weekends the kitchen staff churn out more than 300 meals a day, with breakfast being their most popular meal. Favourite brekkie items include crispy corn fitters, the Aussie Asian breakfast with duck egg, and the pulled Berkshire pork shoulder sandwich for lunch. “We want to highlight simplistic food done really well,” says Dee.

San Antonio’s

San Antonio’s Pizzeria Manager John Navarro has been perfecting the art of coffee making and pizza tossing for the past six years. John says there’s no better combination than enjoying one of their gourmet house-made pizzas with a Mocopan Coffee.

“Our customers get the best of both worlds,” says John. “I love coffee and I want to show our customers why I’m one of the best baristas in the area. For me, one of the best parts of the job is getting to kick start people’s day with a delicious coffee.”
San Antonio’s serves Mocopan Coffee’s Pasquale blend with beans from India, Colombia, and Papua New Guinea. This award-winning blend is great for black and milk-based coffees. It has a rich crema, full-bodied flavour, chocolate and caramel notes, and a sweet spicy aroma.

In the summer months, San Antonio’s offers iced coffee with homemade vanilla ice cream, and a single shot of Mocopan Coffee’s Pasquale blend.

“When we first met the Mocopan team they assisted us with the necessary equipment and skills to get started. They also take pride in helping us understand how to clean and operate our machinery.  Most importantly, our customers love their fresh coffee,” says John.

San Antonio’s is located next to a large sporting oval and is frequented by baseball spectators and caffeine-craving drivers off the main road. “We do lots of take away orders, not only for our pizza, but sometimes people ring us up for a coffee order,” says John.
Unlike other businesses in the area, San Antonio’s stays open until midnight each night, providing the perfect late-night feast. A range of mouth-watering gourmet pizzas are available, including seafood, marinated lamb, chicken, and traditional pizza flavours. “Judging by the amount of customers we serve and the quantity of coffee we go though, I have a feeling we’ll be here for while yet,” says John.

San Antonio’s

San Antonio’s Pizzeria Manager John Navarro has been perfecting the art of coffee making and pizza tossing for the past six years. John says there’s no better combination than enjoying one of their gourmet house-made pizzas with a Mocopan Coffee.

“Our customers get the best of both worlds,” says John. “I love coffee and I want to show our customers why I’m one of the best baristas in the area. For me, one of the best parts of the job is getting to kick start people’s day with a delicious coffee.”

San Antonio’s serves Mocopan Coffee’s Pasquale blend with beans from India, Colombia, and Papua New Guinea. This award-winning blend is great for black and milk-based coffees. It has a rich crema, full-bodied flavour, chocolate and caramel notes, and a sweet spicy aroma.

In the summer months, San Antonio’s offers iced coffee with homemade vanilla ice cream, and a single shot of Mocopan Coffee’s Pasquale blend.

“When we first met the Mocopan team they assisted us with the necessary equipment and skills to get started. They also take pride in helping us understand how to clean and operate our machinery.  Most importantly, our customers love their fresh coffee,” says John.
San Antonio’s is located next to a large sporting oval and is frequented by baseball spectators and caffeine-craving drivers off the main road. “We do lots of take away orders, not only for our pizza, but sometimes people ring us up for a coffee order,” says John.

Unlike other businesses in the area, San Antonio’s stays open until midnight each night, providing the perfect late-night feast. A range of mouth-watering gourmet pizzas are available, including seafood, marinated lamb, chicken, and traditional pizza flavours. “Judging by the amount of customers we serve and the quantity of coffee we go though, I have a feeling we’ll be here for while yet,” says John.

December 2014 covershoot

For the December 2014 edition of BeanScene we visit Santucci’s cafe to recreate a perfect summer coffee treat – an affogato!

Sbriga Espresso Bar

When in Rome, Italians like to enjoy their espresso at a coffee bar – no fuss, just standing. When in Melbourne, CBD customers like to do the same thing.

“It’s been a 20-year vision to establish a café with my older brother. Coming from an Italian background, and Melbourne having such a strong Italian community, I wondered why there wasn’t much attention to stand-up espresso bars in the city,” says Sbriga Espresso Bar Director Mario Simeone.

On a family holiday to Rome a few years ago, Mario and his brother Severino explored the city’s famous monuments and its historical coffee culture. “This was the impetus for our coffee bar,” says Mario.

Upon their return, the brothers spent an intense six months scouting the right location and setting up their espresso bar in the west corner of Melbourne’s CBD. “The demographic is very much white-collar workers, barristers, and solicitors, however we felt the coffee and food offerings for that particular clientele was very underserviced,” says Mario. “We found a small venue that ticked all the boxes and established Sbriga as a contemporary interpretation of an Italian stand-up bar.”

The small fit-out features traditional, Italian-inspired design and contemporary features including wood-panelled walls, bamboo bench tops, bar stools, and a distinctive artichoke-shaped lampshade, designed and created by Mario, an industrial designer by trade.

“Sbriga is all about attention to detail, friendly service, and a non-intimidating approach – it’s also our approach to serving beautiful coffee,” says Mario. “The stand-up bar has been received well. It encourages engagement between customers. In the morning we have construction workers standing side by side with lawyers.”

Sbriga serves Allpress’ Supremo blend on its La Marzocco Linea three-group machine. The blend contains a combination of Brazil, Papua New Guinea, and Colombia beans. “It’s a bold, strong blend with a slightly malty, sweet chocolate flavour that’s great for milk-based and black coffees,” says Mario.

A range of alternating single origin coffees from Allpress are also available. To accompany the Italian-style coffee is a menu of sweets, savoury items and fresh salads. “Like traditional espresso bars, it’s not just about the coffee. We serve our homemade pizza, paninis, frittatas, soups, and salads. Three nights a week we also serve Aperitivo drinks and food. It’s like the café name suggests – tasty, quick and easy food. The best part about the coffee industry is the engagement we have with our customers, many of whom have become loyal friends,” says Mario.

Humblebee Coffee

When Zach Huynh was thinking of the right name for his coffee bar and roastery, he stumbled across the word Humblebee.

“Prior to WWI Charles Darwin wrote about the male Humblebee and how its pollination was dependent for the existence of foods and nuts. Even in coffee fields the Humblebee’s pollination enhances the quality of yield in Arabica beans,” says Zach. “Imagine what would happen if the male Humblebee disappeared?

As such, Zach appropriately named his business after the agricultural pollinator, and opened Humblebee Coffee in 2013. “I was a barista and owner of a successful café in Subiaco, but I wanted to get into roasting. I took some courses, including Q Grading, and practised roasting at home for three years before I finally took the plunge. Now I focus on serving quality coffee on a Giesen W1 roaster and UG 15-kilogram Probat,” says Zach.

At the time of print, Zach had received single origin micro lots from Colombia La Palma and El Tucán, Mexican Terruño Nayarita and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Wote. These coffees are used as single origins for espresso and filter options. Zach serves its Coogee House blend on a La Marzocco GB5. It currently contains beans from Brazil Sertaozinho, a red bourbon pulped-natural, and El Salvador’s Finca El Manzano Bourbon Natural processed.

“This blend is heightened by flavours including sweet bread pastry, milk chocolate and dark plum,” says Zach.

Humblebee Coffee also serves pour over with Kalita, and Aeropress. “We’re trying to push our filter coffee offerings to open people’s eyes about the different brew methods. “We’re hearing lots of positive feedback from customers,” says Zach. “I love seeing people’s reactions when they try a great coffee and say ‘I wasn’t aware coffee could taste so good.’”

The café design is inspired from Zach’s travels to micro roasters in San Francisco and Scandinavia. “I went overseas for inspiration and came back motivated to continue my coffee career,” says Zach. “What I love about the industry is that I’m continually learning. The more you get involved, the more there is to learn.”