As the hospitality industry prepares to open its doors, Prior Thornbury in Victoria is welcoming the chance to reconnect with its neighbourhood.
Much to the delight of Thornbury locals, Prior Thornbury has reopened its doors for dine-in customers, welcoming them into a beautiful space and serving up a “mouth-watering menu to match”.
Designed by Gilad Ritz and Jean-Paul Ghougassian of Melbourne-based architecture studio Ritz & Ghougassian, Prior has been fashioned to ensure it is both alluring and welcoming at the same time.
With the ethos of a neighbourhood café at its core, this was a pivotal element of the design brief, to create a space that makes customers feel welcome and at home.
Combining natural materials with a warm colour palette, the Thornbury café emulates its neighbourhood’s fresh and on-trend feel.
“I’ve always loved the process of bringing a vision to life and developing Prior was no different. I knew from the start that Prior needed to be more than just your run-of-the-mill café,” says owner Ahmed Mekawy.
“It needed to provide customers with a unique experience and an atmosphere that people would remember for every detail; from the food and service, to the design, fragrance, and even the feeling.”
On the bar, Prior runs the Roosevelt Blend from Inglewood Coffee Roasters as its house coffee.
Focusing on the journey of fresh ingredients from harvest to plate, the team has worked with executive chef Nick Korceba to develop a food menu that celebrates modern Australian cuisine with their own special twist.
From indulgent dishes such as the Salted Chocolate Crumpets with chocolate custard, freezer dried berries, and manuka honey flakes with peanut crumble and chocolate dirt, to more traditional fares like the Steak Sandwich filled with chargrilled steak, horseradish and beetroot relish, swiss cheese, mustard greens, shaved target beetroots and powder, the menu is as welcoming and inclusive as the café itself.
“I’m thrilled to once again be opening the doors and welcoming dine-in customers. We’re really excited to connect with the community again and hope that we can offer them not just high-quality coffee and food, but a sense of homecoming as well,” Ahmed says.
Before opening his first venue at 22 years old, Ahmed spent his teenage years hopping between cafés, restaurants, and pizzerias to earn money and gain experience in the hospitality industry, before settling in the building industry where he caught the bug for bringing a vision to life.
Prior Thornbury is open seven day from 7am to 4pm.
For more information, visit www.priorthornbury.com.au