When one steps into The Edible Café, the first word that springs to mind is homely, and this is exactly the vibe Bikash Parajuli and his wife Ashma Aryal wanted when they opened their café in late 2020.
“We are originally from Sydney, where people are always in a rush, but for us, Melbourne people are calmer, they want to chat with you and hang out at a local,” says Bikash.
Relocating to Melbourne to be closer to Ashma’s family, the couple also saw the move as an opportunity to start their own business after 12 years working in hospitality.
“We realised when we came here that a lot of cafés have their own niche, but we didn’t want to focus on only one demographic,” says Bikash.
“We focus on any and all customers, and have created a place where they will always receive a high level of service and standard. It’s the kind of place where customers bring their children and they can play, and they feel very welcome.”
The Edible Café offers hearty Australian café cuisine, serving up all-day breakfast and lunch.
Favourite breakfast items include the hunger bun, double cooked pork belly benedict, bacon avodaise, fluffy hotcakes with berry compote, honeycomb and its Cheeky Frenchy consisting of cinnamon brioche with poached pears, strawberries, fairy floss, and more.
Favourite lunch offerings include the chicken burger, cheesy wagyu burger and chicken tacos.
Bikash says creating the menu was a slow process. With the café opening just two weeks before Melbourne’s second lockdown, Bikash and Ashma found it difficult to get to know and interact with the community.
“We didn’t really know the area and what demand there was. We knew we wanted our food to be based on the local customers taste and choice,” says Bikash. “Slowly we’ve managed to get to know our customers, and from there, we designed the menu off that.”
And this same customer centric approach has been applied to the coffee. The Edible Coffee uses Single O cold brew, alongside the Roast 54 house blend from Mocopan Coffee.
“When we were trialling different coffee beans, a lot of roasters were shut because of COVID-19. Kyle [Rutten, Mocopan sales representative] approached us with Mocopan and we haven’t looked back,” says Bikash.
“We even got our customers to try the beans, and they liked it because it’s a traditional, smooth coffee that’s not overpowering. Some of our customers drink at least two coffees when they’re sitting and chatting with friends. It’s a perfect homely drink.”
Mocopan Coffee’s support has gone beyond supplying the Edible Café with coffee, also providing the café with a new Victoria Arduino Eagle One espresso machine.
Featuring Victoria Arduino’s Thermal Energy Recovery System, the Eagle One utilises less energy resulting in lower operational costs and environmental impact.
With Melbourne emerging from lockdown, Bikash has plans to continue to expand and support the customers he caters for.
“I want to open more cafés across Melbourne and eventually, I want to open more stores in Sydney because to me, Sydney is still like a second home. It feels like a full circle to return to where I started,” Bikash says.
The Edible Café
G3, 10-14 Hope Street, Brunswick, Victoria 3056
Open Monday to Friday 6am to 2pm, Saturday to Sunday 8am to 2pm
(03) 8388 7804
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This article appears in the August 2021 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
