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MELBOURNE| Project 281 is a new cafe and coffee roastery located just off Sydney Road in Brunswick. It’s certainly not a new concept for the area, but owners Sarge Michael and Connell McGrath, who used to own The Glass Den in Coburg, have done a few things to stand out from the crowd.
The space, a former printing warehouse, has been designed by architects Splinter Society, the same people who did Howler nearby, and their influence is apparent throughout. It’s a large, open 97 seat space with lots of concrete, metalwork and greenery. It’s natural, industrial, and it works. To the left is the coffee station and kitchen, and to the back the roasting equipment, which is in full view for customers to see. Above the roasting area, on the mezzanine level, is a 50sqm herb garden which of course the kitchen makes full use of.
Anne Cooper (ex Proud Mary, Axil Coffee) heads up the roasting using a 12-kilogram Probat roaster and beans are sourced from a female-run farm in South America. The combination of Copper’s experience, great equipment, and fantastic beans means that the coffee being roasted here (under the Founder Coffee Co banner) is very good. There’s a pared back selection of filter and espresso based coffee drinks available, along with hot chocolate, ‘alternative’ lattes, tea smoothies and juices.
So far so good, but it’s when you get to the food menu that things really get interesting. The menu at Project 281 is very much “Melbourne cafe circa 2018”, but with Japanese and Korean influences throughout. Instead of the usual eggs Benedict you’ll see Korokke Benedict which features smokey brisket, Korroke hollandaise, charred pepper, goats cheese, tonkatsu, pickles and garden herbs. Instead of pancakes you’ll find the delicious Japanese Taiyaki – sweet Japanese fish-shaped pancakes filled with maple nashi pear custard, berries, “brandy coral” and vanilla ice-cream.
Sides are equally Japanese and Korean inspired as is the delicious Bulgogi burger, and for those wanting something more familiar, you can always get sourdough topped with things like avocado, bacon, tomatoes, and a side of fries or sweet potato chips.
There’s a lot of same-same in Melbourne’s breakfast scene, and it’s always nice to see someone buck the trend and do something a bit different. At Project 281, there’s a good balance of familiar and new, making it one of our favourite new breakfast and brunch openings of 2018.
Project 281
281 Albert Street
Brunswick
Victoria 3056
Australia
Telephone: n/a
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 7:00am to 4:00pm