We walked up the wooden stairs, from which clothing patterns hung from the ceiling. The stairs lead into a vast open room; full of wooden tables and chairs, and a little bar near the far corner with an espresso machine where a few sweet treats are on display.
We sat ourselves down by the window, looking out onto Swanston Street and across to the marvelous architecture of the GPO building.
I ordered a skinny flat white along with a chorizo, cheese and olive tapenade toasted sandwich. The skinny flat white came in a cute retro red coffee cup and saucer with a Jubilee spoon. It tasted delicious. I was really quite impressed.
Now, for those coffee snobs out there, I am no coffee aficionado, I only like what I like. Which at the end of the day, isn't that generally what most food/drink critics go by?! Oh but of course, they are well trained in the complex processes of seed to mouth, but really, we all do just 'like what we like'. Some may say that is a bit of 'food for thought', and worthy of a good old debate...for a later date perhaps.
The chorizo with cheese and olive tapenade sandwich came along shortly. The cheese had melted wonderfully and the chorizo wasn't chewy, but more like the consistency of a normal banger. It was probably a little bit too rich for me though. I could have done with half the sandwich with a bit of salad on the side instead.
Staff are wonderfully friendly here; they dress like they have come from the 1940s and are super clean and slick. This place is a gentlemen's outfitter as well. Yes, that's right. There's a barber, made-to-measure menswear, bespoke footwear and leather accessories and men's grooming products. And the best thing of all, you can relax and have a lovely coffee whilst you wait.
Captains of Industry
Lv1, 2 Somerset Place, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Tel: +61 (0)3 9612 5013
HOURS:
Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm
Sat: 10am-5pm
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