Commissary takes its name from the canteens servicing busy film lots and the military, so you can expect a tightly run ship.
It is on the ground level of a high-rise apartment block, with parkland views; a shiny new kitchen and management team; and traffic streaming past daily.
The property is in the hands of wife-and-husband team Priscilla Milky and Jimmy Kambouris. Milky’s brother, David will be head barista and her mother, Loretta Milky, will head-up the kitchen team with Kambouris as second-chef.
Commissary will be a full-service restaurant focusing on breakfast and lunch. The menu will feature what are now “traditional Australian” brunch dishes with a couple of twists inspired by the family’s Lebanese-Greek background. For the drinks, expect an all-South Australian wine list and other local refreshments.
“If you feel like a particular dish we can whip it up for you,” says Priscilla. “We want to be adaptable.” The menu will have a balance of vegetarian and gluten-free options, but Priscilla promises it will “never forget [the] carnivores”.
The family previously operated a venue in Hyde Park but took a year away from the hectic seven-day schedule to reset and refocus. Somehow, one year turned into four (and three children) but when news broke that the Fullarton Road site was available, it felt like the right opportunity to re-enter the game.
Following the lead of other city-border cafes, such as Whistle and Flute and Devour Cafe Patisserie, Milky and Kambouris aspire to cement themselves in the daily habits of local residents and the surrounding business crowd.
The space certainly has potential. In a previous life it was the immensely successful Urban Bistro, until the business mysteriously vanished in 2012. We're excited to see what the new operators make of their auspicious location.
Commissary opens on Monday, September 12.
Commissary
160 Fullarton Road, Rose Park
(08) 7226 9147
@commissary_rp
facebook.com/Commissary
Hours:
Mon to Fri 7am–4pm
Sat & Sun 8am–3pm
