Rundle Mall has no shortage of quickfire coffee spots, but a more indulgent specialty coffee experience has been lacking. Later this month, that will all change when McLaren Vale roaster Dawn Patrol and friends from cafe Boy & Bloom launch their sprawling Rundle Place cafe.
When Broadsheet meets Dawn Patrol co-owner Dom Ossa on-site, there’s little more than a skeleton in place. But the cafe that’s to come – which Ossa modestly describes as a “kiosk” – is huge: 30 metres from end to end, with high steel archways and flanked by two generous seating areas. The service space is framed with basic cabinetry made from sustainably sourced Aussie spotted gum. Ossa is eagerly awaiting the installation of some seriously high-end coffee tech that will be key to delivering the Dawn Patrol prestige coffee experience in a fast-paced CBD setting.
“I’m a big believer in automation in the right places,” Ossa tells Broadsheet. “Our baristas are very highly skilled and can really talk about the coffee, and that conversation is more important than steaming milk or tamping.”
Espresso will be brewed via Modbar’s AV setup, capable of delivering every shot at the same precise weight. That’s coupled with another piece of machinery that automatically pours, heats and textures milk, which minimises waste and ensures maximum consistency, even at high volumes. For filter coffee, Ossa is eschewing the batch brew trend in favour of brewing to order, using two Marco SP9s (basically, very fancy $6000 kettles) and a variety of brewers.
Food at (the slightly confusingly named) FKA (which stands for Formerly Known As) will be prepped in Boy & Bloom’s Flinders Street kitchen and delivered daily. “This is very much a collaboration between their expertise in running hospitality venues and our work with coffee,” says Ossa. The menu is still in development but will focus on light fare designed to appeal to the lunchtime crowd.
This new venture is a full circle for Ossa and his business partner Nick Suggitt, who started their hospitality journey together at Sad Cafe 15 years ago on the then-up-and-coming Ebenezer Place. The tiny venue housed Dawn Patrol’s first roaster until it closed in 2014. Of their return to the CBD, Ossa says, “We wanted to do it in a way that keeps our integrity.” He says the owners of Rundle Place have been very supportive and have pushed them to think of the project potential to become a landmark venue.
FKA is slated to open in late April.
