Within three years of diving into his first coffee shop “on a whim”, Jarrad Sharrock is now the owner of two new cafes and arguably the state’s most exciting roastery.
After opening a second shop in the foyer of Chesser House earlier this year Sharrock turned his attention to relocating Monday’s flagship store on Gawler Place. Regulars should have no issues finding the new site: it’s right next door to the original.
The building’s owner approached Sharrock about making the move, explaining plans to
combine the original Mondays space and the one adjacent to create one larger site for a new tenant. Sharrock agreed to shuffle over, quietly relishing the chance to start afresh.
“We took the opportunity to recreate Monday’s,” says Sharrock. “To improve on the old and fix mistakes I made as a very green 23-year-old business owner three years ago.”
He admits the original Monday’s was never the shop he wanted, really. The interior was mainly hand-built by Sharrock and, like most DIY jobs, there were always aspects he wanted to tweak – even if they were visible only to him. He describes the new store as more Monday’s: “More food, more coffee. More the kind of experience I wanted people to have.”
Sharrock says the Chesser House store is “like a small bar, but with coffee. Somewhere you spend 5–10 minutes having a good chat.” His aspiration for Gawler Place is to craft a space where people can stay for a couple of hours.
The footprint is identical to the original shop, but Sharrock has smartly designed it to accommodate 27 seats, increasing capacity by nine. It doesn’t feel squishy or cramped – quite the opposite. Black benchtops edged in timber (one of Sharrock’s ideas that never quite made it into the original Monday’s), an open bar-kitchen and potted greenery give a contemporary, welcoming feel. The floor-to-ceiling glass entrance provides a sense of al fresco, without the noise and distractions of sidewalk dining.
Designing the shop was a joint project for Sharrock and cabinetmaker Taku Kamikawa, who also worked together on the Grenfell Street fit-out.
Though there’s no new cooking equipment, the menu is also expanding. “We’ve been smart with how we cook,” Sharrock says. Customers can expect a handful of new dishes – including a “pulled mushroom” cubano with applewood-smoked oyster mushrooms, mozzarella, cheddar and pickled red onions – and the same great coffee.
Monday’s Coffee Store
6/38 Gawler Place Adelaide
Hours:
Mon to Fri 7am–4.30pm
Sat 8am-3pm
Sun closed
