There’s often a line curling around the corner of Elgin and Drummond streets in Carlton, but it’s been quiet since Ima Project announced its move to Brunswick. That’s about to change. Heartattack and Vine duo Matt Roberts and Nathen Doyle, and first-time owner Ishella Butler, have filled the spot left by the cult-favourite Japanese cafe, turning it into a cafe, wine shop, deli and general store called Sunhands.

Come for all-day small plates by head chef Pat Drapac (ex-Bar Romantica, Old Palm Liquor), such as the morning plate with a soft boiled egg, a slice of Akimbo sourdough, a cheese, a protein and a daily selection of vegetables and ferments. “Everything that comes out on that plate has been sourced and provided by someone within the radius of Melbourne,” says Butler. Or settle in for the inner-child-nourishing dippy eggs, elegantly throned in a chic egg cup by NSW ceramicist Kelly Greenhalgh.

Sunhands serves plates into the evening. “It's designed for afternoon drinks and aperitivo hour. Have a snack and beautiful wine,” says Butler. There are eight tables along the Drummond Street footpath where patrons will, council permitting, be able to sit and discover a local drop – best sipped in the company of a pup. “We have a little dog bowl already waiting.”

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Being on a busy street corner, convenience is key. “We want this place to be like a meeting ground for everyone. A space you can come in and you can grab a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, a bunch of flowers and head to a dinner party,” says Butler. A range of Victorian wines – including Doyle’s own Upside Wine – will be on pour and available for purchase, alongside other small-scale interstate drops and loose-bunch flowers.

The walls are decidedly bare, “to showcase the makers and producers that are brought in”, such as the custom stained-glass artworks by lead-lighting artist Poppy Templeton (aka @duckragu). The white walls are balanced by an earthy fit-out, with stained timber and sand-toned tiles reflecting the team’s from-the-soil ethos in its menu and wares.

Sunhands
169 Elgin St, Carlton

Hours:
Tue, Wed & Sun 10am–6pm
Thur to Sat 10am–9pm

@sunhands.sunhands