Looking for the latest release of Muay Thai Mayhem? Sorry, you'll now have to go elsewhere for your Thai video needs. Siam Thai Video, squirrelled into the side of Footscray Market, has become Guerilla Espresso - aka your new best friend.
Jag, formerly of West 48, has teamed up with mate Evan to open this sorely-needed spot right in the heart of the 'scray.
In terms of sustenance, there are simple, yummy toasted sarnies with your choice of cheese (think pecorino or gruyere) and meat (prosciutto, sopressa) - trust me and spring for the house-pickled onions. Or go a couple of Dr Marty's Crumpets (handmade crumpets with organic flour) or cakes by Nana Kath of The Premises.
Need a vitamin boost? Try the homemade soup or a cold-pressed juice. Produce and deli goods come from the market neighbours right next door.
I've been going to Footscray Market for years and this is JUST what the doctor ordered. And never fear - your Thai video habit can still be fulfilled at Nathan Thai Video around the corner. Just grab a coffee from Guerilla on the way!
Guerilla Espresso (Facebook)
Footscray Market (Irving Street side), opposite the former station carpark
From 6 am
YES!!!! FINALLY!!! Sorry for shouting but I am SO EXCITED!!!
ReplyDeleteTHAT IS OK!!!!!!! OMG OMG!!!!!!!!
DeleteI took a few photos of breakfast this morning - https://plus.google.com/u/0/102923081655474429478/posts/G7wsnyhCAF7
ReplyDeleteThe muesli is cacao nibs, goji berries and coconut (and maybe something else too, I forget) - the other choice was a quinoa + coconut one - but chocolate-flavoured muesli was terrific. Couldn't go past the crumpets either, sooo gooooood.
Now it's lunchtime I'm quite jealous of your toastie in the photo, will have to go back another day to try the toasties, and the soup, and the juice and the cakes and things in the little tiny cabinet of sweets :) So glad to have another convenient journey-to-work option (whether I cycle or bus + train it's not far out of the way)
The crumpets are top of my list for next time! I have been wanting to try these Dr Marty's ones for ages. Crumpets were a big part of my childhood but until now the only ones you could get were at the supermarket and are full of preservatives and junk.
DeleteJag gave me a little taste of that muesli - how good is it! I think it is buckwheat?
Call me crazy, but I don't really understand the desperation for/thrill at a new espresso outlet in Footscray. Melbourne is lousy with coffee: you all already know this. And there is loads of coffee in Footscray - Scarlet Corner is just a few doors up from this new joint, for example. Is it that we don't feel like we've 'made it' in Footscray til we have a northern-suburbs-style cafe? Or is it that this coffee is actually loads better than any coffee I was drinking in Footscray already and my tastebuds are just horribly underdeveloped? (This is quite possible). Or am I just tired and need a lie down (or a good coffee)?
ReplyDeleteIt's not a matter of Footscray emulating aspects of the north - it's more like bringing a new option to the precinct. Sometimes all I want is a nice coffee and a bite to eat. At the moment, if I want to quickly grab something while walking home, it's either Subway or a donut (I don't eat Subway - and I really don't want to get tired of those amazing donuts). I haven't been to Scarlet Corner but this may be because it's out of my way when walking home. No need to get haughty about it! Some of us think Melbourne coffee is fine and consider this a welcome addition to the area.
DeleteThe other good aspect of this is that it's adding a lot of passive surveillance from the seating area and the pedestrian traffic it will generate so from an urban design standpoint, it's actually quite beneficial :)
Hey babycat, didn't mean to come across haughty, am genuinely curious!
DeleteHi Jane and babycat,
DeleteThanks for your interesting and thought-provoking comments. For me, the coffee is genuinely better. I am not going to argue this point as I have realised it is complete folly :-) - coffee is VERY personal and ergo highly subjective. I have had people say Cafe X's coffee is "dishwater", right as I am swooning under the table because it's so good. So I challenge everyone to do a taste test and make up their own mind!
I am delighted Guerilla are using Proud Mary as well as Allpress, as I love the ethics and the passion behind boutique roasters like Proud Mary, Seven Seeds et al. I have been lucky enough to attend a few workshops put on by roasters like Small Batch, St Ali and Market Lane for Cafe Guide writers over the years. What goes on behind the scenes in terms of sourcing the beans, roasting them etc is quite humbling. I won't go into it here but do some research and you will see. I think the fact that you can get a Seven Seeds brew at, say, Common Galaxia FOR THE SAME PRICE as a bog-standard, enormous-batch, corporate Genovese coffee elsewhere is quite mind blowing and to me, it's a no-brainer as to where I want my $3.50 to go.
The other reason I am excited about Guerilla comes down to design and "feel". To me, a cafe is more than just a cup of coffee and whether that cup it's good or not. The cafe I spend most time at is Common Galaxia in Seddon. Yes, their coffee is stunning but I think most of all I love the design. It's so uncluttered and "clean"... I love the angular knife-and-fork caddies on the tables, the terranium like a little lost world in miniature, the honey in the test tubes.
Likewise, there is a "feel" about Guerilla I really love. It's tiny but it's not poky... I love the happy, gently curving stripy bench, the old-school press-in letter board, the special boxes on the wall with little "zen" succulent and the big, space-age yet somehow classic manual La Marzocco. I don't know if it's a real saying in Japan, but it is often said that "the Japanese eat with their eyes" (referring of course to beautifully-constructed bento boxes etc). I'll judge any coffee, any dish anywhere on its merits alone but I do also like to eat and drink with my eyes as much as my mouth.
And Babycat - one word - BANH MI !!!!!! If you don't want to divert up to Nhu Lan on Hopkins, I know plenty of folks who rate the specimens at Sunny Nguyen Bakery behind the bus stop. And I know it doesn't look like much from outside, but Saudagar on Irving (next to the carpark entrance) have awesome Indian sweets.
Lauren and Babycat, I was thinking about this last night and I realised that I felt EXACTLY the same way when the Reverence opened. Yes, you can get a beer in plenty of places in Footscray. And yes, Melbourne - Seddon, even - had loads of places you can get a craft beer in a hipster pub. But the Reverence meant I could get a craft beer in a hipster pub right near my house. Hurrah! So I guess I should either stop worrying about Footscray getting too hipsterfied, or stop enjoying the Reverence. I think I'll stop worrying. Here's to Guerilla Espresso!
DeletePS. I have to second the vote for Banh Mi and for Indian sweets. And there's always that crazy Korean bakery selling pre-packaged treats on Paisley just up from Leeds St...
PPS. And of course you're right about the ethics of the coffee being very important.
Yay! I was wondering what Jag was doing. I'll have to check it out. :)
ReplyDeleteI know. I am so happy there is a happy ending. He is a lovely human being!
DeleteStrawberries are the angels of the earth, innocent and sweet with green leafy wings reaching heavenward. Sinley
ReplyDeleteI know you are a spammer and will never read this, but that is just such a lovely thought that you get to be the first-ever spammer who has finally gotten a spot in the comments!
DeleteHahhahaha.... Lauren you crack me up, hahhha.
DeleteStrawberries! It's a nice change from the spam i usually cop!!
Yep, me too! The other ones that crack me up are the ones that go, "Do you have a spam problem on this blog? Blah blah..."
DeleteDefinitely some great spam, one of the best I have seen too.
ReplyDeleteAlso, your Nathan Thai link isn't working, happy for you to use mine!
http://krapow.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/miang-in-north-melbourne.html
She was a nice lady at Siam Thai, I think she moved interstate.
I'm sure the Guerilla guys will be popular but It will always be cafe sua da for me!
Done, thanks Andy! Love it. Hey, where do you think is the best cafe sua da in Footscray? I used to like Pho Tam but they have stopped making it at your table. Vy Coffee (aka the sugarcane juice place) do a good one.
DeleteAwesome post and great comments too from the readers!!!
ReplyDeleteGo Footscray!
Ditto!
DeleteYay!!!
ReplyDeleteVery exciting! I was starting to think there was some truth to the theory that Council didn't permit 'cool stuff' within the Footscray CBD. (The new Plough has just slipped in as well!)
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion too. So many of us love Footscray just how it is, well those who read this blog at least. But we'd quite like a little bit of trendiness occasionally too - without crossing the train tracks or Geelong Rd.
Yep. Plus I love that it's trendy but I can go in in my trackies and no one will care!
DeleteJag!!! cant wait to come in and see you, your a gem! Thanks for having faith in Footscray. xx
ReplyDeleteKeeli
I think he and Evan are super smart! Now we just need a bar.
DeleteHad a great coffee here this morning. Fantastic addition to Footscray and love the location - I will be visiting regularly.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Looking forward to trying Guerrilla soon.
ReplyDeleteSo I finally went on the weekend and OH MY GOD THEIR COFFEE IS SO GOOD! i humbly retract all my earlier whinging...
ReplyDeleteI don't think you were whinging janebryonyrawson! I've only just discovered Footscray (and this blog) and found your comments, and those in response, really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree; I found the whole exchange challenging and interesting. Quite a few people have since said to me in person how much they enjoyed reading all the thoughts involved!
Delete