The Jolly Miller crew, known for their super shakes, have opened a cafe on Mount Alexander Road in Essendon.
“We simply couldn’t say no to a location like Essendon,” said co-owner and operator, Rimon Barbar.
“And once we saw the building and the crowd, we knew the direction we should take – it’s hipper, more minimalist and all about using fresh, local ingredients where we can.
“It’s where we’re headed now; it’s nice to know your local really is local and cares about you.”
The new Essendon menu includes breakfast options such as the avocado crush with organic quinoa and corn salsa; the honey saffron rice pudding with crushed nuts and cinnamon sugar; and the breakfast rag with chorizo and goats cheese.
The lunch menu offers options like pork sliders in a brioche bun, served with apple, Spanish onion and cabbage slaw; the king prawn salad served with pancetta blue cheese and pear; and pork dumplings in an aromatic broth.
Although the caf falls under the Jolly Miller banner, each location strives to create their own flavour and atmosphere to best serve their community.
“We don’t operate like your run-of-the-mill franchise caf chain,” said co-owner and operator, Simon Barbar.
“We like to tailor each of our openings to the community we’re moving into, it’s really important to us as a family-run business to pay attention to the little things,”
“It can be as simple as tweaking the menu to use local produce or as complicated as changing the whole look of the caf to fit in with the existing aesthetic of the street.”
An exclusive custom roasted coffee blend and Belgian hot chocolate are featured across all the cafes.
The Jolly Miller Cafe Essendon is open Monday to Friday 6am–5pm and Saturday and Sunday 7am–5pm.
