i have been wanting to try the hardware societe in melbourne cbd for some time now. has she mis-spelt the title of her article you ask? not at all! you see, silo by joost sits right across from the afore-mentioned popular cafe, and on a sunday where i was not feeling that great and was definitely not prepared to wait two hours for breakfast, let alone a coffee, my husband + i ducked into this cute little cafe right across the laneway.

i am always dubious of spontaneous breakfast decisions, but this particular sunday was pleasantly surprised and delighted. the coffee was divine: creamy, well-rounded taste and the perfect temperature. the atmosphere was cosy: a single pallet bench seat for 8-10 that sits directly next to the galley kitchen with a couple of seats at the front. the menu: simple, healthy, fresh and tasty including the breakfast smoothie served in a jar, home-baked fruit toast … and of course, more coffee.

home-made granola served with seasonal fruits, nuts + labneh

later on, i loved this cafe even more after doing some research online and realised that the impressive fully-recyclable pop-up restaurant that turned up outside my work last year for the food and wine festival and silo by joost were the mind of the one and the same. according to the website, “dutch-born joost (pronounced “yoast”) bakker is a discipline-crossing creative and visionary. a fifth-generation tulip farmer, he has created celebrated installations that fuse nature with a raw, industrial sensibility, encouraging discussion about sustainable design practices in the process.” i’m sold.

verdict: perfect for the sustainability-conscious
find: www.byjoost.com/silo