‘Like something out of Willy Wonka’: Revamped coffee house adds unique feature
A Merlo coffee roasting house has undergone a major makeover and emerged with an 80-seat in-house cafe with a feature that has to be seen to be believed.
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A long metal and glass tube snakes around the ceiling like something out of Willy Wonka. But inside is not a river of chocolate or cocoa beans, but coffee beans, being channelled from a 360kg roaster directly into the espresso machines in the centre of the cafe.
We’re at Merlo’s roastery and cafe in Bowen Hills, in Brisbane’s inner north, which has recently undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation, transforming it from a humble shed to a slick and contemporary torrefazione (Italian for roasting house).
Previously predominantly a production facility with just a small cafe window attached, the structure has been rebuilt, now boasting a chic, industrial 80-seater cafe bordered by windows allowing views into the surrounding warehouse so patrons can sip their daily brew while watching it being produced. The automated bean shoot on the ceiling is part diner entertainment, part practicality, ensuring the cafe never runs out of roasted beans and that only the freshest coffee is served.
Also part of the aesthetics is the front counter, loaded with all manner of roasted beans including blends, decaf and single origins from Costa Rica and Nicaragua to Kenya and Colombia that can be bought in 200g, 400g, 500g or 1kg packs. Meanwhile, the cafe’s house pour is its “Private” blend – an arabica mix sourced from three continents, delivering a brew with classic chocolate and hazelnut notes and a sweet finish. As you would expect, the cafe offers a multitude of coffee styles, from classic short and long blacks to batch brew, cold drip and even an affogato. There’s a vanilla sweet cream cold brew available too, plus milkshakes, frappes, cold press juices and smoothies.
Just beware of consistency issues with the smoothies. We order two of the honey mango versions ($8.50 each) roughly 20 minutes apart, with the first arriving with thick drizzles of honey clinging to the inside of the glass and chunky pieces of mango throughout, while the second has no visible sign of honey and the mango completely blended through. When we question if we’ve been given the correct drink, the staff member kindly has it remade, but the difference between the two is chalk and cheese.
As for the food, it leans heavily into the Merlo family’s Italian heritage boasting classics like gnocchi with napoli sauce and lasagne, alongside Aussie favourites including smashed avo, caramelised banana on French toast and three different burgers.
The eggs puttanesca ($18.90) is described as the house specialty, with two just-set eggs suspended in a thick tomato and capsicum sauce pepped up by an addictive level of chilli, ready to be scooped on to the accompanying trio of buttered sourdough toast. It’s simple and delicious.
Also simple is the haloumi and chargrilled corn salad ($18.50), with the corn cut like ribs off the cob and gently blackened, while the haloumi is fiercely tanned yet still flaccid. The accompanying chorizo has barely kissed the pan and is a very mild version of the usually paprika-heavy, Iberian Peninsula sausage offset by mixed leaves, roasted capsicum and wafer-thin rounds of radish – a salad for the carnivore.
The place is bustling mid-Sunday morning, with staff seeming to struggle to keep up with demand, though food is relatively quick to hit the table amid the minor chaos. It appears that the makeover of Merlo’s production hub into its glossy, light-filled torrefazione has been worth the investment, with diners clearly keen to check out the new look – and with good reason.
MERLO TORREFAZIONE
10 Thompson St, Bowen Hills
3620 4202
Verdict
Food 4
Service 3
Ambience 4
Value 4
Overall 4
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