Cafe fit for Viscount

WHAT do you do with a spare 1963 Viscount Ambassador caravan? Build a cool cafe around it, of course.

Chef Anna Higgins with DakDak owner Benjamin Cowen at the Caravan kitchen.

WHAT do you do with a spare 1963 Viscount Ambassador caravan? Build a cool cafe around it, of course.

Volkswagen enthusiast Benjamin Cowen has done just that, bringing the caravan, his love of food, his passion for vintage things and VW cars together into a new eatery.

Diners can order food cooked by Irish chef Anna Higgins in the Viscount in the middle of the cafe.

“I wanted to offer hearty breakfasts and classic burgers in a retro environment away from the usual cafe strips,” Mr Cowen said of his DakDak cafe, so called after the noise a VW Beetle engine makes.

“I deliberately chose this area.

“I like the industrial setting.

“There are a few people creating a new vibe in Moorabbin, such as 2 Brothers Brewery and Fat Bobs.”

Mr Cowen has managed restaurants before, including Half Moon in Brighton, and also has a background in prop making for TV.

“I’ve been selling and exchanging retro gear for years so I’ve pretty much just emptied my garage into this cafe,” Mr Cowen said.

Kingston councillor Steve Staikos said the new addition to the neighbourhood was “fantastic.”

“People don’t always associate Moorabbin with eateries and restaurants, but if they gave it a chance, they’d see what great things it has to offer,” Cr Staikos said.

Cr Staikos said the council was working to regenerate the area.

DakDak, on the corner Bignell and Cochranes roads, has only been open for a month but is already attracting attention.

A classic Volkswagen Kombi van out the front of the cafe.