Visiting Holi Crop, a tiny cafe-bakery down a suburban alleyway, is like sitting inside a hand-rendered cloud decorated with glowing glass lights, hand-hewn wood-grained tables and trays of house-made lamingtons, oven-warm croissants and glistening pecan pie within easy reach. 

There is a soft, matte undulation across the white walls, ledges and banquette edges that makes you want to run a hand over them. Staff, smiling, calm to a fault and entirely dressed in soft, off-white clothing compound the feeling we have all entered a soothing retreat in the heart of Turramurra luckily serving extremely good and strong coffee.

Owned and run by Himi Makhija, who is from northern India, Holi Crop is named after the ancient Hindu festival Holi, also known as the festival of colours, held in March to celebrate spring, positivity, new beginnings and the coming harvest or crops.

Makhija's aim for the cafe is to merge sustainability, local produce, an environmental focus, a sense of living and eating consciously and welcoming the local community. It's also something of a secret nook, tucked in behind a TAB in a narrow passageway.

"I always wanted something that was almost hidden," Makhija says. "It's quiet, people can talk to each other and it's away from the hustle and bustle of the main street. It's also got that feeling of Melbourne, in Turramurra."

Most takeaway coffee customers are known by name and, even in the fever-pitch of mid-morning breakfasters, school-run customers and flitting commuters pausing before the train station, Makhija and staff are unruffled and swift.

If you have more time, start things off with house-baked bread, served with with macadamia turmeric butter as an option, forest mushroom and egg rolls, Ras Malai porridge or a sought-after "chainola", or chai-spiced granola.

The latter, created by Makhija using a secret blend of 14 spices, is sweet, sparky orbs of crunch served with fruit and vanilla whipped Coyo. It's also for sale in packets and jars, and chainola-lovers can return their jar for an environmentally conscious re-fill.

The porridge, inspired by classic Indian dessert Ras Malai, is a petal-speckled bowl of creamy spiced joy. Makhija's recipe includes steel-cut oats, pistachio and toasted fennel, saffron and cardamon served with poached fruit and organic maple syrup.

Coffee comes from sustainable roaster Five Senses, tea from the Organic Tea Project and cold pressed juices from Hrvst St. A fragrant house-made chai, its spice-mix whipped up by Makhija, is served in beautiful tea-pots made by potter David Collins in Woodhill near Berry.

Lunch ranges from eggplant shakshuka, topped with a soft-cooked egg, to mango tacos served with kraut, sweet potato chipotle and jalapeno, the Holi Bowl's blend of marinated tofu, sweet potato, masala and house pickles, and a pungent kimchi and cheese toast. 

The tiny open kitchen means we can observe how fresh and carefully built everything is, including, if you're early enough, clock face-sized dark chocolate sea-salt biscuits topped with pretzels, macadamia nut and Mac root biscuits and mind-blowing cake inset with fat orange slices. 

The queue for Holi Crop starts building at 5.55am, a line of faces who began coming for food and coffee in June 2021 and remained, even as the cafe dealt with lockdown and a pivot to takeaway for six months. Today the tables are packed and the line outside for coffee via a takeaway window chatting convivially.

They leave with jars of house-made chilli paste, hot sauce, kimchi, kraut and zucchini.

"The last three are so good for the gut," Makhija says.

He attributes much of Holi Crop's popularity to collaboration including his staff, sister, Sunaina Makhija, who helped with its design, his mother Mamta Makhija, who influenced the recipes, and his wife, Monika Stan.

"We all work together," he says. "Our staff are always quite humble, our bakers and cooks help to create every idea and we love all the people who come in.

"It is hard work. But it is really all that I have always dreamed of."

The low-down

Holi Crop

Vibe Tiny Indian-influenced cafe-bakery filled with spices and positivity

Go-to dish Ras Malai porridge with poached fruit, toasted fennel, saffron and cardamon