Serious coffee comes to Vic Park with matched desserts and feature singles on rotation.
Chasing that elusive pour over experience? You can exhale (or inhale because it smells so good). Opening its doors in in April 2022, Hop Café offers an in-depth caffeine experience for those craving more than a pre-office buzz. The tiny, bright venue may be small in stature but that spells exclusivity. Serving up the caffeine are best friends April & Yvette, who met in the Perth hospitality scene and quickly became close.
Punters can expect to choose from featured roasters in single origin selections, cold brew, real pour over and the café’s own signature blend on the espresso machine. Barista April says, “Our signature roast is cocoa driven, nutty with almond and vanilla, perfect for adding milk. But we are excited to serve our house single, too, and broaden the customers’ palates to different styles. We want to showcase fruity, floral and tea notes in our rotating menu.” The first feature roaster on the board is Perth’s Micrology.
Coffee tasting for walk-ins will operate much like a wine cellar door, where customers will be able to sample the blends and singles on offer and settle in for a cup of whatever pleases them most. A combination of house-made and carefully selected gourmet sandwiches and fine art desserts will be available daily.
For those seeking a complete sensory coffee tasting ritual, a book ahead private session for around $40 per person will pair beautifully plated desserts with carefully curated coffees from boutique roasters. Ideal for groups of 4-6, the hour-long experience is a dedicated session with April and Yvette looking after tables personally.
The owners’ Taiwanese roots will be evident in the menu, with inspiration from a sweet style Taiwanese mayonnaise to crispy-shelled egg cake with a soft spongey centre. Delicately garnished with local seasonal produce, chef Yvette says the menu will be ever changing, and responsive to the flavour profile of the feature coffee on offer. There’s even a flaky pastry on the cards that will be reminiscent of the traditional Taiwanese style cooked on the walls of clay ovens.
Hop Café is a platform for local roasters to reach the Perth coffee loving community, so get ready to wake up and smell the beans.
2/366 Albany Hwy, Victoria Park
Instagram: @hopcafe.au
By Taya Reid