Cherry & Twigs

As a student Rhesa Limansyah drank an awful lot of coffee. In fact, he developed such a taste that after one year working in an architecture firm he quit his job and became a barista.

Two years on and this young entrepreneur has opened his own CBD cafe — Cherry & Twigs — taking credit for both the interior design and the brew. For someone who’s new to the industry Rhesa makes an excellent cup. Perhaps it’s his pedigree – Rhesa trained at Canterbury’s Mailing Room Cafe before branching out on his own.

An Asian-influenced menu deviates from the standard baked eggs or corn-fritters offered elsewhere. Try the vibrant green avocado breakfast pudding with honey and granola ($8), or the slow cooked pork belly with star anise, ginger sauce, mashed potato and steamed veg ($15). Even if you’re not hungry, venture down to the Spencer Street badlands just to sample the coffee. It’s definitely worth the trip.

Look out for the tree motif that hints at Cherry and Twig’s origins.

“Our name comes from the coffee cherry which grows better underneath a bigger tree as support,” says Rhesa. “So for us, Mailing Room is the tree, and we are the cherry.”

CHERRY & TWIGS
1B/555 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
9614 7096
Open breakfast and lunch, 7 days
facebook.com/cherryandtwigs