St Ali North

04. Dec, 2012

Three cheers Northerners, we have St Ali! Freshly opened this week, the coffee powerhouse has set up shop in East Brunswick.

Tucked directly behind the Velo bike shop on the Park St bicycle path sits the brightly industrial and large St Ali North. Owners Salvatore Malatesta and Jesse Garner sit perched up on high stools, tasting the new menu and looking out over operations like proud dads.

If you can believe that just days ago the business was robbed of two very expensive coffee machines, you wouldn’t know it on their beaming faces. Despite that fact that Sal, Jesse and staff are gutted, the show went on and they opened up their doors on Monday this week.

Similar to its southern sister, St Ali North has no signage and branding and Sal says that 85% of the menu remains the same, there’s also other group favourites – ‘My Mexican Cousin’ sweet corn fritters.

There a few dishes that are being tested out here that will hit south soon but after asking for recommendations the heirloom tomato salad ($19.50) was a clear staff favourite. Fat and firm tomatoes with some super crispy slices surrounding an enormous burrata, oozing with its tell-tale creamy centre. Sprinkled over the dish is olive oil ‘dust’ – I swear it was warm but that could have just been my grateful taste buds.

If you are after a sugary hit, there’s an array of house pastries and cakes by the counter – lamingtons with toasted coconut and blackberry jam look top notch.

St Ali North is open 365 days a year (you’re going to want coffee on Christmas day) and due to its location, has a nifty cycle-up-to window serving coffee from 6am.

Given the buildings history in the snail mail business, an annual subscription to St Ali North will give you access to one of the old post boxes where you can pick up a supply of St Ali coffee. Ingenious.

If you have any information on the theft of the Synesso Hydro coffee machines, please call St Ali or crime stoppers 1800 333 000

ST ALI NORTH
Open daily (coffee 6am – 6pm, food 7am – 5pm)
Cnr Park and Nicholson Sts, Brunswick East