It’s hard to imagine a hospitality journey that starts with milk crates on the lawn and leads to one of the most refined and chic cafe spaces in all of Canberra. Yet, that’s exactly what Canberra hospitality group Redbrick has managed to do.
The humble milk crate beginnings kicked off in 2011 in Curtin where the red brick walls of the cafe became the namesake of the business. In thirteen short years, with one very big pandemic in the middle, Redbrick now has three venues across Canberra including their roastery in Fyshwick where they source, roast and cup their famous brews.
ARC, Redbricks’ most recent cafe opened in 2021 and shares a building with the hotel A by Adina in Canberra’s city centre. It’s their first venue with a full kitchen and table service, marking a transition from coffee specialist to cafe powerhouse.
The sleek design is as far away from milk crates as one can get. Entering the cafe you pass by what almost feels like an art-installation featuring a two-story wall of hardwood posts that separates the cafe from the building’s lobby. You’re then embraced by a palette of warm reds, burgundy and pinks, reminiscent of that original red brick wall in Curtain.
“We are lovers of design, and creating aesthetically appealing spaces is one of our favourite parts of the job. We worked closely with architects Capezio Copeland, who helped this vision come to light. Tom Skeehan and Skeehan Studio, custom built all of the furniture. The result is a space with curved surfaces, marbled floors, a huge terrazzo bar with a custom white La Marzocco KB90 as the centerpiece, and a cloud-like floral arrangement hanging from the ceiling by local florist Wiluna. To this day, we remain in awe of the space we collectively created with some very talented people.” says Stella Homan from the Redbrick team.
Arc prides itself on classic cafe dishes that are refined but still approachable. This can be seen across the whole menu where classic dishes like eggs benedict are taken to a whole new level with additions such as miso hollandaise and crispy potato.
“Chefs Aaron and Ange are the main creative forces for the menu design, with the whole ARC team having their influence. There’s nothing more exciting than doing a menu tasting with the team, it’s always a very collaborative process and highlights the strengths of ARC’s kitchen and broader team.” Stella says.
The Avo on Toast, which uses Three Mills Bakery sourdough, exemplifies this approachable yet refined food philosophy. Layered with a housemade umami jam that can be likened to caramelised onion, a generous helping of smashed avo, pillow-like dollops of tart and tasty whipped cream cheese and Ainslie Urban Farm microgreens, this certainly isn’t your average avo on toast. With the addition of a poached egg or cured salmon or both, you’ve got a showstopper brekky that will have you coming back again and again.
ARC is open Monday to Friday 7am until 3pm and Saturdays and Sundays 8am to 2pm.
