A warm and welcoming Turramurra cafe on Sydney’s Upper North Shore
Turramurra cafe, Replay Espresso, welcomes locals into a cosy haven with a warm and rustic ambiance. Says designer Micheline Li Yoo Foo of Mima Design, the compact space presented a challenge: “With just 40sqm to play with, we ripped the guts out of the space, replaced the decaying roof, introduced a long bi-fold window and small serve-out window, created a feature barista’s coffee bench, and crammed in as many seats and tables as we could.
“The budget was tight, so materials are simple. Non-slip grey floor tiles, strand board, ply joinery, blackboards, recycled brick, recessed LED lighting and the popular caged pendants with hand woven incandescent lamps. A perfect stop-off to start your morning commute.”
Designed by Mima Design
Micheline and business partner Mark McConnell established Mima Design in 2000 to service retail and hospitality brands throughout Australia. Mark has over 25 years design experience in Australia, Europe and Asia, working with Wolff Olins in London, Foster & Partners in Hong Kong, and Minale, Tattersfield & Bryce in Sydney. Micheline graduated with a Royal College of Art design degree in London, and relocated to Australia in 1994. She has worked for Australian design firms Hassell in Hong Kong and GSA Group in Sydney, prior to co-founding Mima Design.
Photography by Andrew Chung
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Adorning the walls of Replay are old black and white photos of the Adronicus Cafe near Circular Quay in Sydney’s CBD, one of the harbour city’s first cafes. And there’s a historical link.
Replay’s owner, Grant Andronicus, is the grandson of Sydney coffee merchant John Andronicus, who migrated from Greece and founded a coffee company bearing the family name with his brothers in 1910. One of the best-known importers of coffee beans in Australia in the 20th century, Andronicus was bought by Nestle in 1983.
So excellent coffee is at the heart of Andronicus’ operation in Turramurra. At Replay Espresso, Andronicus serves Gabriel Coffee, roasted in Sydney by his longtime friend and fellow cafe owner, Sam Gabriellan (Dose Espresso).
“We change our single-origin bean every three weeks,” says Andronicus. “We serve all our black coffee with our single, and milk-based coffees are always with our blend.”
The core menu at the Turramurra cafe is a limited offering by design, says Andronicus. “We haven’t built a proper kitchen, and that was quite intentional because we are a specialty-coffee espresso bar that sells food.”
Replay Espresso, 2A William St, Turramurra, NSW. Open 6am to 5.30 pm, Mon to Fri, 6am to 4pm Sat and 8am to 4pm Sun.
