The Cafe with No Name

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I'd heard rumours of somewhere called 'No Name Cafe' in New Farm that served a fiercely good coffee, so this morning I set off on a discovery walk to find it.



The only indication of a Cafe on the corner of Mark Street and Merthyr Road in the leafy suburb of New Farm is a dodgy sign and the wafting aroma of very good coffee. The sign says 'coffee' and has a pointy arrow. That's it. No name.



I ventured inside to find comfy chairs, squashy cushions and ethnic artefacts. There were art books and design magazines on every surface, jazz music playing in the background and an air of tranquility.

It's a cave-like space with stone walls, a cement floor and two sets of stairs heading upwards, perhaps to a house. I did see a sign saying 'Gallery Space Available' in a window.



At the heart of this space is an elegant coffee machine, all happy and glossy with a golden emblem. And Paul, a quiet man with impressive barista skills.



We had a quiet chat about art and Paul told me he likes tribal art, the traditional kind, from Indigenous Australia and also the South Pacific.

I asked if he exhibited or collected and he told me he was an art dealer. First he collected, then he sold, in order to raise capital to collect more. Seemed like a good idea to me.

I didn't want to pry but I did ask Paul when his cafe with no name was open. 'From about 9am until about 11am most days,' he answered 'but I close before people get hungry because I don't have food.'

I've heard a rumour that Paul sometimes has chocolate chip cookies and other bite-size treats available, but not today. No matter, I came for the coffee and guess what? It was fiercely good.

#new_farm
#inner_suburbs
#coffee
#cafes
#quirky
%wnbrisbane