72 beanscenemag.com.auCAFÉ SCENE
METHOD TO THE MADNESS
3/9 Marshall Lane,
Kenmore, Queensland, 4069
Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to
4pm, Saturday and Sunday 7am to 3pm
(07) 3706 3793What’s in a name? When the time came to
name their first café in the Sunshine State,
Reagan Nongkhlaw and Urvik Bhalaniturned to one the greatest creative minds in
history – William Shakespeare.
Method to the Madness comes from a
famous line in Hamlet, “Though this be
madness, yet there is method”. Reagan
says they settled on the name because
it reflected his and Urvik’s decision to
move from the dynamic Melbourne
coffee scene to Kenmore.
“Before opening, we were travelling to
and from Brisbane a lot, and people kept
asking why we’d leave Melbourne to start a
café,” Reagan says. “We loved the location
and knew it would work. We said there was
a method to our madness, then related that
to the Shakespeare quote, and that became
the idea behind the café.”
From Melbourne, Reagan brought with
him an existing relationship with Veneziano
Coffee Roasters. Method to the Madness
runs the roaster’s Estate blend for milk
coffee and rotates single origins for black
and cold drip.
“I used Veneziano at a few cafés
where I was working in Melbourne and
really liked the coffee. When we came
up to Brisbane, I did my research and
got in touch with [Queensland State Sales
Manager] Michaela Gerard to seal the
deal,” Reagan says.
“Estate is really different from a lot ofother blends on the market. It has a great
taste and a strong acidity. It’s a great coffee,
really consistent, and we get a lot of support
from the Veneziano team.”
While the coffee keeps people coming,
it’s the Shakespearean influence that
gets them in the door. Iconic quotes are
scattered across the walls, and literary
allusions add character to the café’s
menu. Favourites include the ‘sausage
roll benny’, ‘Shakespeare never had an
Avo’, and ‘Blow blow thou winter wind’
soup of the day.
“I studied Shakespeare a bit in school
and we even have a small library in the
café with some of his books and plays,”
Reagan says. “As well as families and
professionals, we get a lot of people who
study English coming in and asking, ‘Who’s
the Shakespeare fan?’ The theme receives
a lot of good feedback.”
Following Method to the Madness’s
success, Reagan hopes to expand across
Queensland.
“We intend to open a few more cafés.
We’re looking at the market, what places
are available, and where we’ll fit in,”
Reagan says.
Whether future cafés will continue
the Shakespearean theme or not,
that is the question.CAFÉ SCENE
A MOTHER’S MILK
105 Unley Road,
Unley, South Australia, 5061
Open seven days a week
7:30am to 3pm
(08) 8271 4329For many café owners, a toned-down,
rustic look is a design choice made to
increase the character of their venue.
But for A Mother’s Milk in South
Australia, it began as a necessity.
“When the original owners set
up the café, they didn’t have much
of a budget for design, so it was
quite raw, with exposed bricks and
wooden floorboards. But the concept
has become more popular and it
looks amazing now,” Owner Tania
Basheer says.
“We’ve definitely improved the
interior since then, polished the edges,
made it a bit cleaner, and improved
the facilities.”
Tania took over the café three
years ago, looking to move away from
the long hours involved in restaurant
work in favour of the calmer, customer-
focused, and daytime structure of
running a café.
“When a business changes hands
you’re always worried you’ll lose a
few customers, but it’s been reallysmooth. We’ve gained new customers
and our regulars have stuck with us
too,” Tania says. “It has an eclectic
vibe. The clientele ranges from young
hipsters to older people, families
and residents to business people and
shoppers. It’s really a mixed bag and
everyone’s welcome.”
Since last December, A Mother’s
Milk has run Toby’s Estate’s
Woolloomooloo as its house blend,
prepared with a Synesso espresso
machine. It also rotates single origins
for espresso and batch brew.
“We love the consistency and
freshness of the coffee, and the team
behind it as well. We’ve made some
good friends with the people that visit
from Toby’s Estate,” Tania says.
A highlight from the café’s food
menu to accompany the coffee is
the baked eggs. The dish sees the
eggs cooked in a traditional Italian
sauce in a terracotta pot, then topped
with provoleta cheese and served on
toasted sourdough.
“Our sourdough is famous for
being one of the best in Unley,”
Tania says. “We make a lot of our
food and toppings from scratch, from
the aioli and sauces to our cakes and
slices. Pretty much everything but the
bread, which is baked specifically forus by a local baker.”
Due to the venue’s warm and
friendly atmosphere, Tania says the
meaning behind the name ‘A Mother’s
Milk’ is often misconstrued.
“It actually came from a Red Hot
Chili Peppers tour and album. A lot
of people assume the ethos is tied to
nurturing or breastfeeding mothers,
but it actually has nothing to do with
that,” she says. “But it’s definitely a
great icebreaker with new customers.”Despite comomomomommmmmonnnmismm concepptioons,s,s,,,AA A A
Mother’s Milk akakakakak ak actcccctuctuallallally tyy y takes iitsts tssnanananamamamame
from a Red Hot ChiChiChiChiChihililillli liPepPepPepeperperperperrrrs as as as aaaaalblblbulbbbbm.MetMeMethodhodtotothhe Me Madnadesstataakeskeskeskesesinininininspspispspisppratratratratatatationionionioo
frofromm a awewell-ll-knoknown wn Shaakeskespepeapeapeapeare re re re re quoquoquoquoootttte.tettetee72 beanscenemag.com.au
METHOD TO THE MADNESS
3/9 Marshall Lane,
Kenmore, Queensland, 4069
Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to
4pm, Saturday and Sunday 7am to 3pm
(07) 3706 3793What’s in a name? When the time came to
name their first café in the Sunshine State,
Reagan Nongkhlaw and Urvik Bhalaniturned to one the greatest creative minds in
history – William Shakespeare.
Method to the Madness comes from a
famous line in Hamlet, “Though this be
madness, yet there is method”. Reagan
says they settled on the name because
it reflected his and Urvik’s decision to
move from the dynamic Melbourne
coffee scene to Kenmore.
“Before opening, we were travelling to
and from Brisbane a lot, and people kept
asking why we’d leave Melbourne to start a
café,” Reagan says. “We loved the location
and knew it would work. We said there was
a method to our madness, then related that
to the Shakespeare quote, and that became
the idea behind the café.”
From Melbourne, Reagan brought with
him an existing relationship with Veneziano
Coffee Roasters. Method to the Madness
runs the roaster’s Estate blend for milk
coffee and rotates single origins for black
and cold drip.
“I used Veneziano at a few cafés
where I was working in Melbourne and
really liked the coffee. When we came
up to Brisbane, I did my research and
got in touch with [Queensland State Sales
Manager] Michaela Gerard to seal the
deal,” Reagan says.
“Estate is really different from a lot ofother blends on the market. It has a great
taste and a strong acidity. It’s a great coffee,
really consistent, and we get a lot of support
from the Veneziano team.”
While the coffee keeps people coming,
it’s the Shakespearean influence that
gets them in the door. Iconic quotes are
scattered across the walls, and literary
allusions add character to the café’s
menu. Favourites include the ‘sausage
roll benny’, ‘Shakespeare never had an
Avo’, and ‘Blow blow thou winter wind’
soup of the day.
“I studied Shakespeare a bit in school
and we even have a small library in the
café with some of his books and plays,”
Reagan says. “As well as families and
professionals, we get a lot of people who
study English coming in and asking, ‘Who’s
the Shakespeare fan?’ The theme receives
a lot of good feedback.”
Following Method to the Madness’s
success, Reagan hopes to expand across
Queensland.
“We intend to open a few more cafés.
We’re looking at the market, what places
are available, and where we’ll fit in,”
Reagan says.
Whether future cafés will continue
the Shakespearean theme or not,
that is the question.CAFÉ SCENE
A MOTHER’S MILK
105 Unley Road,
Unley, South Australia, 5061
Open seven days a week
7:30am to 3pm
(08) 8271 4329
For many café owners, a toned-down,
rustic look is a design choice made to
increase the character of their venue.
But for A Mother’s Milk in South
Australia, it began as a necessity.
“When the original owners set
up the café, they didn’t have much
of a budget for design, so it was
quite raw, with exposed bricks and
wooden floorboards. But the concept
has become more popular and it
looks amazing now,” Owner Tania
Basheer says.
“We’ve definitely improved the
interior since then, polished the edges,
made it a bit cleaner, and improved
the facilities.”
Tania took over the café three
years ago, looking to move away from
the long hours involved in restaurant
work in favour of the calmer, customer-
focused, and daytime structure of
running a café.
“When a business changes hands
you’re always worried you’ll lose a
few customers, but it’s been really
smooth. We’ve gained new customers
and our regulars have stuck with us
too,” Tania says. “It has an eclectic
vibe. The clientele ranges from young
hipsters to older people, families
and residents to business people and
shoppers. It’s really a mixed bag and
everyone’s welcome.”
Since last December, A Mother’s
Milk has run Toby’s Estate’s
Woolloomooloo as its house blend,
prepared with a Synesso espresso
machine. It also rotates single origins
for espresso and batch brew.
“We love the consistency and
freshness of the coffee, and the team
behind it as well. We’ve made some
good friends with the people that visit
from Toby’s Estate,” Tania says.
A highlight from the café’s food
menu to accompany the coffee is
the baked eggs. The dish sees the
eggs cooked in a traditional Italian
sauce in a terracotta pot, then topped
with provoleta cheese and served on
toasted sourdough.
“Our sourdough is famous for
being one of the best in Unley,”
Tania says. “We make a lot of our
food and toppings from scratch, from
the aioli and sauces to our cakes and
slices. Pretty much everything but the
bread, which is baked specifically forus by a local baker.”
Due to the venue’s warm and
friendly atmosphere, Tania says the
meaning behind the name ‘A Mother’s
Milk’ is often misconstrued.
“It actually came from a Red Hot
Chili Peppers tour and album. A lot
of people assume the ethos is tied to
nurturing or breastfeeding mothers,
but it actually has nothing to do with
that,” she says. “But it’s definitely a
great icebreaker with new customers.”Despite com onnnmismm conceptioons,A
Mother’sMil ctccc alllllly tyyakes iitstsssnaaamame
from a Red HotChihillliliP per lblbulbbm.M t the dessa innnsp tioni
a rer ooe