#threeone2one

During our six months stay in Melbourne, we’ve lived in Richmond, one of Melbourne’s inner-city suburbs. Locals are very proud of Richmond and the birds that fly out of the Richmond nest tend to return sooner or later.

We understand why, not only are you one train-stop away from the Central Business District, Melbourne’s hub but you are also surrounded by a vast variety of shops, restaurants, cafés and bars.

An article about Richmond on Melbourne’s official website starts with the sentence: “You won’t go hungry in Richmond…” and guess what’s first on the list of “Top 5 Things To Do In Richmond”? Have breakfast! We’re not surprised, in fact although we eat out almost every day it is impossible for us to try out all the restaurants lining up one after another.

Locals stick with the local, especially when it comes to the weekend brunch. And what is more local than a café which name represents Richmond’s postcode: 3121.

Pedestrians on Bridge Road, Richmond’s main shopping street, might recognize the green rhino painted by Makkatron on the sidewall outside the café. The manager first saw Makkatron’s artwork on Brunswick Street, one of Melbourne’s most alternative street, and asked him to paint an animal in green on that empty wall. The outcome was a rhino, which now represents the brand and is at the heart of the corporate social responsibility. For instance, in September 2013 the entire tip of the month was matched by Three One 2 One’s management and donated to the Save African Rhino Foundation. Moreover, you can now buy a poster of the rhino painting for $25, which goes directly to the Save African Rhino Foundation.    

Our Australian friends acquainted us with Three One 2 One shortly after our arrival in Melbourne. Since then the café has become our hub, similar to Friends’ Central Perk café. We go there few times per week and more often than not we spend few hours there. Firstly, and most importantly, it was the delicious all-day breakfast menu that attracted us. I think we have tasted almost every item on the menu and it’s hard to choose one favourite. Amy, the manager and executive chef, has over 15 years of cooking experience and based on the ideas she has accumulated over her career, she designed the menu and created her own dishes. The menu changes every three months, but if certain items disappear they are simply asked for, ‘forcing’ it back on the menu. That’s what happened to the Steak Sandwich we love so much – due to demand it always made its way back on the menu after being suspended. In short, the dishes are the ideal food porn. The photos speak for themselves.

 When we finally could take our eyes off the food we started noticing the design of the place. The green theme makes the café extremely welcoming and gives it its personality. Moreover, every wall is different and tells its own story. Before Three One 2 One opened, the place used to be a restaurant called Sparks. The ownership of Sparks was in the hands of three brothers, who received the restaurant from their dad. Four years ago, Amy started working there one day a week to save money for her trip to Canada. Soon enough though, she used that money to buy into the business and eventually she took over and started renovating step by step. She had no plan or a strategy – she simply followed her instincts and style. She painted the main wall from yellow to white before taking a hammer and breaking out parts of the wall. What might sound like a crazy idea turned out to be a wall with its own character - a mixture between brick stones and white paint. The holes of the wall are filled with green Lego cubes, which even have their own story, and a really personal one. In the back of the café you find wood, which Amy collected from the family farm. Amy uses her creativity to reuse as much as she can. I would like to have one of the Brazilian coffee sacks hanging on one of the walls in my own kitchen - sacks that most café owners would throw away. What remains as a memory of the former restaurant are the tables and chairs, yet they’ve been subject to Amy’s creativity as well. 

The combination of delicious food and fascinating design makes a café worth the try, but what makes loyal customers? We’ve been to cafés here in Australia where the staff gossiped behind our backs because we ‘spent too much time there’. Why do you think people go to cafés in the first place? These people seem to forget the social aspect of it; maybe they should work in the fast-food industry. I acknowledge here the other side of the story but when you’re handed the bill without asking for it shortly after swallowing your last bite it’s another story. Needless to say, this is the exception – I think I’ve never been disappointed with a café here in Melbourne. It’s more like: “Nice, but one time is enough”. Somehow, with Three One 2 One however, the staff is so welcoming that they make you feel ‘at home’. Moreover, you can see that they really enjoy working there; they are a one big family and when you are a loyal customer you’re part of that family and that creates this unique friendly atmosphere.    

The cherry on the top for students like us is when the food is very reasonably priced and then you get a 10% student discount on top of that. I’ve caught myself opening the fridge thinking: “I don’t have anything for breakfast, well I’ll just to go Three One 2 One”. That would not be the case if it would cost me an arm.

Numerous times have we sat there in our own ‘lounge’, our favourite being the brown leather couches, sipping on one of those signature Melbourne coffee cups while browsing the Internet with the Free Wi-Fi and chitchatting with the staff. Most of them have worked there for years and that’s how we learned the story behind the stories themselves (because all the items seem to tell their own).

This blog is not an advertorial – neither did the manager nor the staff ask us to write this blog. Rather it was for our curiosity sake that we asked Amy to tell us her story, because it’s the perfect example why you do not always need a business plan or strategic plan to create a successful business. Sometimes all it takes is a great idea and some creativity.  

Moreover, we wanted to tell other people about this ‘hidden’ gem. It is a local café and as a tourist, you’re not very likely to accidently bump into it (although it is located on a big shopping street). If you are in Melbourne, or will be, keep this place in the back of your mind. It’s definitely worthwhile. When we leave Melbourne in a few weeks’ time we’ll miss this place the most, there’s no doubt about it.

This blog entry is thus our way of saying ‘thanks’ - some kind of a tribute.