Safe to say 2020 hasn’t gone to plan for any of us, but Donald Lauder never let the unusual circumstances get in the way of his intentions to open Sweetshop Specialty Coffee in Bardon. When COVID-19 and the pandemic-related restrictions caused havoc across Brisbane, Donald forged ahead and softly opened the crisp and modern cafe (its contemporaneous aesthetic fashioned by Clui Design) in June, electing to pair a killer coffee menu with a concise selection of grab-and-go eats. Over following weeks and months, Sweetshop has earned a rep among locals as one of the area’s best spots for specialty brews, with blends and guest single origins from a who’s who of renowned Australian roasters featuring in the cafe’s grinders. As its namesake hints, Sweetshop is like a candy store for coffee lovers, with an ever-changing selection of roasts taking the spot of sugary confections. To date Donald has showcased product from Parallel Roasters, Proud Mary, Ickle, Almanac, ST. ALi, Coffee Supreme, Passport Specialty Coffee, Sample Coffee, and Seven Seeds, the latter of which provides Sweetshop’s house espresso blend. Every time a new blend or single origin arrives at the cafe, Donald updates a large map of the world located above the kitchen pass. Here he affixes an info sheet detailing the roast’s country of origin (also marked on the map), taste profile, roaster info and other easy-to-digest details. All of this is to make specialty coffee more accessible and encourage sippers to step outside their comfort zone, secure in the knowledge that they are getting the most consistent sip possible. To ensure consistency and quality, Donald has kitted out Sweetshop’s coffee bar with top-of-the-line gear including a Synesso MVP Hydra, two Compak PFK grinders (for espresso), a Compak R80 grinder (for filter), a Breville precision brewer and a Juggler milk-dispensing system. The coffee menu includes black, white and batch-brew sips, as well as one-and-one (a split shot offering an espresso and short macchiato), Sweetshop’s own trifecta (a one-and-one with a batch-brew sip), chai lattes and hot chocolates.

Last week Sweetshop’s kitchen finally came online, which has been music to the ears of all-day brunch hunters in Brisbane’s west. The brand-new food menu has been designed to cover all important brunch bases, but Donald and his team have ensured each dish is given a seasonal sprucing to elevate the food several notches above standard. This is most evident in dishes like the granola (accompanied by a glorious wobble of passionfruit panna cotta), smoked salmon (served on rye with brown butter, pickled fennel and Dijon creme fraiche), avocado (smushed onto a slice of sourdough and sprinkled with Egyptian dukkah and goats cheese), chorizo and sweet-potato hash (with poached eggs, carrot chutney and shaved brown mushroom), and waffles (with creme patissiere, smoked maple syrup, rye and peanut crumb and fresh berries). The menu’s concise size allows for a cross-pollination of ingredients across more than one dish, keeping wastage down and a consistent theme across the cafe’s product range. Additionally, Donald has gone local for much of Sweetshop’s ingredients supply, sourcing protein from Meat at Billy’s, breads and pastries from Crust & Co. Artisan Baking, custom ice-cream flavours from Lick! and non-homogenised milk from Barambah Organics, which comes in ten-litre bladders designed to fit the coffee bar’s Juggler tap system. Beyond coffee, Sweetshop also stocks HRVST ST juices, sodas and smoothies from Emma & Toms, Sips sparkling waters, Probiotic Kitchen kombucha, and organic tea from Melbourne-based Love Tea. Moving forward, Donald is keen to introduce regular food specials, lunch morsels, chilled filter coffee (affectionately referred to as ‘chilter’), bottled cold-brews and more treats made on site.

Sweetshop Specialty Coffee is open now! For operating hours and contact details, head to the Stumble Guide.