While West End’s main thoroughfare of Boundary Street continues to be the suburb’s beating heart, a lot of action has been taking place beyond the busy strip. A miniature hospitality hub is forming down on the corner of Vulture Street and Hardgrave Road, with soon-to-open venues like Bar Francine and West Side Pizza looking to bridge West End proper with other clusters of eateries on Hardgrave Road and Montague Road. The Twin, a new coffee and sandwich joint located in a cosy portion of the building once home to Sol Breads, quietly opened to the public last week. Here, Murrie Harris and Knives Baker – a couple of seasoned hospitality pros recently relocated to Brisbane from Newcastle – are dishing out a tight menu of salivation-worthy sambos and cups of killer caffeine. The duo, who previously operated a cafe and an Italian restaurant down south, started tossing around ideas for a new concept not long after arriving Brisbane, combining elements of their previous endeavours with traces of more recently developed passions. “We’re both quite passionate about Italian food and Murrie has been working as a baker for the last few years, so we did want to have a sandwich joint,” says Knives of inspirations driving The Twin. “We’ve brought a lot of the skills that we’ve learned doing the Italian restaurant and applied it to this joint. It’s not all Italian, but there is a lot of it in it.” A DIY fit-out has resulted in a modest, comfort-driven aesthetic that gives of a classic and timeless vibe. Second-hand furniture (some purchased from Wandering Cooks, which itself had snagged from Sol Breads when it closed) adorns the interior and a small courtyard space outside, giving The Twin a lived-in feel. “Whenever we open something it tends to look like this,” admits Knives. “It’s kind of out of our hands – we can’t help but make something look and feel like this.”

The Twin’s sandwich selection is small and simple, with Knives and Murrie favouring a style of offering that prioritises approachability. “We’re always keen to talk about the food and how we make it,” says Knives. “If someone asks I’ll write down any recipe for them. It’s about community, sharing and more people cooking and eating good food.” The team is baking its own bread in-house daily, including delightfully spongy focaccia and seeded Jerusalem rolls. Customers can saunter in and order from a four-strong selection of sandwiches, which the team will chop and change over time. Go for focaccia loaded with caponata, basil, greens and parm, or opt for mushroom pate with pickles and greens. Love a roll? Then a hearty stack filled with roast pumpkin, muhammara, pickles, salad and harissa aioli is our pick. Off carbs? Opt for a house salad instead. While the focaccia will likely be a constant, the team is already recipe testing for new additions, including a flatbread. Over at the coffee counter, Murrie is pouring cups of caffeine sourced from Northern Rivers-based roaster The Branches (The Twin is the first Queensland cafe to stock its beans), with rotating roasters also being showcased via batch brew. Beyond coffee, New Farm’s Tour de Tea is supplying a collection of loose-leaf teas, available alongside Hrvst St juices, Good Happy kombucha, and all-natural, prebiotic soft drinks from Bobby.

The Twin is open to the public – operating hours and contact details can be found in the Stumble Guide.