Tiny is the venue of Michael Pham, adman turned cafe owner. Michael is obviously friends with the designers who work upstairs in the lofty space next to the Japanese Bath House on Cromwell Street, ‘cos they’ve let him build a small eight-seater cafe in what used to be their store room.

Since December it has been a well-utilised space serving great coffee alongside breakfast and lunch. Michael is mostly a one-man show at Tiny, which is lucky ‘cos there’s not much room for more – so although lunch hour can get pretty busy (and it’s easy to pack the place out) I imagine most locals are taking away.

He makes everything himself in the tight kitchenette, baking things in a small oven on the shelf and making the rest of the menu to order. Brekkie includes simple dishes like a Mouse Trap – an old favourite of vegemite and cheese on toasted sourdough from Chimmy’s – as well as baked eggs, beans, and croissants with jam.

Lunch is sandwiches using all the right things between bread and a handful of fresh salads with a daily special and sometimes two. He evens makes a few sweets: muffins, hedgehog and custard tarts.

Micheal worked closely with interior designers Foolscap Studio to design the space, and made most of it himself, right down to the business cards and badges that sit on the counter near the coffee machine. It’s a neat little place, Tiny even.

Tiny
51 Cromwell Street, Collingwood

Hours
Mon–Fri 7.30am–3.30pm

somethingtiny.com.au