The Low Road

Ben and Naomi Corbett first met waiting tables at Brunswick Street’s Fatboy’s Cafe in the days of the famous $4 breakfast. After moving to the ‘burbs, the couple decided to put their hospitality skills to good use and invest in their own eatery.

The result, The Low Road, is all but hidden from street view, opening up like a mirage at the bottom of an office complex. The cafe’s interior and outdoor courtyard were once part of the Thai restaurant next door, now annexed with a dividing wall. Filled to bursting point with hanging plants, rattan chairs and brightly painted picnic tables, the cafe’s furnishings are all overflow from the couple’s nearby home.

Putting every square centimetre of their tiny kitchen to good use, everything at The Low Road is made in-house, from sit-down meals, to cakes and deli-style sandwiches. Breakfast is built around robust flavours and fresh herbs: try buttery lemon mushrooms or smokey beans, served atop thick slices of organic sourdough.

The Low Road’s food may be more refined than Fatboy’s was, but the ambience is set with the same rock ’n’ roll tunes – at a more family-friendly volume, that is, since the Corbetts’ young daughter is now a cafe regular. A tapas-style dinner menu accompanies the couple’s other pride and joy: a bar fridge stocked with craft beer.