Gramps Cafe Opens in Red Hill

Eggs Benedict. That’s what diners were chasing 10 years ago when Adam Murphy first started working in Brisbane cafes. Nowadays, he says, it’s something much more creative.

Enter Gramps Café, on the corner of Windsor Road and Bathurst Street in Red Hill. As owner and chef, Murphy’s vision is clear: “We want [to serve] something that people aren’t going to … make at home but [that] is still really simple, modest food,” he says.

Murphy’s background is in nutrition and he took the passion for food into hospitality, working at Naïm and Wandering Cooks in Brisbane, and doing stints abroad in Scotland, Iran and Northern Ireland.

Since launching in July, Gramps has steadily built a menu of simple but creative dishes. Take for instance the Grampy Eggs – poached eggs with butter-bean hummus and a nut crumble on sourdough. Or the Old-Time Omelette with dill, labneh and capsicum chilli jam.

“The menu gave me nightmares,” Murphy says. “I’ve prepped food and created food but starting from scratch, the chef-ing side of things – making things that complement each other – is a real challenge.”

First-pour coffee comes from Single O with a popular batch brew using beans from Parallel Roasters. Tea is supplied by Arakai Estate in Bellthorpe and Steepery Tea Co based at Wandering Cooks.

The venue is an ancient Queenslander shop that Murphy gave new life to with a crisp white paint job. The decor – recliner chairs, industrial pipe shelving and plenty of reclaimed or recycled wood furniture complements the old-timey name and menu. “It’s about comfort – comfort food and cosiness,” Murphy says.

The plan for the future is simply to become a regular for locals. That, and running the odd pickle swap: “Community events [that help] create a hub – that’s the next stage.”

Gramps Cafe
110 Windsor Road, Red Hill
No phone

Hours:
Mon to Fri 7am–4pm
Sat & Sun 7am–2pm

grampscafe.com.au