To paraphrase Catalan theorist Joan Fontcuberta: “I ’gram, therefore I am.” Nary a meal is eaten in this town without first being hovered over with an iPhone 6. It’s a maxim cafe entrepreneur Ben Luo was keenly aware of when designing the menu at White Mojo Speciality [sic] Coffee & Roaster.

This guiding principle of ’grammability informs every dish. The “croissant burger”, stuffed with deep-fried soft-shell crab, pickled cucumber, spicy mayo, smoked eel and fried eggs, provokes that immediate WTF response essential for going viral (figuratively, not literally). A cauliflower panna cotta with chorizo dust, Canadian scallops, 63-degree eggs and potato popcorn is served under a bell jar, billowing smoke over diners once the cover is removed.

Likewise, White Mojo’s Hulk-green matcha lattes are very much of their moment. Sourced from Uji in Japan, the powdered tea is ground on a traditional stone mill.

Design-wise, White Mojo is the bright ying to its sister-cafe Hash Specialty Coffee’s dark yang, with marble tables, honeycomb tiles and honey-blond wood.

So successful has the White Mojo playbook been that after only six weeks in business, the cafe opened a second outlet in Balwyn, with a similar menu and fit-out.

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Updated: March 21st, 2017

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