Mulberry Group’s New All-Day Eatery Coupette Aims To Transform Southbank

There’s a small pocket between South Melbourne and Southbank that has long felt more like a passageway than a place to linger. Hiding beneath Queensbridge, it’s an area that’s often been overlooked – but that’s exactly why Nathan Toleman believes Coupette, the new all-day cafe and bistro from Toleman’s Mulberry Group (Hazel, Dessous), belongs there.

“It’s designed to be like a local kind of neighbourhood cafe and bistro,” he says, “but also to become a little bit of a destination.” Set on a bright corner site, it’s one of five new venues the group is opening inside the new Flack Studio-designed Hannah St Hotel. The group’s other venues include Hannah St Coffee where your day can start with morning lattes, Bar Hannah in the hotel lobby, and the connecting Carriage Lounge where you can end with late-night cocktails. They’re all open save for Propeller, a restaurant residency concept set to launch in March.

But Coupette is the crown jewel. The restaurant moves easily through the day, starting with a small menu of slightly Euro-leaning Melbourne breakfast classics before moving to a combined lunch and dinner menu that borrows freely from both French and Italian traditions. “We love the idea of doing pasta, but we also love the idea of doing steak frites,” Toleman says. That flexibility reflects the background of the kitchen team, led by executive chef Andrew Beddoes, who previously worked at French restaurant Tartine and at Italian spot Enoteca Boccaccio. “The result is a menu that allows butter and olive oil to sit comfortably side by side,” Toleman says.

Breakfast and brunch offerings are familiar but carefully sharpened. Morning plates range from pastries and simple eggs on toast through to a blue swimmer crab omelette finished with chilli and herbs, a dish Toleman describes as an elevated take on scrambled eggs, and one that’s quickly become a standout.

Lunch and dinner are when the menu settles into its most confident rhythm. Beef tartare arrives seasoned with anchovy for an extra savoury edge, while Fraser Island crab is paired with green apple and lardo for a balance of sweetness and richness. Market fish is finished with a classic French butter sauce, and heartier plates like steak frites and a weekly pasta special anchor the menu. 

The room itself, also designed by Flack Studios, reinforces that sense of ease. The restaurant leans into a European aesthetic without tipping into pastiche. Marble, brass and timber features throughout, softened by baby-blue leather banquettes and bespoke lighting made in collaboration with local designers, including custom pieces by Melbourne studio Volker Haug above the bar.

Behind the bar, the drinks offering mirrors the kitchen’s balance between familiarity and flexibility. The cocktail list, developed by Mulberry Group bar manager Kayla Sato (formerly of the group’s now-closed Molli), blends classics with lighter, more experimental options. The signature Coupette 75 is a more Australian take on the classic cocktail with gin, Cocchi and lemon aspen perfume topped with Prosecco and served in a coupette glass rather than the typical champagne glass. 

The wine list spans about 120 bottles with a rotating by-the-glass selection designed to reward regulars. Coffee is made using a custom blend from Mulberry Group’s Square One.

While Coupette has been the immediate focus since opening just before Christmas, attention is now turning to Propeller on level 10. Together with Coupette, it signals the Group’s ambition for Hannah St Hotel to function less like a sealed-off hotel precinct and more like a genuine neighbourhood hub.

Coupette
90 Queens Bridge Street, Southbank
No phone

Hours:
Daily 7am–10pm

@coupettemelbourne