A New Carlton Coffee Bar in Bloom

In his own words, Darren Yee has fallen down “the coffee rabbit-hole”. He studied economics and worked in finance in Sydney before moving to Melbourne to work with coffee, learning at Auction Rooms and 580 Bench.

“Making coffee is technical. You can be as meticulous as you want to be, which appeals to my nature. I tend to obsess over things, which is handy for producing good results,” Yee says.

Not surprisingly, coffee is from Auction Rooms’ Small Batch roasters. A batch brew, pour-over, single-origin and a seasonal house blend come with tasting notes. It’s that kind of place – but the quality of the brew here is genuinely impressive.

The space centres around an elevated, concrete coffee bar, where you can chat with the baristas and ask questions.

While there’s no dine-in menu, pastries from Windsor Deli and cakes from Chez Dre get an honourable mention.

Bloom Coffee Bar

140 Rathdowne Street, Carlton

Hours:

Mon to Fri 7am–4pm

Sat & Sun 8am–4pm

instagram.com/bloomcoffeebar