Nedim and Majda Rahmanovic have spent the past three-and-a-half years dedicating themselves to their cafe Twenty & Six Espresso in North Melbourne. But the husband-and-wife team feel its time to take on a new challenge and sell up. The buyer has not yet been confirmed, but the handover will happen in July and the space will, we’re told, stay much the same.
The couple has found a warehouse on Saxon Street in Brunswick and hired Breathe Architecture to turn its expanse in to an intimate dining space called Host, and a small espresso bar at the front, called Guest.
The venue will be split into these two parts and have separate opening hours. The espresso bar will be for quick lunches, coffees, sandwiches and pastries. Host will offer dining that is, in Majda’s words, “Not be as fancy as Albert St Food and Wine but not as relaxed as the Brunswick Green.”
Expect the staff to be attentive, knowledgeable and friendly; Nedim and Madja are inspired by the atmosphere of The Town Mouse and Kaprica.
The new venue will also, they hope, have what they are calling a “parklet” out the front – a car park converted in to a tiny park with space to park bikes and as much grass as possible.
Guest & Host is slated to open October 2015 and will be serving lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday, and breakfasts on the weekend.
