Modus Coffee

Sam Robins co-owns Modus Coffee with Tobias Glass, and together they’ve expanded on their original Beaufort Street shop in every sense. This outpost, on the ground floor of the Vic Quarter apartment complex in Victoria Park, has more floor space (at 95 square metres, it’s four times the size of their Mount Lawley site), with seating for 20, plus a larger menu that showcases the sustainable practices at the heart of Modus.

New to this Modus menu is a section simply titled “Stuff on Toast”, where you’ll find the aforementioned ricotta paired with guacamole and pomegranate in a luxurious take on avo toast (on house-made sourdough). Plus roasted mushrooms with whipped gorgonzola, cut through with house-made pickled pears, and sous vide eggs with dukkah and thick-cut speck bacon elevating the cafe-breakfast staple.

Long-time collaborator Wade Drummond runs the kitchen, expanding on the skills he developed during his time at Leake St Cafeteria. Marsela Ardi, formerly of Gordon St Garage, manages front of house.

A cabinet on the counter is stocked with golden pastries including canelés, galettes, and an unmissable cardamom and pistachio bun – a grown-up take on the trending cinnamon scroll. Pair one with a coffee, available in espresso, filter or cold brew, which is roasted nearby in the team’s East Victoria Park warehouse. Robins and Glass buy their green beans directly from Colombian farmer Luis Anibal Calderon, which means they’ve been able to develop a sustainable, long-term relationship that sees Calderon paid 92 per cent above the market rate for their house-blend espresso.

Robins and Glass prefer the cafe to be crowded with people rather than with decorative ornaments, so they’ve kept the Modus aesthetic clean and modern with polished concrete, simple white tiles and wooden seating. Outdoors, there’s a long bench where customers wait for takeaways with their dogs.