Concrete Jungle

Concrete Jungle was envisioned as a refuelling station for “inner-city animals”. Opened in April 2017, the cafe transported the health-food ethos of Bondi to Chippendale.

The kitchen, headed by ex-Harry’s Bondi chef Bryan O'Callaghan, cures, dries and smokes its salmon in-house and makes tofu out of almond milk. There is a dairy-free bircher muesli with figs, pomegranate and grapes, and a dragon fruit chia pudding. But it’s the Nourish Bowl with beetroot hummus, quinoa, roasted sweet potato and tahini dressing that has customers coming back.

Mrad gets his beans from Gabriel Coffee, specifically its Calibrate beans. Mrad says the brand delivers high-end blends specifically developed for either white or black coffee. There are also smoothies, Zest Kombucha and cold-pressed juices available.

The brightly lit, minimalist space is the work of Guru Projects (Fish Bowl, Toby’s Estate) and Mrad encourages local artists to apply to hang their work on the feature wall.