First Look: New Bright and Friendly Neighbourhood Cafe Soulmate Is a Perfect Match for Newtown

On the autumnal Saturday morning Broadsheet visits Soulmate, sunshine washes over the front verandah, and dappled rays warm the cafe’s interior. Occupying the corner of Phillip and Gladstone streets in Newtown, Soulmate’s wide-open entrance beckons.

The team behind Soulmate is Harry Paton, Mitch Jones, Michael Ico and Daniel Harrison. Ico and Harrison have the winning formula for opening a successful cafe down pat with their cafes Good Fella, in Bella Vista, and Tuckshop in Glenhaven (which Ico owns with other business partners). Paton and Jones were both employees of the two Hills District cafes. Three of the Soulmate team, who live nearby, saw an empty retail corner spot begging for an everyday neighbourhood cafe. The whole team collaborated to open Soulmate, but Paton and Jones run the day-to-day.

Nothing here is particularly groundbreaking – but it isn’t meant to be. Ico speaks for the team with a laugh: “We don’t have a niche. People ask us, ‘What do you specialise in?’ and we say, ‘cafe’.”

Soulmate has a laid-back, all-day cafe menu that covers the staples including eggs, muesli and sausage rolls. The Soulmate Bae roll is an elevated take on the bacon-and-egg roll, with house-made sambal, herb mayo and “nanna’s cheese” (red Leicester cheese, which Jones’s grandmother used to put on bacon-and-egg rolls when he was a kid) tucked in a soft potato bun.

Non-meat eaters can opt for a vegan tofu scramble or a hearty mushroom toast: Brickfields sourdough smeared with a smooth, rich kale and kombu “butter”, topped with sauteed mushrooms, pickled onions and fresh dill. Lunchier options include a black-sausage sanga with herby aioli and sambal; a ciabatta roll with porchetta, braised greens and confit garlic; and a charred broccoli salad.

Soulmate’s excellent coffee is from Single O, whose filter and cold brew is poured from sleek batch taps. There’s an option to top your batch brew with whipped cream, too (that’s called The McHenry).

Solo diners or couples can sit on stools on the verandah facing the street. Or, nab a spot on the concrete step outside to caffeinate and solar charge. Inside, the pared-back fit-out by North House Projects and Porter and Maple creates an airy atmosphere with light American oak timber seating and smooth, curvy counters. Dogs are always welcome.

It’s an unpretentious and delightful concept that makes its customers feel at home. Ico says the tream simply decided, “Let’s do something fun and cute”. Soulmate’s colourful signage (designed by Paton; you can also rock it on a T-shirt) hints at its warm, whimsical personality.

Soulmate Coffee
Unit 12/39 Phillip Street, Newtown

Hours:
Daily 7am–3pm

soulmatecoffee.com.au

During Sydney's lockdown, Soulmate is takeaway only.