Serva Was Never Supposed To Be a Cafe. Now It’s Seaforth’s House of Pickles, Preserves and Coffee
Words by Lucy Brewer · Published on 04 Oct 2024
It began with a blueberry chutney so funky and moreish customers kept asking chef Miles Ackermans if they could have some to take home.
Ackermans (whose CV includes head chef at Effie’s , Hugos and Noon) opened Serva to get his preserves, ferments and “all things found in a jar” into homes and restaurants. It was an exercise in creativity and minimising waste while maximising flavour. It was never supposed to be a cafe.
In the early days of the business, Ackermans worked out of Wilbur’s , a breezy Manly sandwich shop. And the connections he made with customers made him want to turn Serva into something bigger.
“I fell in love with chatting … getting to know people and express simple food in a really fun manner,” Ackermans tells Broadsheet.
Preserves and pickles made sandwiches an obvious route. And sandwiches meant coffee. Enter Ackermans’ good mate Alex Eagleton – formerly of Skittle Lane in Manly – who’s roasting coffee in-house as Wuli Project. Ackermans and Eagleton share the space, the customers and the conversation.
The Seaforth digs are light-filled with minimal seating (good luck nabbing a spot, the locals are in love) and an open countertop.
Wuli Project is a more recent venture. The small-batch roasting services the house espresso and filter. Eagleton, an expert barista, operates the coffee machine himself.
The menu’s short and sweet. The runaway bestseller – which Ackermans says will never leave the menu – is a decadent egg and cheese English muffin. It’s a few perfect mouthfuls of piping-hot fried egg and goat’s gouda, with a punchy shallot chimichurri. The star is a fermented jalapeno relish (yes, you can buy it in a jar – and yes, you should).
His Reuben is the “ferment hero”. Salted beef is stacked with house-made apple-and-celery sauerkraut and mustard seasoned with “kraut juice” and excess espresso. Melted cheese and pickle chips (one of the most popular take-home products, which took Ackermans over 20 iterations to get right) seal the deal.
An umami-rich mushroom toastie – where minced shiitakes meet fermented chilli and a three-cheese mix – is served with that standout blueberry chutney.
Nutella and chocolate brownie cookies are made daily, and there’s a rich house-made banana bread made with miso and served with black sesame butter.
“We’re trying to make the little things count … actually getting to know our customers as much as possible, whether they like it or not,” laughs Ackermans.
Hours:
Daily 7am–3pm
