We all play favourites, whether you admit it or not. And after two mealtimes spent at Superfreak in its opening week, I’m putting mine out there. The just-opened cafe – out the front of Scout's Marrickville studio, from Daniel Harrison and Michael Ico, co-owners of Soulmate and Splash – is my new fave.
The menu is spot-on (egg-stuffed muffins! Scandi brekkie plates! Buckwheat porridge!), the team is friendly, the coffee’s great. But the fit-out, by the award-winning YSG Studio, is something else.
“We weren’t expecting it to be this beautiful,” Ico tells Broadsheet. “We just showed [YSG] the menu and some of the branding [by SCCO’s Jarmaine Stojanovic], they went in and said, ‘This is what we think it should look like.’”
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SIGN UPThe pink facade has been painted a dark green, and the hue anchors the interiors. In one corner, “DESTINO” is spelled out across a patterned flag by Venezuelan-Australian artist Nadia Hernandez. A record player spins Harrison’s own collection, which is housed happily in a bespoke cabinet built into the wraparound shag-covered seating. At the counter a large green vessel is covered in glossy ceramic snow peas; at the door there’s a truly special Wonka-esque lamp by American artist Autumn Casey.
“It kind of just became what it became,” Harrison says. “At that point [after we saw YSG’s pitch], how do you say no to that? What we initially planned is nothing like what Superfreak is now, and I think the reason for that is the fit-out.”
The butter-coloured walls mirror the melty round that crowns the standout bowl of oats, which is worthy of its own accolades. There’s stewed rhubarb on the porridge too, offsetting a layer of brown sugar slowly turning to syrup.
Aplenty’s Michaela Johansson drove the menu, with the Scandi-style morning plate – a thin slice of rye toast, whiff of whipped butter, pickles, jammy egg, Comté and radish – summing up the vibe. English muffins are stuffed with egg, cheddar and a herby salad, and there’s a trio of salads that come as they are or as a backdrop to salmon topped with pistachio gremolata, or saucy meatballs.
The food offering is filling a hole in Sydney. Of that stripped-back, homely style of food seen in Melbourne’s Florian and Juniper, Adelaide’s Thelma, or abroad at places like London’s Jolene. All of it’s as tasty as it is quick to grab – prime if you’re running out of a Scout class or heading across the road to sit under the trees in Enmore Park.
Head in to Superfreak soon – it could very well be your next fave.
Superfreak
333A Enmore Road, Marrickville
Hours:
Daily 6.30am–3pm