Elvan Fan and Carol Xu’s new cafe and lifestyle store, Moon & Back, is the result of gathering all their shared interests – excellent coffee and beautifully designed homewares included – into one room.

Fan, an experienced brand designer, explains that the concept for the multifunctional space was to create a “brand that’s not just about graphics, food or space”, but all three. “I wanted to combine all the elements together into one place. It’s more than just a coffee shop, it’s a lifestyle space,” she tells Broadsheet.

This is the duo’s second store. Their first opened in Kyoto, Japan, in April. Initially they intended to open both stores simultaneously, but were forced by Covid-19 to delay the Sydney opening until late last year.

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The pair’s shared love of coffee takes centre stage here. Using a seasonal blend by Surry Hills roastery Artificer, Moon & Back creates brews to your liking, whether that’s black, white, cold or batch.

There’s a small rotating menu of sweets to serve as foil to the coffee. Xu draws on her Le Cordon Bleu-taught pastry skills to craft inventive treats that might include matcha-and-yuzu pound cake; canelé in original or matcha-and-sake flavours; and a neat matcha and red bean chiffon sando. There’s also a Lotus Biscoff “croffle” (croissant-waffle).

“It’s just small bites that are perfect complements to coffee,” Xu says.

Other drink options include matcha and hojicha (roasted green tea) lattes, as well as house-made sodas such as green grape, yuzu and peach black tea. Juices by Simon Says and teas imported from Japan and Taiwan round out the beverage menu.

Beyond food and drink, Moon & Back also sells a carefully chosen range of lifestyle products, from ceramics to artworks, by brands such as Sydney’s Chef vs Clay, Japan’s Kinto, and Studio Arhoj from Denmark.

The stylish wares adorn the edges of the minimalist gallery-style space, designed with clean lines and white and grey tones throughout.

“What we’re creating here is this type of culture exchange [between Australia and the rest of the world] by bringing unique pieces from overseas and sharing [them] in a space with our customers,” Fan says, adding that the idea is to continue growing the collection to create a transporting experience.

“Even though we can’t go overseas, you can still experience it.”

Moon & Back
Shop 7/2 Crewe Place, Rosebery

Hours
Mon to Fri 7.30am–3.30pm
Sat 8am–4pm

instagram.com/moonandback.syd