George Choutis and his wife Destiny had been involved with cafes and restaurants for decades before opening Roastville.

The duo has poured themselves into every aspect of the cafe’s design and operation. There are crosshatch timber tables made by Choutis’ and a cabinet brimming with colourful homemade cakes. Set in a large warehouse space, all the chipped-wood coverings, timber panels and much of the furniture was done by Choutis.

The menu has been designed in collaboration with chef Rumil Binas and pastry maestro Libby Marriner. Almost everything is produced on site, the only exception being Brickfields sourdough and burger buns.

With items such as fried chicken waffles, a Reuben sandwich and dairy-free smoothies in jars, the menu reads like a list of Sydney’s biggest food trends. But the dishes themselves are less derivative and more innovative. Take the Reuben. While most cafes are clamouring for NY-style authenticity, Roastville has kept the corned beef and cheese, but substituted the sauerkraut and Russian dressing for roast potatoes, tomato chutney and wilted greens. The fried chicken waffles are made with a kim chi batter and avoid any sweet glazes, bacon or ice cream in favour of a slathering of parmesan, Sriracha and kewpie mayonnaise. The green eggs is two 65°C eggs on a mash of different greens mixed together with sorrel cream.