Get cosy at new Myaree café At Home Coffee Co

It’s a conversation that’s come up a few times recently: who do you see more often than your barista? Who has more power to set the course of your day except for the person making your morning coffee?

It’s something that barista Kartika Zhuang has been thinking about as well – and one of the motivations to opening brand new Myaree café At Home Coffee Co.

“I’ve been in hospo for maybe 10, 11 years in different places,” Kartika tells us in the expansive warehouse-turned café, tucked away between rows of storage units, wholesalers and panel beaters.

“I really love how you are able to connect with people over coffee. If you’re a working barista, you’re connecting with so many customers – sometimes you actually see these people every day, but you might not see your family every day. There’s such a precious moment in that scenario.”

“I started off at Jamaica Blue, a humble origin story! Then I delved into specialty coffee, and I really fell in love with latte art, specifically. I was trying all the single origin beans, and I was like, ‘What is this?!’“

What followed was a stint at specialty roasters Grouch & Co. (coincidentally, just down the road), some time on desserts at Koko Black (“I’ve always really liked baking, too!”) as well as Arrival Hall and Artem – the latter of which she’s been “on and off” with since their beginnings: “They’re like family to me.”

“I’ve always had a passion to just make a space, whether it’s just inviting people to my house to have coffee, breakfast, bringing pastries over – kind of like a home cafe!”

“So that’s where the concept came from, it’s as if you’re to be invited to a home. I hope it’s relaxing, and I hope it’s warm.”

And while it may be warm and welcoming, it’s also vast. The space connects to the church next door, extending the full length of the warehouse with rows of tables to the rear, and clusters of mid-century armchairs in each corner – heaps of space for both weekend brunches or WFH laptop time during the week.

“With such a big space, I definitely wanted to create a vibe where you’d come and meet people, but also stay for a while – it’s not like a touch-and-go takeaway, we want to cater for seating.”

With a rotating roster of roasters, Kartika’s passion for specialty coffee is front and centre – and while she remains an impressive latte artist, she’s also determined to spread the word on the magic of batch brews.

“I really want to get more people on batch! So I’ve strategically put the Moccamaster at the very front of the counter so people will be like ‘What’s that?’”

Also on offer is a refreshing lineup of specialty drinks, like a very zesty yuzu coffee spritz, and sweet cream-topped iced coffee, matcha and hojicha.

In the same vein, their menu of cabinet food and what Kartika describes as “dish up” plates have a decidedly Asian-lilt that’s predominantly but not strictly Japanese. Think creamy tamago or nori cheese toasties, comforting mushroom congee or the At Home take on shakshuka, with chilli and jiggling, slow-cooked eggs. (During their soft-opening phase, just a couple of dishes will be available alongside their cabinet selection.) Australian crowd-pleasers like brekkie burgers and avo toast also make an appearance.

“We’ve got umami eggs, which is scrambled eggs, and our chef Timmy makes this oil that’s infused with offcuts that we might use – like shallot skins, onion skins, the offcuts of tomato, capsicum… He chars it and then infuses oil, and it’s so savoury and yum. But we’re conscious of reusing those types of ingredients that might just be thrown away.”

As well as expanding their menu as they get into their groove, Kartika hopes to engage more and more with locals – from local maker workshops to stocking shelves with locally handmade wares.

“When we moved to this location, we definitely wanted this part to be like a community centre – but surrounded by food and coffee.”

At Home Coffee Co. is located at 8 Malland Street, Myaree.

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All images: Sally Hall / Perth is OK!