Adelaide’s cafe scene is really blossoming into something special. And with the opening of cafes like My Kingdom For A Horse, that should come as no surprise.
My Kingdom For A Horse, you may not have heard of it, but let us change that for you. When this cafe opens, you will want to visit for more than one reason.
Emily Raven and Rachel Mead are the brains behind this one (yeah girl power!) and although they are currently living in Melbourne, they couldn’t go past Adelaide’s thriving cafe scene and wanted to get in on the action. This isn’t a first for Emily. She actually used to own the award winning Cafe 54, a small French themed restaurant. Between these two they have more than 27 years in the hospitality and retail industries. Plus Emily is a qualified chef and patissier with a MA (Gastronomy) from Adelaide University and has lectured for both Le Cordon Bleu in Adelaide and William Angliss in Victoria. Impressive.
Emily, one of the faces behind the new cafe.
It was while teaching a fourth year hospitality subject that the idea for the cafe really came to fruition. Emily was teaching the students to design and test a food production project. After seeing the no fear attitude of her students as they perfected their ideas, Emily asked herself, “If these young students can be so confident, maybe it is about time for me to go back into the restaurant industry myself.” Seeing the opportunity, she spoke to her partner Rachel and then came the business plan, the funding and the start of something special.
More than “just another cafe” My Kingdom For A Horse promises something special. Emily had noticed that going out for breakfast has become a real family occasion.
The all important coffee machine.
“People are becoming increasingly interested and educated about the provenance and quality of what they consume and that also applies to their children.”
On top of that, there has been a lot of negativity towards parents with young children in cafes and restaurants and Emily and Rachel wanted to change that. So, after talking to their friends with children and discovering some ways that they could make the cafe more ‘child friendly’, they incorporated some simple things into their design. From enough space for a pram, to baby change facilities, and even a private area for breast feeding mothers, they really have thought of everything (new mums rejoice). The child friendliness doesn’t stop at the design but also carries on into the menu with special child sized healthy meals available for the little ones.
But what about the coffee… Because let’s be honest, that is what we all came for! Well the team will be roasting specialty coffee onsite. Having been mentored by Peter Wolff, who is practically the guru of coffee roasting in Australia, you can rest assured that your coffee is going to be amazing. Emily has also done a bit of training with Jason Scheltus at Market Lane in Melbourne and more recently with Willy Goh from Wolff coffee. Hello coffee perfection.
Coffee testing is important business.
After you have experienced the perfect coffee, you may want to purchase some beans or brewing products, and well, they have you covered with an online store for all you coffee aficionados.
Emily is excited to be working with coffee: “I’ve worked with food and wine all my life and had become very interested and passionate about coffee.”
Coffee beans for days.
We are excited too…
Along with the coffee, this place will also be licensed (hurry up and open)! So while you enjoy something from their all day breakfast and lunch menu, you can sip on a local cider or glass of wine. Yes please.
Speaking of the menu, it will be a seasonal feast of quality and local produce. ‘Provenance’. That is the word that stuck after talking to Emily. Well that means a lot to us here at Glam Adelaide, because celebrating everything South Australian is what we love to do, so a menu that celebrates that… It has got to be good! And all presented in an appealing and healthy way… Seriously it just gets better and better.
Set in an early 70s building on Wright Street in the city, the venue will be all about comfort and good design. There will be no crammed tables and uncomfortable closeness to other patrons in this cafe.
“We wanted to design a space that we’d enjoy spending time in – somewhere friendly and inviting.”
A little sneak peek inside…
Working with Samantha Agostino, a local designer (something that was important to both Emily and Rachel), the building is being transformed into a light, airy and natural feeling space. There will be a fair bit of on street parking plus bike racks.
Quirky fact: The name. We had to ask about the name. It is a bit of a different one and we hadn’t heard anything like it before. So where did it come from? We will let Emily take the floor on this one…
“Ah yes, well that’s a line from Richard the III, my favourite Shakespearean play. I played around with lots of names and was keen to get away from anything to do with coffee beans or brewing equipment. The quote: “A horse a horse, my kingdom for a horse,” has its historical meaning of course – being the lament for Richard’s lost kingdom but I think it has also become a great metaphor in modern times for a missed opportunity. I really identify with that missed opportunity – I’m so GenX in that way. The cafe is my chance to address that missed opportunity.”
And there you go, everything you need to know about one of the newest cafes set to hit the Adelaide scene on 15th September (let us at it).
My Kingdom For A Horse
191 – 195 Wright Street, Adelaide
7am to 4pm Tuesday to Sunday.
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