For most of his hospitality career, Josh Davies has worked for others. The veteran coffee slinger, who Wynnum locals might recognise as the former manager and barista of The Rabbit Hole Cafe on Tingal Road, has now struck out on his own, this week opening the doors to Paddington’s newest caffeine spot, Reverie Coffee House.
“I think in many ways I see things differently and I always wanted to experiment with that myself without being limited to having a boss,” says Josh, when discussing the drive behind his new venture. “No disrespect to bosses or anything like that, but I thought if I’m in control I can experiment with different things to see if they work well.”
At Reverie Coffee House that means easing the throttle a little bit. The atmosphere in the slender light-filled space, which can be found on Kennedy Terrace in the character-filled building previously home to Stop 13@31, is relaxed. Here, Josh mans the La Marzocco coffee machine, chatting with locals as they filter in to nab a cup of the good stuff – either to take away or to enjoy at one of the cafe’s timber tables inside or on the footpath. The pace is almost leisurely, almost akin to sauntering into your own kitchen to make a cuppa of your own.
“I don’t really want this to be a job for my staff and myself – I want to be able to come in and just live day to day and enjoy what I love doing,” says Josh. “I love the customers and talking to them.”
In the grinder is beans from esteemed Fortitude Valley roaster Bear Bones – a crew Josh has worked with in the past. Impressed by the roaster’s attentive service and its genuine support for its cafe clientele, linking up with Bear Bones for Reverie’s all-important caffeine offering was a no-brainer. The high quality of its coffee beans also made it a logical choice.
“Currently we’re [using Bear Bones’] One Eighty blend, which is a Brazilian and Colombian mix,” says Josh, pointing out the coffee bags accented with lavender hues. “It has some really nice notes in it and it’s just smooth – it’s not your run-of-the-mill milky coffee. It’s got the notes in it as well, which I think is what stands out from a lot of the other coffees.” Once Reverie settles in, Josh will introduce a single origin to the mix and is keen to also showcase beans from small-batch guest coffee roasters looking to put their name out there. As of right now, silky espresso pours are available alongside a clutch of pastries from Banette as well as cookies from Cookie Co.
Looking ahead, expect Reverie Coffee House to continue to take things slowly, with Josh eager to gradually settle into his new digs and respond to the wants of the Paddington locals. “I think it’s important to mould things and keep it interesting by introducing new things and growing the business,” says Josh. “If you start from the top, you’ve got nowhere to go. This is literally the foundation of many, many steps – the bottom rung of the ladder I think it’s very important to start from humble beginnings and just to grow with Paddington.”
That said, Expect to see the space fleshed out with lots of greenery and art sourced from local creatives. The cafe is also dog friendly, with puppycinos free for four-legged pals.
