PUBLISHED September 2nd, 2013 01:54 am | UPDATED April 14th, 2016 05:35 pm
Working from a cafe isn’t just about free wifi and half decent coffee. For me, it’s about service, about the vibe and even the furniture. Yeah, I know it’s kind of weird, but what can I say, I appreciate some creative decor…plus my peepers deserve a treat too. Well I’ve found a new cafe to frequent that has pretty much everything I hope to find.. and it’s cheap. Located away from the hustle and bustle of the business district in the Arab Street Quarter, squeezed between fabric shops, you’ll find Working Title, a cute little first floor cafe beneath a hostel. Working Title, got it’s name because owners Calvin and Mustaffa couldn’t think of a better name in time for the opening. How awfully nomadic of them!
The first thing I noticed was the brightly-coloured, mismatched furniture which I covetously admired. As it turns out, most of the distressed wood furniture isn’t from a quirky designer store, but actually handmade by the owners from salvaged pieces of wood. I’m talking genuinely impressive, unique finds that you’d probably buy in any cute homeware store. I’m trying to bribe the guys into making me some.. so far nada! I admired the handy work whilst I sipped on a refreshing Chai Latte ($5.50) and picked the boys brains for the story behind Working Title..
With a passion for travel and a dream of some day opening their own hostel, the idea was to keep everything pretty stripped back and easily accessible. Most of the food and drinks are locally sourced from small businesses that you wouldn’t necessarily have heard of unless you’re in the trade. The coffee was sourced in a bit more of a mainstream way and after trying several different brands of coffee across the country they finally settled on Dutch Colony coffee to be their house brand. Wise choice. If you come in at lunch time, be aware that there is limited seating inside so expect there to be a crowd, but there are some cheap, tasty bites to munch on.
As a backpackers hostel the prices are low, so don’t expect culinary finesse. They have a few items on the menu, mainly breakfast items although I did see that burgers are to be a new edition. As I checked out the place pretty early after opening there was a more limited menu, but this should give you a flavour…I went for the Salmon sandwich ($8 – the most expensive of all the sandwiches), also packed with salad and creme cheese, which comes on a choice of bread. A very fresh home-made kind of sandwich which is humbly delicious.
They also have pizza by the slice ($5-$6). I opted for the Chicken Prosciutto New Yorker ($6). This isn’t made on site but a great quick bite to match one of their speciality beers of ciders.
There is already a great little collection of brightly coloured, animated bottles and they have every intention of expanding it. If you know your bottled beers and ciders then you’ll recognise a couple of names here, but be open to trying some of the more unusual brands. And priced at between $7.50 and $9 each, these are a bargain afternoon or afterwork treat.
Whether it’s waking up with a coffee or winding down with a cider, Working Title should work for you.
Written by Superpat