(My) Cafe of The Year.

“The base is filter coffee - Colombian Tres Dragones by Code Black, mixed with our house-made sugar syrup, then topped with aerated Riverina fresh cream - we make them in batches with the whip attachment in Thermomix, topped with orange zest and grated nutmeg. It was originally made hot, then customers asked for a cold one, and we said why not. ” - Brandon Jo, on the making of a Mont Blanc.

If the pre-covid cafe scene was all about ‘alternative milk in the coffee’, then post covid we experienced what I called the ‘iced coffee with random shit’ phase.

They tried to make turmeric latte happen, they tried to make spiced pumpkin latte a thing, taro coffee, condensed coconut milk latte, sparkling coffee with rose syrup … I thought we were the city Starbucks couldn’t crack; turns out we were Starbucks all along.

There is a winner, an iced coffee drink defining Melbourne.

We had the Magic¹ in the late 90s and early 2000s, and twenty years later, people came to Melbourne looking for Mont Blanc.

There are even Mont Blanc knock-offs everywhere.

Pop quiz hot shot: who invented the Mont Blanc?

It started from the corner of Lygon Street and Lygon Terrace.

“The copycats are more expensive, for some reason,” says Brandon, 1/3 partner of Good Measure.

We both know the ‘reason’ — Good Measure has the economy of scale to make it cheaper than the competitors.

I don’t blame you if you think I’m casting hyperbole here, but let's look at the numbers.

At its peak, Good Measure was pushing 4-500 Mont Blancs daily; and up to 800 during weekends.

Let’s even out and say 3000 Mont Blancs a week, after a year, that’s 156,000.

Bear in mind, in 2023, the population of the city of Melbourne was estimated to be 177,396. Statistically, two Melbourne cities worth of people have tried the Mont Blanc since opening.

Mama bear in mind, that they have a person whose sole job is to brew Colombian Tres Dragones, 7 days a week. Every time I sit at the counter, the one person grating orange peel and nutmeg doesn’t stop. I forgot how many kilos of coffee they go through daily, but you get the gist. They are not making batch brew with a Moccamaster; but a Bunn Titan DBC.

Papa bear in mind, I’m talking only Mont Blanc here, I have not included the normal lattes, flat white, long black and almond cappuccino. The food, after-hour cocktails, drinks. Yes, they even open at night.

Here’s a trivia for you: Good Measure uses Shokupan from Little Cardigan for their sando, that’s how I got my ‘in’ to speak with Brandon.

So even though I’m not a big fan of iced coffee with random shit, I can see the Mont Blanc is an insanely successful product, and Good Measure, could be one of the most successful ‘indie’ cafes in recent years.

From one of their early podcast, Brandon mentioned that the original plan for the cafe was for people to ‘chill’, and it’s true because they wouldn’t have installed hooks next to the chairs, a DJ table, and electrical outlets if they didn’t believe in it.

But they never expected their drink, inspired by Millo coffee roasters in Korea, to go viral. (B: the name and the ‘cream on top of coffee’ concept were the only similarities.)

I used to write with my laptop in Good Measure, after school drop-offs.
Nowadays I’d be lucky to get a seat at the counter.

I asked Brandon, why not create a window just for Mont Blanc?
They could easily have a hole in the wall somewhere since he has the setup down pat — a station with the filter coffee, a Thermomix, nutmeg and orange.

Even right now, in the shop, why not a line just for Mont Blanc takeaway?

“Some people want to come in and order in person and wait outside. It’s like an experience for them. And you know what, people will complain no matter what,” Brendon replied.

You know you made it when each table will buy the one feature product.

You’re probably wondering, how does a drink go ‘viral’?

It’s a combination of things — timing, location, scarcity, and taste².

Taste is the foundation.

It’s sweet, it’s chocolatey, it’s acidic, it’s floral, a mash-up between an Irish and Vietnamese coffee, without the alcohol. (I’m sure you can ask for a shot of Vermouth to go with it.)

You also need experience — Brandon had worked in cafes (his favourite place: Little Rogue) and bars (his favourite place: Chronicles in St Kilda) to apply his baristatender knowledge to crafting this mocktail.

The Colombian Tres Dragones is a single-origin bean, cafes would easily charge $9-10 just for the filter. To think you get aerated cream, with fresh orange peel and nutmeg … it’ll cost you more to make your own at home.

So, quality ingredients make quality products.

Or else it wouldn’t have gotten on The Little Red Book.

Ah, The Little Red Book.

You can’t go ‘viral’ viral without the Little Red Book.

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In Melbourne (Australia even) there is an ‘English-speaking’ food scene, and a ‘Mandarin-speaking’ food scene. Sure we’ve always had mini Facebook groups and Whatsapp chats of ethnic food circles, but I’m speaking about platforms here.

I remember the queue at Mensho started before my story on Broadsheet.

All the Chinese restaurants in the Eastern suburbs, bustling without the Good Food Guide and local media, what sorcery is this?

Like a book of ancient dark spells, everyone is curious yet also afraid of The Little Red Book. You want to be on it, but you don’t know what people are saying. and it’s totally out of your control.

There’s also that ‘privacy’ thing. The one thing both Liberals and Labor parties agree on: you install a Chinese app, then you are a communist spy.

I speak the language, yet I’m still afraid of the app: I have enough distractions in life. I don’t think I need brainrot in Chinese as well.

Sometimes, businesses and restaurants approached me to go through quotes from social media agencies. I almost want to ask: can you call yourself a ‘full-service agency’, if you don’t have a ‘Little Red Book’ strategy?

Melburians don’t get to decide if it’s a ‘thing’; it’s the tourists.

I’ve also talked about the effects of ‘viral’ dishes — when your business gets dictated by the algorithm.

Like when customers demanded iced oat lattes in Bench, because they saw it on Tiktok. I know the Small Batch people struggle with expectations.

Like how every girl dances the same dance, to the same music, with the same caption. Guys having the same split-personality Gollum conversation about cultural differences.

What I took away from this, is if you want to go that way, you need to be adaptable, fully committed, and set up a complete system. I’ve seen many restauranteurs or even writers (myself) poo-pooing the short-term gain of following trends, but Good Measure’s Mont Blanc is a great case study against what we think is ‘selling out’.

They took a risk, and now own something unique, and consistent, like MONA in Hobart, increasing the foot traffic in Carlton. Will the customers go for Indonesian lunch after this? Will they head to Readings? Will they queue for ice cream? Or go to Don Don? Or walk back to Chinatown? Doesn’t matter, they’re out, spending.

Sometimes, it’s a very good problem to have.

Filter coffee on tap.

There are a couple of delights on the top 20 cafe lists in the Good Food Guide this year — Lumen People, Core Roasters, and a couple that raised my eyebrows — Hector’s Deli and Market Lane, are they technically cafes?

What is a cafe?

For me, a cafe needs a coffee menu, hot food, and table service.

Interior, plants, vinyl records, comfortable furniture… file those under ‘vibes’, subjective vibes.

I told Brandon, that Good Measure reminded me of Fuglen, a scandi-cafe in Tokyo, and he said that was one of the three references they gave the architects to work on³.

The place used to be a bicycle shop. I know, because I used to fix my flat tyres here when it was still Bosari Cycles. If you pay attention, the different bike brands’ logos are still over the fascia board.

When it’s not packed with people on weekends, the natural light coming through the giant window makes the space one of the best along Lygon Street.

The staff are young and borderline hipster, but never pretentious⁴, always in control. I want to dislike them, but I can’t. They are constantly refilling my sparkling water, and never chase me out.

Last year, when Chiaki was awarded Cafe of the Year, I told myself: it should’ve been Good Measure. I should speak to Brandon for the newsletter.

A year later, the award went to Moonmart, and I told myself: it still should’ve been Good Measure, and finally spoke to Brandon.

I don’t drink iced coffee with random shit, but I bring friends and family here as part of my ‘historical’ food tour.

1. A double ristretto (a concentrated espresso shot taken at 15-20 seconds compared to the usual 25-30s) topped with steamed milk. The milk-to-coffee ratio is smaller than a latte or flat white, resulting in a stronger, richer cup.

2. If I knew for sure, I’d be running a cafe now.

3. Look at me, the viber of vibe.

4. This one time, the guy took a photo of my parents and me during full house.