A Melbourne-Themed Cafe Exists In Paris Now
We’ve done it. The world has out-quirked itself. A hip cafe in Paris’ 10th arrondissement bears a striking resemblance to a cafe you might find in Australia’s coolest city (yeah I said it), Melbourne. But what exactly is a Melbourne-themed cafe, anyway?
Okay so according to Time Out, baristas wearing beanies, all-day egg dishes and industrial decor all make Holybelly a pretty great tribute to Australia’s party capital – and they’re actually sort of on the money. Holybelly’s owners, Canadians Sarah Mouchot and Nico Alary, describe the cafe as “really close to a Melbourne-style cafe, in the sense that we specialise in delicious food served from 9am, good coffee and friendly service.” Mouchot and Alary spent three years in Melbourne, but left back in 2012 to open this inspired cafe in France.
You can definitely see where inspiration has sprung – there’s local beans by Brûlerie de Belleville in the roasters, top quality ingredients ready to be whipped up in Melbourne brunch fashion and even a shout out to the city on the menu. It reads: “Eggs and sides is the ultimate Melbourne breakfast. You’ll see people in cafes, before work or on their days-off, smashing hearthy [sic] portions of eggs with a few sides and a think piece of sourdough.”
Possibly the only thing missing from the menu is our famed smashed avo, but we’re holding out hope that if you ask – for the sake of authenticity – they’ll deliver.
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Paris isn’t the first European city to adopt Australia’s cafe culture either – Berlin’s urban sprawl has since been overrun by new-breed Australian-style cafes that’ll help you indulge in your (excellently brewed) cafe latte, just like you would back home. There’s even a cafe/bar/restaurant called Melbourne Canteen in the German capital that’ll delight any travelling coffee snob with its long list of Aussie coffee varieties and chilled-out atmosphere.
It seems while Melbourne was busy opening cafes and bagel shops devoted to Seinfeld alumni, Paris has one-upped everyone and turned our culture capital back on it’s own head – seeing as how Melbourne is clearly in a perpetual state of self-parody, it kind of makes sense.
(Lead image: HolyBelly)
Keen to check it out for yourself? Fly to Europe with Qantas.
