The team behind iconic Melbourne sourdough café and bakery Rustica have opened a new café and retail space in Collins Arch – First Love Coffee – devoted to providing the first home to its in-house coffee blend. The elegant new CBD space is designed as a walk-in standing-room-only coffee bar – serving city-dwellers coffee, Rustica pastries, and breakfast and lunch-to-go daily – as well as a stunning store where the team retails First Love Coffee’s Brazilian, Ethiopian and Nicaraguan single origins or their house Polaroid blend to coffee fans direct.
“Our first First Love Coffee location is all about speciality coffee, excellent breakfast and lunch options and the chance to purchase your favourite blend or single origin to enjoy at home. All our sandwiches, bagels, salads and pastries are from Rustica, and our green beans are sourced from all corners of the world then roasted by our team in Port Melbourne. We’re really excited to share the space with the city crowds,” says Director Drew Gibbs.
From the food menu, expect easy grab-and-go takeaway options such as:
• Granola cup with Coyo and seasonal fruit
• Brekkie roll – bacon, fried egg, relish, mayo
• Seedy sourdough, sautéed mixed mushrooms, goats curd, spinach and
truffle oil
• Toasted seeded bagel with crunchy peanut butter, banana, coconut and
chia seeds
• Poached chicken sanger with avocado, mixed leaves and tasty cheese
• Smoked mushroom sanger with taleggio, truffle mayo and baby spinach
• Poached chicken salad with Vietnamese slaw, mixed Asian herbs, bean
sprouts, toasted coconut flakes, cashews and nam jim dressing
• Miso cauliflower and quinoa salad with goji berries, golden raisins, broccolini,
kale, smoked almonds and mixed leaves
Interiors by long-term Rustica collaborator Fiona Drago Architect use a colour palette inspired by raw coffee beans and natural materials to reflect the brand’s commitment to quality and sustainability.
Peach terracotta terrazzo lines the walls, with coffee beans displayed inside the alcoves, while terrazzo marble sweeps across the floor and up the main wall unifying the space and extending the neighbouring garden. Fixtures include copper cabinets, marble counters, rose gum benches and locally-made terracotta and copper lighting, with a ceiling comprised of sculpted cork providing acoustic comfort.
First Love Coffee is open Monday to Friday from 7am–4pm to fuel Melbourne CBD workers throughout the working week as they filter back into the city.
First Love Coffee
447 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Open Monday to Friday, 7am–4pm (closed on weekends and public holidays)
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Images: Rebecca Newman