For many café owners, a toned-down, rustic look is a design choice made to increase the character of their venue. But for A Mother’s Milk in South Australia, it began as a necessity.
“When the original owners set up the café, they didn’t have much of a budget for design, so it was quite raw, with exposed bricks and wooden floorboards. But the concept has become more popular and it looks amazing now,” Owner Tania Basheer says.
“We’ve definitely improved the interior since then, polished the edges, made it a bit cleaner, and improved the facilities.”
Tania took over the café three years ago, looking to move away from the long hours involved in restaurant work in favour of the calmer, customer-focused, and daytime structure of running a café.
“When a business changes hands you’re always worried you’ll lose a few customers, but it’s been really smooth. We’ve gained new customers and our regulars have stuck with us too,” Tania says. “It has an eclectic vibe. The clientele ranges from young hipsters to older people, families and residents to business people and shoppers. It’s really a mixed bag and everyone’s welcome.”
Since last December, A Mother’s Milk has run Toby’s Estate’s Woolloomooloo as its house blend, prepared with a Synesso espresso machine. It also rotates single origins for espresso and batch brew.
“We love the consistency and freshness of the coffee, and the team behind it as well. We’ve made some good friends with the people that visit from Toby’s Estate,” Tania says.
A highlight from the café’s food menu to accompany the coffee is the baked eggs. The dish sees the eggs cooked in a traditional Italian sauce in a terracotta pot, then topped with provoleta cheese and served on toasted sourdough.
“Our sourdough is famous for being one of the best in Unley,” Tania says. “We make a lot of our food and toppings from scratch, from the aioli and sauces to our cakes and slices. Pretty much everything but the bread, which is baked specifically for us by a local baker.”
Due to the venue’s warm and friendly atmosphere, Tania says the meaning behind the name ‘A Mother’s Milk’ is often misconstrued.
“It actually came from a Red Hot Chili Peppers tour and album. A lot of people assume the ethos is tied to nurturing or breastfeeding mothers, but it actually has nothing to do with that,” she says. “But it’s definitely a great icebreaker with new customers.”
A Mother’s Milk
105 Unley Road, Unley, South Australia, 5061
Open seven days a week 7:30am to 3pm
(08) 8271 4329