When Australian Olympians Eamon Sullivan, Steve Hooker, and Jamie Dwyer paired up with celebrated Chef Scott Bridger to open May Street Larder in Fremantle, it was bound to draw a crowd. The fact that the group were already pleasing the locals with café Bib and Tucker just across the water in North Fremantle meant Perth residents were even more eager to see what they were up to.
“I think people came in thinking they’d see something similar to Bib and Tucker but really May Street Larder is completely different,” says May Street Larder Head Barista Josh Hathaway. “That bit of expectation from people definitely meant we had to be on our game right from the minute we opened the doors.”
May Street Larder can be found in a residential area, which links the suburbs of Bicton, Palmyra, and North Fremantle.
“We get lots of families coming in,” Josh says. “I think the mums like the fact that we’ll happily make the kids babyccinos, so that they can just relax with a latte.”
Josh says there was never any question what coffee they’d be serving. “When Eamon moved up to Perth from Sydney he was pretty determined to bring Campos Coffee with him,” he says. “He’d been a Campos drinker there for a few years and had become a bit of an advocate.”
Eamon first started serving Campos Coffee at Bib and Tucker, before bringing it along to help build May Street Larder’s reputation. The café serves Campos Coffee’s Superior Blend, in addition to Campos Coffee’s single origins on rotation.
“We’re currently serving the Kenyan Tchakakhan, which is quite currant driven and a little bit citrusy,” Josh says. “It takes people a little bit of getting used to, but when they get it, their eyes light up.”
May Street Larder’s menu is mostly made up of food to suit the health conscious, with a few indulgent deviations.
Josh says the Soul Sandwich, a polenta waffle topped with buttermilk fried chicken, smashed avocado, smoked sour cream, and jalapenos, is a bit of a favourite. “Scott is a bit of a perfectionist and ensures each dish looks absolutely amazing,” Josh says. “Everything is produced in-house. Even the bread is baked here.”