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First look at Rye cafe in Braddon

Jil Hogan
Jil Hogan

The cafe menu has a Danish touch.
The cafe menu has a Danish touch.Jil Hogan

Braddon's newest cafe addition Rye is set to be a buzzing brunch spot, with healthy lunches and after work drinks and nibbles, all with a bit of a Danish touch.

Opening up this week, the light, airy venue will serve up healthy breakfasts, lunches and casual after-work eats seven days a week.

Owners Ben Pigram​ and Jacob Hoffmeyer​ are completely new to the Canberra hospitality scene.

Pigram worked as a remote area nurse and moved to Canberra from Adelaide with his wife two years ago. Hoffmeyer had been working as a graphic designer in Adelaide​, and moved over with his wife, who is originally from Canberra, and their young daughter three months ago.

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The duo met through their wives, who were both working as journalists, and they bonded over food. Both also have a background in hospitality and when Pigram approached Hoffmeyer about opening a venue in Canberra, he jumped at the chance.

"I had always planned to do something in Adelaide, it's something I'd been planning to do for a long time, then the move to Canberra presented some new opportunities," Pigram said.

They looked all over the capital for a venue, settling on a space on the Civic-end of Lonsdale Street, across the road from the Arte Building.

Rye's menu is seasonally focussed, with salads and sandwiches available for lunch, both eat in or takeaway, plus there's heartier meat dishes for those looking to stick around. There's also a nod to Hoffmeyer's Danish heritage with smorrebrod​, open Danish sandwiches on rye bread. Lots of their smallgoods, including pickles, chutneys, pate and even tonic water will be made in-house.

The venue is also licensed for those slightly longer lunches, or a sneaky mimosa with brunch, and Rye is open for after-work drinks and charcuterie and cheese from Wednesday to Saturday. They have a simple, rotating wine list, with a few local offerings mixed up with some from the rest of Australia.

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The space is bright and cosy, with a bit of a Scandinavian feel. Light pours in through the front glass windows, which lead to a cosy front outdoor seating area and kerbside tables. There's also a fireplace nestled inside for cooler days and evenings.

It has been a labour of love for the owners, with family and friends helping out with everything from laying the timber, making the benches, right down to sewing the cushions.

Their other main focus is coffee, with their beans coming from Five Senses Coffee out of Western Australia. "Australian coffee culture is excellent, we're really fortunate to have access to amazing beans and equipment and that sort of stuff but it can be a little bit intimidating. It's kind of gone to this odd level where it can make people feel a little bit uncomfortable to ask questions," said Pigram.

"We want to be able to provide beautiful coffees, like some amazing filter coffees for example and batch brews and cold drips and all that kind of stuff, but do it in an environment where people can come in and just try it and enjoy it and if they don't like it, go on to try something different and just ask questions. Just to try and take a little bit of that uncomfortable geekiness out of the coffee culture."

Open Sun-Tue 6.30am-4pm; Wed-Sat 6.30am-late.

9 Lonsdale Street, Braddon, ryecafe.com.au

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Jil HoganJil Hogan is an food and lifestyle reporter at The Canberra Times.

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