Van man spreads magic

Michael Ibrahim, owner of the Soul Kitchen espresso vans and the recently built Woodfired Pizza Truck, has opened his first cafe that isn't on wheels. He has named the place Magic, after the style of coffee - a double ristretto with the equal amount of milk - and it's on the corner of Ferrars and Bank streets in South Melbourne. It was a barber shop for 30 years before Ibrahim jumped in with wife Helen and friends Ash and Verlyn Kniveton. Ibrahim's van can still be found outside the Arts Centre most mornings. He has four vans in total and has been building the mobile coffee business since 2003. The room at Magic is decorated with Helen's artwork and the menu offering is ''substantial, seasonal breakfast and lunch dishes'', Ibrahim says. They serve St Ali coffee. ''We have cold-drip, siphon and Turkish coffee, as well as single origin,'' he says. Magic is open daily from 6.30am.

Hilary McNevin