The Raw Trader – Guilt Free Joy!

Outside Raw Trader

Inside Raw Trader

Seating at Raw Trader

Wood Paneling Feature Wall

Inside Raw Trader

Dessert Display

Dessert Display

Dessert Display

Dessert Display

Dessert Display

It’s Everything free!

Dessert and Coffee at Raw Trader

Latte at Raw Trader

Close up of Deconstructed Orange Mousse Tart

Deconstructed Orange Mousse Tart

Menu:

Raw Trader is a newly opened café and specialty dessert that whose main focus is on healthy eating! They offer organic, raw, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and Paleo healthy desserts and treats. They make the dream of eating desserts guilt-free come true! It also brings the dreams of people who have food allergies or reactions to particular foods come true as now they too can enjoy and experience the joys of delicious tasting desserts without any reaction.

Raw Trader is located off Latrobe Street in Melbourne CBD on Sutherland St, conveniently located near Melbourne Central and Emporium. It is run by Emily Samyue who is a former food technologist who left the corporate world to start this great idea!

The fit-out is brilliantly designed by Studio Y – there is a combination of raw wood together with a slick modern warehouse vibe. There are baby blue table tops which contrast well with the feature wooden wall panelling. The metal baby blue stools topped with resin sack covered cushions complete the look. There are also high light wooden tables located towards the back, with baby blue poles running thru the middle to the high ceilinged venue. The space is light and airy. The main attraction of course is the polished concrete counter (brown with touches of baby blue), which houses the La Marzocco coffee machine as well the star of the counter – the desserts display. Each variety of dessert has its own name board and is displayed upon a wooden board.

Raw Trader makes ALL their products on site (even the nut milks), using the best selection of ingredients with bucket loads of love and care used to create the delectable treats. Along with desserts, they also offer organic coffee – Red Star coffee – tea and hot chocolate. There are also a selection of home-made organic whole fruit and vegetables juices and smoothies available such as Immunity (Orange, Carrot, Kale, Spinach, Acai, Ginger) and Calming (Almond, Raw Cacao, Blueberries) – just to name a few.

There is a vast array of desserts to choose from – raw cheesecakes, slices, bliss balls, chocolate bark, muesli bars, chia puddings just to name a few. There are flavours such as Cherry Ripe Slice, Apricot & Mandarin Slice, Chocolate Pudding, Carrot Cake, Tiramisu, Deconstructed Lemon-Mousse Tart, Apple Crumble, White Chocolate and Berry Layer Cake, Chocolate Banana Slice, Black Forest Cake, Kiwi Layer Cheesecake, Choc Orange Bliss Ball. As you can see there are a variety of options available, with the menu changing daily – you never know what you will get when you arrive at Raw Trader – it all adds to the fun!

You can see from the pictures above the selection that was on offer to me when I visited Raw Trader. I decided to order the Deconstructed Orange Mousse Tart. I am not usually a huge fan of orange flavoured desserts – but I really enjoyed this version! The Orange taste was light and airy as was the mousse. The chocolate crumble that was added around the mousse – added a soft texture and further enhanced the orange flavour. Overall, it was a scrumptious treat that I would recommend you try out. The deconstructed lemon mousse will be next on my list to try! I also had a latte – which was strong, intense and full bodied – just what I needed for the perfect pick me up! I didn’t try their almond like but I think I will give it a try next time around.

You can also buy products from Raw Trader – they offer a range of house-made retail products, such as organic raw granolas, organic teas, organic activated and raw fruit and nuts mixes as well as home-made organic raw almond and hazelnut milks. They also make specialty cakes to order so if you are looking for your next celebration cake then look no further than Raw Trader.

Raw Trader is a great addition to the city for what is a growing raw movement and health-conscious trend. It might be a tad on the pricey side however for what it caters for and the quality of ingredients they use it is quite reasonable. What is great as well is that they are open till late from Wednesday to Saturday which allows you to enjoy these sweet treats and great tasting coffee late into the evening. You can either dine in or takeaway – whichever you prefer!

Rating : 3.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to Picture above for list of smoothies and juices. Desserts vary on a daily basis
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Fun, Modern and Relaxed
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://rawtrader.com.au/
10 Sutherland Street, Melbourne
Tel No: 0478 692 008

Opening Hours:
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Wednesday to Thursday: 7:30am – 8:30pm
Friday: 7:30am – 10:00pm
Saturday & Sunday – 10:00am – 10:00pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawtrader14
Instagram: rawtrader
Twitter: @rawtrader14

Filter by Small Batch – Coffee Perfection

Filter

Counter to the right

Counter to the left

Close Up of Coffee Making

Coffee Making and Mineral Water

At the Counter where you sit

Smorrebods Selection

Selection of Smorrebod

Selection of Smorrebod

View from Sitting at the Counter

From the Counter View

More Coffee Making

Latte and Smorrebod

Latte from Filter by Small Batch Coffee

Vegan Smorrebod – Dofta – Pine Mushroom Spread, Kale & Choke Chips, Carrot & Pasta Salad

Menu:

           

Where can you get great tasting coffee, as well as getting to try out an interestingly named “sandwich” called smørrebrød? The answer is the newly opened Filter by Small Batch Coffee – opened by Andrew Kelly (founder of Small Batch Coffee and its flagship Auction Rooms) – in the Melbourne CBD at the corner of Collins and King Street.

Filter came about after Broadsheet announced a competition called The Keys – giving a change to one of Melbourne’s reknowned and established coffee owners the change to pursue a new venture with the help of them and Bank of Melbourne. To perfect the process of getting Filter perfect – Kelly had the mentorship from some friends including Kate Bartholomew (Coda, Tonka), Nathan Toleman (Top Paddock, Two Birds One Stone), Chris Lucas (Chin Chin, Kong, Baby) and Bank of Melbourne’s Vanessa Hastie. The journey that was experienced in opening this venue can be found at Broadsheet at http://bankofmelbourne.com.au/thekeys

Filter is a spacious, light filled, warehouse like space at the bottom of the Denmark House building. The fit out is minimalist and simple – complete with light wooden tones and colourful yellow sunflowers dotted throughout the venue. There are two main counter areas – the one on the right displays the smørrebrød, desserts on offer as well housing the coffee machine and sparkling water – the one on the left is where people can sit down at, as well as having another area where you can view the filter coffee making process. Thru the centre of the area where you can sit are displays of all things related to coffee – such as a weighing scale, coffee cup and other coffee paraphernalia. I really do like the layout of Filter.

Filter is all about the coffee – and as the name suggests – the main focus is on filter coffee – which is coffee that is strained through paper. It does however serve espresso as well. Filter coffee is generally less intense than espresso and has a much “cleaner experience.” Filter also serves smørrebrød which Kelly believes is the perfect accompaniment to the perfect coffee. A smørrebrød is an open sandwich served on a thin slice of eye and commonly eaten by people from Denmark and Sweden. Smørrebrød consists of a piece of dark rye (a dense, dark brown bread. Pålæg) topped with anything really – from pickled fish and remoulade to cold cuts, pieces of meat, cheese or spreads. The smørrebrød here at Filter have been designed by Auction Rooms head chef Boris Portnoy.

I order a latte and from the very first sips I could tell that this would be my new favourite coffee joint. The flavour is brilliant – soft caramel tones with a note of creaminess and nuttiness through it. I usually have some sugar in my coffees, but with this coffee I didn’t need any at all. I really could have had multiple cups of coffee. There are coffees that are ready to go, as well as coffees that are made to order and range from coming from counties such as Colombia, Ethiopia, and Burundi.

Filter has 10 in house made smørrebrød to choose from – refer to the menu above for the different types. I ordered the Vegan smørrebrød – which consisted of Pine Mushroom Spread, Kale & Choke Chips, Carrot & Pasta Salad and has the Swedish name Dofta. This was my first time eating a smørrebrød and it was delicious! The rye was fresh and the saltiness of the mushroom spread worked well with the creaminess of the pasta and the crunch of the kale and choke chips. Smørrebrød’s are filling without giving you that heavy feeling of being full. I definitely want to head back and try some of the other toppings.

There are also tea’ from Storm in a Teacup (Collingwood) as well as cold drinks in the form of house made refreshing soda pops of which there are two flavours to choose from – Old fashioned lemonade called Citron and Fresh peppermint and vanilla called Mynte. These are next on my list to try out.

For coffee lovers, people who are still not quite sure about coffee or for anyone really – do yourself a favour and check out Filter. You really won’t regret it! If you want more information about Filter and The Keys story you can refer to the following link bankofmelbourne.com.au/broadsheetthekey

During Filter’s first month of trade, Bank of Melbourne customers who show their bank card between 7 and 11am will receive a free filter coffee.

Rating : 5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to menu above – Breakfast, Lunch, Coffee, Tea and Cold Drinks menu
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual and Relaxed, Warehouse feel
Service: Friendly and they sure do know all about coffee
Restaurant Details and Location:
filterbysmallbatch.com.au
555 Collins Street, Melbourne
Tel No: 9620 1211

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 7am–4pm
Saturday: 8am–2pm