Northcote’s Newest Cafe Is Here To Get You Out Of Your Go-To Order Rut

The inner north is no stranger to good cafes, but the new kid on the block in Northcote is here to shake things up a little. 

Opening Monday, 28 September, Rogue Rabbit has one clear goal: to put its own unique spin on the breakfast and cafe culture locals already love.

It's the next venture for the crew behind Templestowe's Down The Rabbit Hole, famed for its brioche doughnuts ('Bronuts'), and marks a new era for John Scardamaglia, Matt Smith and Joe Mansour, as the team goes a little off script with their offering. 

"We wanted to create a breakfast cafe that feels a little different—a bit more quirky, a bit more rogue," says Scardamaglia. 

Having built a 30-year-strong career in Melbourne's hospo industry, Smith says Northcote just feels right for what the team is trying to create at Rogue Rabbit. 

"It's not your typical menu, so we're not mainstream. We just want to be cool and fun and part of the community," he says. 

"And there's a lot more competition, so it keeps you on your toes."

"In Templestowe, we're known for our Bronuts. No one really does doughnuts in Northcote, so we want to do that as well."

From dough to finished product, the Bronuts take four days to make—a process that Smith has refined over the last decade. At Rogue Rabbit, customers will be able to get their hands on signature flavours spanning cinnamon, glazed, Nutella, jam, pistachio, and lemon curd. 

Created in consultation with Berth head chef Sam Gledhill, the menu does cover some Melbourne brunch mainstays, with chilli folded eggs, a fruit toast and eggs your way covering the basics, but for the most part, the selection is packed with a little more personality. 

The Muffaletta French Toast takes thick-cut sholupan and stuffs it with mortadella, stracciatella, green olives and pistachio salsa. The Scroll On In uses Bronut offcuts to create a brioche scroll made savoury, with dill cream cheese, smoked salmon and poached eggs.

It's a menu that'll get you right out of the go-to order rut, with a teriyaki katsu sandwich, grass-fed scotch fillet with poached eggs and smashed Italian sausage brekkie bun to work your way through. The drink line-up is no different, with a Mont Blanc, signature Northcote Fog with Earl Grey iced tea, raspberry and matcha cold foam, and Bronut Bomb with Bronut-infused coldfoam and a Bronut crouton. 

The team has also worked to make the space feel unique in its own right, with a 30-metre mural by local artist Danielle Webber lining the outside wall of the building. Naturally, it depicts a rabbit riding a skateboard.

Rogue Rabbit opens its doors on Monday, 28 September at 4 Separation Street, Northcote. 

Imagery: Rogue Rabbit | Supplied