Gabriel

The Verdict

Gertrude Street’s newest addition to the café scene comes in the form of mid-century modern fitted-out diner, Gabriel, situated in the old De Clieu space.

New owner, Andrew Skoullos, wanted to pay homage to the café’s predecessor and its namesake, Gabriel De Clieu, who was credited with introducing coffee to French colonies in the 1720s.

The space was gutted and renovated by Flack Studio to create the elegant and modern interior—think Mad Men espresso bar with brass fittings and contrasting accents of green, pink, burgundy and red.

The menu here has offerings with equally modern takes on classics, such as their potato galette with cured trout, asparagus, curd, beetroot and pea tendrils, and an oxtail ragout served with potato, chickpeas and blackened onion. Definitely not just your average brunch menu.  

Drinks-wise, there’s coffee by Inglewood Coffee Roasters, batch brew, French press, teas and a seasonally house-made soda. There are also options for the day drinker in all of us with an extensive alcohol selection, featuring cocktails like a Bloody Mary with pickles, and the Gabriel Spritz, made with prosecco, house syrup, bitters and soda. Again, very Mad Men.

We suggest taking out-of-towners here for an introduction into the Melbourne coffee and food scene. They’ll definitely be impressed.

Image credit: supplied