A top barista strikes out on her own with FAVE Specialty Coffee in The Valley
FAVE by name, fave by nature – Fortitude Valley’s newest cafe is looking to become your go-to coffee joint thanks to a combo of energy, expertise and excellent espresso. Helmed by top-tier barista Yoomin Park, the light-filled space is earning praise for its smooth Axil Coffee brews and sharp menu of elevated brunch fare and signature drinks.
What makes your favourite coffee spot your, well, favourite? It’s likely a combination of factors. The coffee has got to be good, for sure. And the service has to be top notch, naturally. Location also has a big role to play, for convenience sake – though a cafe worthy of the designation of ‘fave’ is likely worth travelling for.
All of this is to say that naming your cafe FAVE – like Yoomin Park did with her brand-new Fortitude Valley coffee spot – is setting expectations pretty high. But if you’ve ever had a coffee made by the top-gun barista, then you’ll know that she does things at a high level.
Even if you don’t know her by name, there’s a good chance Yoomin has made your morning brew on more than one occasion.
Since moving to Australia a decade ago, Yoomin has pulled shots at a number of Brisbane’s finest espresso-pouring establishments, including The Hideout, Supernumerary Coffee and Miss Jones, to name a few.
So it’s safe to say that Yoomin knows her way around a coffee machine (did we mention that she’s also a competitive latte artist?), but for the past few years she has craved a change – to take her talents one step further by opening a cafe of her own.
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“I just wanted to challenge myself,” says Yoomin.
Back in August, Yoomin lifted the cloche on FAVE Specialty Coffee, a light and bright nosh spot in The Eminence’s lobby at 89 McLachlan Street. Previously home to Supernova, the site had all of the necessary bones a cafe required for a quick turnaround – including a coffee bar, kitchen and seating area. After a few cosmetic touch-ups and installing in a sleek new La Marzocco espresso machine, Yoomin was ready to fire.
“In Fortitude Valley there’s a lot of good cafes here, but not actually a lot of specialty coffee,” Yoomin explains. “Here I can do more – like introducing various kinds of coffee.”
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Yoomin has tailored FAVE’s weekday menu towards The Valley’s on-the-move corporate crowd, devising an offering that’s easy to navigate and easier to devour. A grab-and-go cabinet is loaded with pastries, brekkie rolls, salads, wraps, bagels and sandwiches – the perfect gear to pair with a takeaway latte.
For those with time on their hands, dine-in options include the likes of soft folded eggs on sourdough with chilli crunch and ricotta, mushroom toast with stracciatella, hazelnut and fried egg, spicy ‘nduja toasties with mozzarella, basil pesto and hot honey, and a pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese and pickles. Yoomin is working on a weekend menu that will elevate things a smidge, with rotating specials giving a glimpse at some of the imaginative eats being workshopped.
But FAVE hangs its hat on its coffee offering, which we can confirm is top tier. Yoomin has tabbed Melbourne roasters Axil Coffee as its supplier of choice, stocking its Seasonal and Pelé blends for FAVE’s milk and black espresso, respectively, while also cycling through single origin and filter brews. Those eager to savour a spectrum of coffees can order the 1+1+1 – a flight featuring one espresso, one milk-based coffee and a batch brew.
“[Axil] produces Australian barista champions and world barista champions – it’s known for its high quality of coffee,” says Yoomin. “Not many places are using it in Brisbane.”
In addition to coffee, FAVE is slinging ceremonial-grade matcha, hojicha and teas, while a clutch of signature beverages – including an indulgent almond-cream latte and iced pistachio matcha – will continue to evolve with new additions.
Since opening last month, FAVE has quietly earned a cult following of caffeine seekers searching for a quality drop. Though the brews are on point, Yoomin believes that in order for her cafe to cement itself as a favourite, it needs to deliver on multiple fronts.
“A cafe needs to be more,” says Yoomin. “You need to give customers energy and make them happier – that’s why we always try to be energetic.”
FAVE Specialty Coffee is now open to the public – opening hours can be found in The Directory.