I immediately felt the presence of St Ali or Brother Baba Budan when I walked into the Auction Room. Warehouse, industrial and humour in the decor. Unpolished wood, raw brick walls contrast with a small front section with freshly painted wood. For 3 pm on a Saturday this was not busy. This is how I like my cafes

My flat white was 7/10. Good flavour but foam was a little thick in texture and also amount. The long macchiato was nice.  The menu looked playful and pushing the envelope for a cafe. We missed the breakfast menu by minus 15 minutes (assuming they ran out of food by 2:45pm). The lunch and dinner menu was very attractive and I am definitely returning for an AM treat. Dinner with a few friends would be great too.

I had the fig tart with caramalized red onions and peppered ricotta with walnut, radicchio and balsamic dressing. Absolutely delicious. The charred flavour was so good with the sweetness and acid from the onions. My friends had a chorizo soup in apple cider and parsly; tahini yogurt soup. The desserts were made on-site and we shared a pistachio, fig pudding.

I could sit there for a long time…