When word got out that Brendan Pratt was leaving Vasse Felix, eaters were thrown into a tizz. Among the questions that flooded DMs and Whatsapp group chats: why is he leaving? Where is he going? Who’s replacing him? (You can read more about that here.) Should we try to make a reservation before he finishes up in April? Finally, restaurant observers have answers to some of these queries although, intriguingly, our man’s next move isn’t going to be a restaurant.
Introducing Coffee Heads, a drive-through coffee and sandwich shop coming this May to the Busselton suburb of Vasse. On paper, the move might seem odd, but for Pratt and his partners, opening something casual makes plenty of sense: Vasse is one of WA’s fastest growing communities; Pratt and co. live in the area; plus they all understand the needs of the market, both in terms of local demands and what travellers to the region are after. For Pratt, that means sandwiches and other familiar foodstuffs, made with local ingredients and no small amount of kitchen care. Think toasties freighting house kimchi and washed rind Cambray cheese, fresh salad rolls and an ode to that most West Australian of sandwiches, the conti roll.
“The focus is going to be on things I love to eat, just made with the same fine-tuned approach as Vasse [Felix],” says Pratt. “It’s going to be approachable and the main focus will be deliciousness. We want to create a kind of coffee and sandwich shop that reminds people of their childhood. The menu is going to have a lot of things that my chef mates and I talk about making for ourselves at home.”
Pratt plans to lean on the connections he made during his five-year run at Vasse Felix and work with local bakers, butchers and providores to source ingredients as well as custom-made items. Monthly collaborations with chef friends are also on the agenda. In short: Pratt will be doing his darndest to convince motorists to pull over and take five.
Of course, food is only part of the story. As the name suggests, caffeine will be a key focus, not least because Pratt’s partners in Coffee Heads are Margaret River Roasting Company founder James Tischhauser and coffee roaster Isaac Kara. Its custom blend is designed to work equally well hot and cold, and a daily rotating single batch brew filter will also be on offer.
The location of Coffee Heads in Vasse is also a strategic choice, with management aiming to serve and caffeinate travellers to and from the south-west. (The shop will have drive-through lanes heading in both directions.) Like the food, the coffee offering will tick the boxes for both accessibility and attention-to-detail.
“Essentially, we want to bring that ‘speciality coffee’ taste without the speciality coffee barista attitude,” says Kara. “If you want five sugars we’re happy to give you five sugars. But while I poke fun at the snobby barista world, I do very much respect it and see value in offering all the quirky, less mainstream options you would find at cafes. Drive-through coffee has the stigma of being slow and lacklustre. We aim to spin this on its head and bring amazing coffee, great service and incredible food to this venture.”
Coffee Heads (4 Birak Lane, Vasse) is due to open in Vasse in May.
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