A new Recess spot in Griffith from Terra and Barrio talent
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While it was hard for Canberra to bid farewell to the Griffith Vietnamese after 23 years of outstanding dishes, something exciting is rising in its place.
Anthony Iannelli, the brains behind Terra in Civic, is putting in place a long-held vision for a classic café serving superior dishes and exemplary cups of coffee.
He will be working in partnership with coffee aficionado Scott Brewer, formerly of Barrio, and the pair will be bringing a new café, Recess, to life.
Due to open in May after a major makeover by architects MyMyMy, Recess will have a relaxed retro feel with a cute courtyard in which to catch the sun’s rays.
It will serve breakfast, lunch and snacks, all day, seven days a week.
Anthony, who also owns Food Forum in Westfield Belconnen, has wanted to flex his muscles in the café space for some time but was on the lookout for a central location.
Scott will be roasting Recess’ own blend and bagging the beans for retail.
Griffith is perfect in that respect, catering to both a suburban crowd but home to an existing strip of shops which also draw people from around the city.
“I am glad to say we are not going to compete with any of the existing shops, but bringing something extra to the suburb,” said Anthony.
He is obsessed with fresh produce and promises the quality of the food will set Recess apart.
“I am really fussy about quality ingredients so what gets served here will be as good as we can make it.”
He and Scott are still pondering the menu while the fit-out takes place, but want to stick to the classics.
“I also understand that Canberrans expect really really good coffee so it makes perfect sense to partner with Scott on this.”
Scott has been playing with a Mexican and a Costa Rican blend at the moment to use as the house espresso blend. But Recess hopes to open with 4-6 different coffees that will all be available to purchase to take home.
Right now, the site looks a long way from ready, but with builders poised to make their move in the coming weeks, the pair is getting excited.
“Honestly, we have wanted to do this for years and this spot is really a Godsend. If we can last half as long as the Griffith Vietnamese then we will be happy!”
