Tuesday 29 December 2009

Our Last Day of the Year


Ok, what a way to finish the year! We had our second biggest day of trade ever. We had diners in the courtyard. We ran out of almost everything and it was an absolute blast of a day. The pace, the energy, the good vibes we're motivating and at the end of it there was a great sense of accomplishment. Well done to Jacq and Rai who were just superb to work with. They both did a really really fantastic job.
We're closed now till 12th January 2010. Thanks to you all for so much love and support. We couldn't have done it without you. Enjoy the New Years celebrations.

Wednesday 23 December 2009

Herb Garden




A huge thanks needs to go out to Steve and Helen for their help with the new Herb Gardens. I think you'll agree they look fantastic and bring a really great life to the courtyard.

Christmas

We'll be closed on Christmas Day and then from the 28th to the 12th Jan. That means we're open for the Boxing Day weekend, assuming there are people around and we don't run out of food!!! Should be fun! Merry Christmas everyone!

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Our first professional review

We think this is very very exciting!

Not only is this our first ever, professional review, but we got 2 beans. That's not bad, given there is only 3 available!

Read all about it at:

http://www.melbournecoffeereview.com/2009/12/sevenam.html

Hope you're all rockin your world!

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Celebrity in da House


Yup, so cool I tells ya!

We had the one and only Dipper in for lunch today. I didn't bother him too much, but it was still cool.

We also had an out of the blue insanely busy day that I made it through with only me on the floor.

Looks like it's getting busy! Bring it on!!!

Monday 2 November 2009

Cup Day - Closed!

seven:am will be closed cup day... Hope you all back a winner!

Friday 9 October 2009

Egg & Bacon Roll + Coffee

It's a simply little idea, but a really tasty one.

We're now doing an Egg & Bacon Roll with a Coffee for $8.

Come and let us know what you think...

Wednesday 9 September 2009

3 weeks young

So we're 3 weeks in and things are ticking along nicely. The feedback from almost everyone has been altogether very positive, with people loving the food, loving the coffee and finding seven:am a comfortable place to BE.

It's also really fantastic to see so many faces returning after their first experience. It's the best indication that we're doing this right.

A couple of highlights have been a second generation muffin recipe book from Penny, a seven:am muffin fan, and a some beautiful flowers from Sue & Kate.

The food highlights have to be the omelette for breakfast and the steak sandwich for lunch. Our chai latte's are already developing a following, and our range of SerendipiTea tea's are going off. Coffee from Coffee Supreme has been warmingly welcomed to the street.

That's all for now. Hope you're all really well.

Jase

Thursday 20 August 2009

It's seven a.m.

Welcome!
It's seven a.m.
The doors are open.

Come in and say hi.

Monday 10 August 2009

The time is right at seven a.m.

The time has come.
The date is set.

seven a.m. will be opening at 7am on Thursday 20th August.
Come on down and say hello to Jase, Ben and the team.

155 Bay Street
Port Melbourne

EAT:DRINK:BE

Sunday 12 July 2009

Introducing Ben, the head chef at seven am.

Ben is the head chef at seven am.

He is originally from the UK (he has the British accent to prove it) and has been calling Australia home for the past 6 years.
He is a man of many talents.
He has worked as an engineer.
He has worked as a project manager.
And a plasterer.
For the last four years, Ben has worked as a chef.

Ben believes he has found his perfect job.

When Ben first arrived in Australia, he could easily have fallen back into the comfort zone of doing what he knows, but he was keen to try something new and believes he has now found his 'thing'. Ben is doing what he loves, a role that he is passionate about and that motivates him to try new things and improve on the skills that he already has as a chef.

When Jason was looking for a head chef, Ben came along at just the right time. In fact, the timing could not have been more perfect. Ben had just returned from working in a cafe down the coast for 3 years. He had also helped with the refit of the coastal cafe a couple of years earlier and so promised to be a great asset to this project. During the seven am cafe development stages, Ben has been a full time friend and support to Jason.

In Jason's words, Ben is "perfect for the job... In his involvement and planning in the project everything has worked. He is enthusiastic, committed, mature, has a good business sense and we share a vision of what we want to achieve. We share a natural alignment of thought."

Jason has faith in Ben and his style. When they first discussed the menu in January, they found they already had very similar hopes and expectations. There are some differences of ideas of course, but this surely is another essential ingredient for variety and spice.

I recently asked Ben a few questions...

What do you like to cook?
Fresh basic ingredients with flavour are essential. And then using them together without over complicating it too much. Allowing the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves.

I like homestyle, though not too homey. A good balance of flavours and taste. Meals that are natural and not too finicky. Everything fresh and made to order.

We want to create a base menu with seasonal flavours and specials making the most of Melbourne's access to fresh and high quality food. What you can expect is good honest food.

Ben especially loves fish and seafood which is perfect for seven am’s seaside location.

What's the biggest thing you have learned so far?
I have learnt so much about the big picture, about opening a cafe from scratch and a total understanding of what is required from every side of the business. It has been an amazing experience.

So, Ben. How would you sell yourself for this role?
(This stopped him short and he looked a bit uncomfortable about selling himself, it was difficult question)
Ultimately, I will be myself... What you see is what you get.
I like what I cook. What I lack in experience, I will learn. I am adaptable and I am open to the advice of others in the process of learning new things. I work well under pressure.

What do you see as Jason's strengths for the business?
Definitely his people focus. He’s very self aware. He's been in hospitality before so he knows what's required and he also draws well from his creative and design background and from life experience.
He's just a top person really... He knows what he wants, what he has to do to get it and he isn't afraid of the hard slog to get there.

Together, I think Ben and Jason are going to make a great team.

Thursday 4 June 2009

Rolling right along

It's been a while since updates from me. However, I am happy to say that I have caught up with Jase tonight and we have spent a bit of time making a few changes to the blog (have you noticed a few new features) and I have been hearing all the news.

Like me, you'll have been wondering what's the latest with Jase and the crew at seven a.m.

Work is rolling right along.

Paperwork is lodged with the council.
The floors are cemented.
The kitchen is nearly ready for assembly.
Stairs are built and lead to the upstairs area.
Bar construction is underway.
Works have begun in the courtyard.
And there have been lots of things going on in the background also.
Here are a few pics to show you how it's all coming along.

Food for thought:
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
J. R. R. Tolkien (1892 - 1973)



Tuesday 2 June 2009

One foxy Logo indeed!



It is with great pleasure that I can now present the new and final logo for seven a.m. A huge Thank You to Allan Fox for his mad logo skills. He had created a logo that I think reflects the relaxed atmosphere of the café, whilst working in extremely well the name of the business.
As always, with everything to do, your feedback is welcome.

Tuesday 12 May 2009

Location Location Location!

The lease has been signed and works are now well under way.

The location for seven a.m is perfect. Bay Street Port Melbourne.

It doesn't get much better than this.

It's a beautiful and established community, a combination of long time residents and newcomers. A busy business district during the week and on weekends the local community is always out and about. Add into the mix the visitors who come to the popular seaside suburb to hang out and soak up the atmosphere, and there is always something happening.

It is perfect in so many ways and very much like what Jason and Ben are hoping seven a.m to be. A welcoming atmosphere, with a strong local feel, new and innovative and yet a retreat from the hustle and bustle. The sort of place where you go to grab a coffee on the run and decide to take a seat and stay for a while. A breath of fresh air...

The cafe is being built from scratch. From the ground up. The floors, walls, kitchen, amenities, court yard and even an upstairs area are in the plans. It's all go in Bay Street, Port Melbourne right now and there's no shortage of work ahead. Some of you may already have dropped in to see the beginnings of the works and you'll know exactly what I mean. It's a good thing Jase and Ben are so enthusiastic, passionate and open to hard work - because they're going to need to be.

So while Jase is busy with all the paperwork and building works, and Ben is deciding how to set up his kitchen and plan his menu, I have been asked to keep you up to date, to let you know how it's all going at seven a.m. My name is Jacinta. I am a friend of Jason's and he has asked me to help out with the seven a.m. blog. It's a great honour and a little bit daunting too.

Over the coming weeks, before the grand opening (hopefully around the end of June) that's exactly what I hope to do...

Next week I will introduce Ben the chef for seven a.m. I caught up with him and Jason last week and I suspect they are enjoying the beginnings of a beautiful bromance.

Over the next weeks, I'll tell you about their 4 essential ingredients and give you a secret look behind the scenes. I will also introduce Jason's gorgeous wife Jaq (and her art wall project) and Ben's beautiful partner Meg.

For now, this is where you can keep up with developments, watch Jase and Ben on this new path and find out when help might be required. Later, this blog will become a sharing space. Where menus will be listed, reviews posted, Ben's hints published and where special offers can be downloaded. So keep in touch. This is just the beginning.

This blog is for Jason and Ben to keep in touch with you guys! And to hear back from you too. So leave comments, feedback, suggestions... ask questions. If you don't hear from them for days, drop by and see what it is that is keeping them so occupied and don't forget to say hi.

Sunday 3 May 2009

The start of something beautiful



I big thanks to those who made it down to 155 on Saturday morning. Everyones enthusiasm was really inspiring.

Tuesday 28 April 2009

Photo Frames

This is just a quick post to let everyone know that we are now accepting donations of frames for the photo wall. Doesn't matter what size, doesn't matter what colour, doesn't matter how daggy it is. We'll take it. It's hoped that the variety be a part of the charm!

If you've got any unused photo frames lying around, just let us know. We'll do our best to pick them up over then next few weeks.

Hope you're all really well.

Tuesday 14 April 2009

Questionnaire Results

Hello, hello, hello.

Ok, so it's been a little while since I've posted, but that's for a good reason. I've been working pretty hard on getting the cafe premise confirmed, but more about that later.

I'm please to announce I've finally got some quantitive data from the questionnaire that I sent out back in January. I unfortunately made the mistake of doing the questions by email and this resulted in very randomised data. Whilst it was very interesting to read through all the responses (and I did read them all) it made analysing the data very difficult. So basically, what I had to do was translate and input some of the data into a spreadsheet to gain a better understanding of whether people really wanted coffee bean choice or not. Below are a few graphs to give you an idea of the info I got out of it:






Most people considered the order of 1. Food, 2. Service, 3. Atmosphere then 4. Beverages to be correct and alot of people said that weekday brunch was pretty much out of the question. I reckon FT work might have something to do with that!

We had a number of really great meal suggestions. For example, Salt & Pepper Calamari on Rocket with a Chilli Mayonaise was a standout item. We also had lots of people wanting really tasty salads. I can't guarantee we'll be able to cater for absolutely everyone, but we'll do our best!

Website presence seemed to be neither here nor there, so we'll just keep a simple site up, with out current menus. Plus the blog will hopefully live on.

A HUGE THANK YOU needs to be extended to everyone who participated in the questionnaire.

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Brandon Boyd

The following is an excerpt from a bio draft that was published on the Incubus website back in 2001. It pretty much sums up my approach to the project:

"The easiest thing in the world would be to repeat the same equations that worked for us in the past, but with repetition would come demise."

Friday 20 March 2009

Toilet Wall


It's just amazing where you can draw inspiration from. This was on a the toilet wall in a pub in South Melbourne. Cool huh?

Posted by ShoZu

Monday 16 March 2009

World Builder


World Builder from Bruce Branit on Vimeo.

The move to blogger

If tumblr allowed commenting, the blog would probably still reside there, but I'm always interested in feedback, so blogger seemed to be suitable!

Welcome to the blogger blog for seven a.m.

An update of how things are progressing will be published this week.

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Portrait

My kind of portrait.

via www.thesartorialist.com

Wednesday 25 February 2009

Website

Yay, domain and website holding page is up.

Yeah ok, it only links to the blog, but, at least we now have our place in the world wide web!!!

www.sevenam.com.au

Tuesday 24 February 2009

The Update

For anyone that hasn’t heard, I didn’t get the Toorak premise that I had applied for. I was bummed for a bit, then I moved on. It just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.

So, I’m now back on the hunt for the perfect location. With a fairly specific set of requirements, my choices are a little limited. But, I’m a firm believer, that if you focus on what you really want, you will get it.

The really exciting news is that I got seven a.m. registered and couldn’t be happier about it. The name and concept comes from a few different places:
The first is the play on words, ‘let’s have lunch at seven a.m.’ I think the play could make it kinda cute (perhaps witty) and somehow memorable.
The second is about getting up and on with your day. It’s the ‘early bird catches the worm’ sort of thinking.
And the 3rd is inspired by the lyrical genius that is Brandon Boyd of Incubus. In the song 11am, he opens with the line ‘7am, the garbage truck beeps as it backs up and I start my day thinking about what I’ve thrown away’. Not only is it a cleverly written line, but it also suggests that we should chase our dreams and not waste a day of our lives.

I’ve also been looking at wine lists, coffee suppliers, talking menus with the chef and general setup stuff!

I’m also hoping to have the questionnaire results out by the end of this week. I have read through all of them, but it’s a bit of a task to compile it into assessable data.

That’ll do for now. More news to come as it happens.

Hope you’re all well.

Thursday 19 February 2009

Today

Today is the tommorrow you worried about yesterday. And all is fine.

Monday 16 February 2009

Almeria, Spain

Stunning landscape footage of Almeria, Spain; by Vicente Sahuc.

Almeria 2008 from Vicente Sahuc on Vimeo

Frame Wall


We’re going have something like this in the café. Maybe not quite as big though.

via www.daniel-everett.com

Videos

Great time lapse of growing grass
Golden sunset or sunrise on the lake.

Logo Concept

Encapsulating all that we are…

I love the purple socks



via www.thesartorialist.com