Long time friend of Five Senses, Vanessa Moore, has realised her dream of building her very own cafe from the ground up and we couldn’t be more excited. As Ness is a perfectionist by nature, Bench is the result of lots of planning, attention to detail, experience and hard work. It’s undoubtedly a destination for all coffee lovers, as well as the perfect spot for the lucky ones working just east of the city.
The space itself is beautiful and proof that grunge is not the only way to make a cafe feel warm and inviting. Bench has high ceilings, lots of natural light, polished concrete, locally crafted WA timber features, custom cups, simple nourishing and tasty food, as well as a very impressive coffee set up. The unassuming fit out has worked perfectly; it’s relaxing and inviting, while putting the focus exactly where Ness wanted it — on the coffee.
As far as coffee goes, you get what is best described as an immaculate experience at Bench. The very first Gen 2 Synesso Hydra in WA sits proudly on the spacious front bar with three espresso grinders lined up ready to serve you either a milk blend, black coffee blend or a rotating single origin. Vanessa followed her instinct and vision of what she wanted to offer in each of these grinders — this meant many hours at the roastery blending, tasting and blending again until it was just right. The result is smooth, sweet, chocolaty, rich and heavy-bodied milk-based drinks and an espresso blend that is light, clean, crisp, silky and almost effervescent. For the customer, this means the best blend is chosen to suit your order, and for the more adventurous it means choosing one of three espresso-based options.
The custom-made cups are a beautiful touch, consisting of well thought out sizes with flavour balance in mind, while having an added unique style for those ordering the single origin. The filter bar is bubbling with loads of fresh, made-to-order options and is an expression of coffee which not all consumers are quite used to yet. For the coffee lover, it’s an awesome option, and for the inexperienced it’s a nice change, especially for long black drinkers wanting a softer, more tea-like version with the same amount of kick. The best part about Bench is that Ness is all about continual change and rotation, in line with the seasons and best tasting coffees available. It will make an interesting coffee journey for her day-to-day customers.
Finding the perfect space, and designing and building the fit out has been almost a year’s work. Now that the doors are finally open, Ness and her handpicked crew are enthusiastic and ready to please — the perfect combination. I feel a genuine excitement about the opening of Bench Espresso as well, as I know that it will have a huge and very positive impact on Perth’s coffee culture.
Congrats Ness!
Bench Espresso
471 Hay St
Perth, WA
Opening hours
Monday — Friday 7:00am — 3:00pm
