Birthed from the whimsical and creative madness of The Hatter & The Hare food emporium, Dröm Bakery is a sibling not to be ignored! If you daydream of European viennoiseries or New York bagel shops, your desires will be totally satisfied. Tucked away in an industrial precinct in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, owners Vinnie and Mary Kodladi have brought to Bayswater an experience of food and coffee that belies its postcode.
If you’re coming to my space, it’s a destination. I wanted people to say, ‘Let’s catch up at The Hatter.’
The fantastical 160-seat venue of The Hatter & the Hare has been bringing the Alice in Wonderland curiosity and joy to diners since opening in 2017. Ordering an “Unwanted Marriage Proposal” for breakfast followed by a “Kings Remedy” coffee suite is what you can do at Hatter. Or maybe just be tempted by a decadent “Cheshire Cat” dessert to go along with a cup of their signature Tumble Down Blend created by Five Senses.
Creating DROM Bakery
Vinnie and his brother George grew up smelling baked goods in their parent’s Mulgrave bakery. Their imaginative adventure with changing menus and themed décor has established Hatter & the Hare as a gastronomical destination in Melbourne’s East. When Covid restrictions turned out most of the lights in the café, the two brothers followed in their family’s footsteps. Purchasing second-hand equipment and setting up a micro bakery out the back allowed them to begin offering a side serving of takeaway baked goods.
From single loaves of sourdough to now an extensive menu of breakfast sandwiches and a bagel station, you’ll be stationary with choice paralysis. The line of queuers out the door is the evidence that Dröm’s specialist pastries are worth some commitment. If you don’t manage to get to the breakfast options before they are sold out, you get a second chance for lunch. Literally, run, don’t walk.
Excellent quality and consistency are at the core of these two side-by-side shop fronts. Ten thousand croissants a week cannot be wrong! For George and Mary, their partners and the whole team, a seasonal menu that feeds the imagination is not enough. It wasn’t enough when they were wholesaling as a catering business pre-2017. Their cravings weren’t only for Mandarin Cremeux tarts or Crème Brûlée croissants but for genuine customer engagement. It’s what brings this family to life! Five Senses’ driving purpose of Impacting People Positively can confidently shake hands with this exceptional venture.
A signature blend for a signature experience.
“Smooth chocolate meeting sweet berries with a cocoa finish” is not an explanation of a gateau in their cabinet. These words describe Hatter’s Tumble Down signature blend which perfectly complements the wonder-filled menu. Hosting a barista station that serves over a thousand hot and cold drinks during their daily trade, coffee is becoming the new industry of Bayswater! The Tumble Down Blend is served as a sensible flat white or maybe you’d be interested in an Espress o’ Tonic? For a pair of coffee tragics, please order and share The Chessboard! From square one you’ll both move around the board through a selection of single-origin brews, espresso shots and some sweet treats (see what we are talking about here!). Consider me checkmated!
_
