Get in the groove at Purple Rain Cafe

There are no prizes for guessing Terry Fong’s favourite song, but as for his favourite record, he says it’s too hard to choose.

The owner of Purple Rain Cafe in Campbell has found a way to showcase all his favourite records in one place while also leveraging his 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry in Canberra.

Terry and his wife, Sunnie Li, also have a lot of friends who are musicians, and he witnessed the difficulties faced by performers during COVID-19.

“So many people lost their jobs because nothing was open. No performances, no bars, no weddings,” he told Region.

“So I started to think about what I could do. I wanted to provide opportunities.”

The result is Purple Rain Cafe: a specialty coffee shop with a musical twist.

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in is that a record player takes pride of place with a neon sign above.

Most people might think of live music venues as dark bars with alcohol, but Terry wanted to encourage an atmosphere where people can focus on the music.

There is live music on the final Saturday of each month, and Terry is keen to make it a more regular event as the word spreads.

“It’s slowly getting more popular. I want to make sure there is a good crowd for the musicians, so many people have contacted me to perform.”

On other days Terry will put on records, or customers are welcome to choose something from his collection. Some regulars even bring their vinyl from home, which Terry always enjoys because he gets to hear something new.

There’s also a small studio space in the back, which is available to hire. He’s had people use it for podcasts, recording song demos, teaching students, rehearsing or just jamming with mates.

The cafe has a range of specialty coffees, with a focus on cold brew blends that incorporate other flavours. I particularly enjoyed the Deja Vu, a cold brew coffee topped with salted vanilla cream foam and orange zest. The eponymous Purple Rain is a fruitier blend with cold brew coffee, grape juice and jasmine tea. Matcha lovers will be interested to know that Terry and Sunnie grind the matcha leaves to order, rather than using a pre-made powder or syrup.

“This style of coffee is becoming very popular in Japan and Korea, but there aren’t so many places in Australia. You can find it in Melbourne or Sydney, but I think we are the first in Canberra.”

The cafe doesn’t have a full kitchen, but the couple have a decent menu of toasties and sweets. The BBQ beef sando is a delicious bit of Japanese-American fusion. The Purple French toast is a sweet tooth’s delight, and the pretty purple dusting of taro is gorgeous.

The space is well-designed and manages to feel light, airy and spacious while packing a lot of personality into the small space: old, scratched records are used in light fittings, and one wall uses guitar strings as a clever feature.

If you’re a music lover, a coffee lover, then I just want to see you dining in the purple rain (cue guitar solo).

Purple Rain Cafe is located at C03/51 Constitution Ave, Campbell. Visit their website or follow them on Instagram. They are open from 8 am to 8 pm daily.