Ginninderry Espresso co-owner Shiva Aryal. Photos: Kazuri Photography.
Can coffee change the landscape and vibe of a suburb?
Not on its own, maybe, but I have seen firsthand, in the two years since brothers Shiva Aryal and Soyl Mishra opened their first cafe together, how Ginninderry Espresso has drawn locals and not-so-locals to the venue at the Charnwood shops; the brunch crowd spilling out onto the footpath in a decidedly bougie-esque scene. The magic that good coffee and wonderful hospitality bring.
We sit outside for our brunch too, people-watching as we sip a perfectly brewed flat white and a pour-over, respectively. Young mums juggle babies on laps, picking up the cutlery that their offspring drop over and again. Families with dogs, families with dogs that are just picking up takeaway coffee. Retirees taking their time, savouring each bite.
Our yummy Ginninderry cafe breakfast.
Passionate about their coffee, all ONA blends, Shiva says: “We have it all: specialty coffee, filter coffee, and single origin. We offer a variety of coffees for milk base, for long blacks and for pour-over coffees. If anyone wants to try different beans for filter coffee, we change up the beans every week. They can calibrate their palate!”
The cafe’s baristas make an excellent brew. When you order a pour-over coffee, it comes out with an information card including a QR code that takes you to additional details. My coffee is creamy and not too strong, with a hint of nutty sweetness. The pour-over blend has a delicate flavour. I am not a filter girl, but I truly appreciate how good this coffee is.
The pour-over coffee comes with an information card.
“When it comes to coffee, we are next-level serious,” Shiva says.
As he explains the baristas’ attention to detail, the precision used when weighing the coffee and the timing of how long the water goes through it, I gain a clearer understanding as to why my home-brewed coffee is so bad. And the care of a perfect pour-over is all about timing, too.
Time to brunch!
Ginninderry Espresso makes one of the best breakfast burritos out there.
Our triple corn-fritter stack arrives with smashed avocado slathered between each layer, a dollop of sour cream on top. Fried golden and crispy, with a smear of salsa, they ooze healthy-yet-delicious, packed with corn and grated zucchini.
Ginninderry Espresso makes one of the best breakfast burritos out there! Slabs of grilled chorizo, soft-fried egg, a hash brown, with avocado and a slather of tomato relish inside a soft burrito that is then toasted. It is pretty to look at and scrumptious. If bacon is your thing, opt for that instead.
The hotcakes are a compact stack, plump and fluffy, drizzled with mixed-berry coulis and a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Fresh fruit and berries pretty the plate.
The cafe’s secret-recipe brownie comes out still warm – high and dense with an addictively chewy crust. Created from another secret recipe, the friand’s crunchy edges hide its tender centre.
Shiva says the name Ginninderry is to honour First Nations Canberrans; it is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘’spark of light’’. And Ginninderry Espresso is definitely a bright spark in the Charnwood community.
Ginninderry Espresso is at 55 Charnwood Pl, Charnwood. It is open seven days a week, from 6 am to 2 pm on weekdays and from 7 am on weekends. Follow Ginninderry Espresso on Facebook and Instagram.
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