Junipa’s All Day Café and Bistro – Bryanston

On a quest to find something out of the ordinary, I couldn’t have imagined stumbling across a gem like Junipa’s. Standing proud and unavoidably at Hobart Corner in Bryanston, Junipa’s modest outward canvas will never prepare you for what you’re set to experience the moment you set foot in their doors. The passion and absolute loving energy exuded by owner, Julian Platt, sets tot tone to what may be one of the best food and coffee experiences you may ever encounter.

Artisan Coffee Roasters

Headed out with my main intention being obtaining some incredible coffee beans, I was not disappointed. Julian lead me straight to the coffee roasting section within his restaurant where our chat began. Firstly, the smell of coffee was not overwhelming. Very present, yes, but it was more inviting and comforting that overpowering.

See, Julian makes use of a very special, customised roasting oven, nothing like the barrel-type roasters you’ve seen before. The fluid-bed roaster employs some of the simplest yet sophisticated technology to date. On average, Julian roasts once per day – and has decided to break the rules us in the coffee industry have stood by for so long. Julian explained that one of the biggest influencers in the proper development of coffee is the time the beans are allowed to develop AFTER they have been roasted! See, the nitrogen expelled by the beans allows for an incredible, complex development of the flavour of the coffee beans.

Julian, a bespoke artisanal roaster, has mastered the roasting of various coffee beans, to various profiles and blends, to come up with the exceptional “Roast of The Day”. We were fortunate to get a bag of Finca El Morito – the name rolls off your tongues as easy as the taste of the coffee rolls over your soul.

Without going too far into detail (and barring the fact that some of the beans Julian mentioned, I have never encountered before), Julian has masterfully combined six selected coffee beans and joined them together in a delicate balance of science and art. What struck me as an exceptional understanding of coffee was how Julian explained the combination of the beans – including two beans which are precisely the same. The only difference is the level to which Julian roasts them – allowing the flavour profiles of each of the two beans to develop to their full potential and once combined – compliment each other in a way I have never experienced before. He also throws in a decaffeinated bean (an almost cardinal sin when it comes to coffee blends) to allow for his customers who enjoy a cup or four to fully enjoy their coffee experience without consuming too much caffeine.

Julian had a good chuckle telling me how the windows surrounding the coffee roastery are coated on fingerprints of besotted customers watching his art in practice; I can just imagine how incredible it is to experience art before your eyes, conducted by someone who holds coffee in his highest regard. That might explain why, on cappuccino alone, Julian roasts 400kg of beans every month. Yes; Just. On. Cappuccino!

All Day Bistro

Julian has you covered. His passion for coffee spills over in great amounts to the love for food; see, Julian actually began his food and coffee journey some 17 years ago. After successfully completing his law degree, Julian faced some life changing events and a few years later, one Sunday afternoon, decided to simply change up his and his wife’s routine of popping down to the shop to buy some cake for their guests.

Instead, Julian hauled out an age-old recipe book, gifted to him by his mother, dusted it off and quickly whipped up a batch of cookies.
The visit went well, and the next day Julian had his previous days’ guest call him up to order some biscuits. Surprised, Julian went ahead and made his first batch of what would be a life changing batch. Word spread, and soon Julian was working a seven day week, starting at 04:00 most mornings and carrying through to midnight.

Soon enough, Julian had Seattle Coffee Company knocking at his door, placing unprecedented offers to resell his famous chocolate chip cookie!

Julian’s food dream was realised, and what strikes me as remarkable about all of this is how the passion and pure love for his craft Julian still holds. The aroma of the coffee is as tangible as his love for his profession.

Junipa’s All Day Café and Bistro – Bryanston

You’re greeted with friendly faces and an overall feeling of warm welcoming them minute you set foot inside Junipa’s. Friendly staff greet you, and you start noticing all the intricacies and attention to detail poured into this art spot. The fresh Gerbera’s on each table give that personal “pop” to each table; chairs with their backing covered in coffee bean bags, and of course – the Nuova Simonelli coffee machine placed front and centre in the café.

The food, the food. Don’t you dare think Julian is the type of person to pop down to a local market and quickly buy some rolls and pickles to use for his burgers. No! Everything from the bread, to the pickles and the aioli sauce are made on site.

You can taste the love Julian pours into each and every thing in the store.

As if all of this is not enough, Junipa’s was voted best Cronut (warning: if you have not experienced this yet, don’t taint your expectations – go straight to the Joburg’s Choice winner of “Best Cronut in Johannesburg” and indulge in what you will experience.

All in all, Junipa’s is a sensory wonderland, full of everything you’d expect form a Master-Chef level workshop or feature.

Who knows where we will see Junipa’s in a few years to come, but do yourself a favour and head on over.

We’d love to know – what has your best coffee experience been in Johannesburg, and what made it stand out?

*Image Credit: Julian at Junipa’s – extracted from their website – www.junipas.co.za