Welcome the Caffeine King to Melbourne Central. Another installment of the empire behind St Ali….is this Sensory Lab outpost.

This time he’s headed upstairs to Melbourne Central’s new level two Dining Hall, opening specialty coffee outlet Plantation. While coffee connoisseurs can expect a new experimental coffee encounter, others will relish this convenient pre-work or mid-shop high-class coffee stop.

You’ll arrive at an eight-metre long coffee bench with distinct ‘order here’ and ‘collect here’ stations. With a selection of single-origins on offer, a little chalkboard signals the days brew – today, a Nicaragua Cup of Excellence Lot # 13 La Bendicion. Expect unique brewing methods, Plantation housing both a customized cold drip coffee wall and Uber Boiler for a pour over station. Invited to lift the lids on glass cloche jars at the ‘aroma’ station, they also do cold drip coffee in takeaway bottles that is, coffee extracted over several hours. A La Mazacco FB70 waits in the wings for espresso lovers.

As for the design, thank The Design Collective’s Jennifer Lowe and Brooke Thorn and Foolscap Studio’s Adele Winteridge. That lush green fern is an instant eye-catcher. Decorative metalwork and a dark timber and tiled shopfront mimic colonial-style architecture while under foot; a bright red and white checked floor alludes to the shaded balconies of plantation houses.

Invited to re-create the ‘boutique’ coffee experience at home – they sell a range of Hario specialty brewing equipment (all the way from Japan), packaged coffee blends and single origin beans.

Find fuel in fresh salads, sandwiches and pastries (baked on site) as friendly, knowledgeable coffee consultants help with coffee speak.

Where: Level 2 Dining Hall. Melbourne Central
When: Check back soon.