Silo by Joost, Melbourne.

Tucked into a sweet little laneway in the heart of the CBD, Silo by Joost is a reasonably small café with huge aspirations.
It is completely self sustainable. The menu itself is waste free and all produce is bought directly from farmers. Everything purchased arrives in eco friendly reusable or recyclable containers and while your local café may be throwing out limitless amounts of rubbish, Silo has none! 

Though the space is small, not an inch goes to waste. With plants dangling from the roof, strawberry crates decorating the higher parts of the walls and the kitchen literally about a metre away from the indoor dining area, the food is prepared in front of your eyes. The interior is a harmonious blend of recyclable materials and cleverly used recycled goods. What else is noticeable  is that there is not a rubbish bin in sight. Instead, the food scraps and napkins are sent straight out back into the on site food dehydrator and turned into fertiliser to be sent straight back to the farmers.

The sustainable, socially conscious café not only looks tempting, it also doesn't skimp on quality of coffee or food. Our lattes (served in terracotta flowerpot looking sort of things) were practically flawless. Topped with beautiful microfoam that near mirrored the texture of glass and infused with a rich, robust flavour, one would not assume that they were both made on an energy efficient sustainable machine. We also tried the fresh lemonade; a refreshing combination of a honey-like sweetness and subtle sourness, the syrupy, ice cold drink was perfect for the warm weather.

Our food was a single order of the Silo Breakfast - two boiled eggs, a salad of salami, fetta cheese, avocado and tomato served with freshly churned butter and bread baked on ground. (Apparently, if you look into the kitchen, you can see the chef milling whole wheat grain). It did not disappoint. Once again, served in hand painted terracotta crockery, the meal was nothing short of satisfying, delicious and inventive.

All up, we would definitely recommend Silo. The atmosphere it holds is peaceful, serene and perfect for a morning off, to have coffee with the in-laws, friends or even by yourself. Not only will you be enjoying an amazing coffee, you'll be contributing your small part towards a greener world.
We both rate Silo a 4.2 out of 5 coffee cups!

http://byjoost.com/silo/
123 Hardware Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000.
(03) 9600 0588.