If Fran Mazza and Aaron Carson went into 2018 with a mantra, it has to have been ‘no slowing down’. The pair, Mazza (a pastry chef who spends most her time creating extravagant yet hearty dishes in the kitchen) and Carson (the friendly front of house fixture), has just launched their third eatery this year, Rude Boy, joining their now sizable stable which includes Winona Forever, Major Tom and Friday I’m in Love. And rumour has it, there’s more to come.

The all-day eatery has graced the foot of a new office building on Sale St, joining the ranks of neighbour cafe, Brunch, to bring central city punters a taste of their sensationally outlandish cafe food. The north-facing space is flooded with light and marked by a blue neon sign that is an appropriate marker of the vibrant environs within. According to the owners, the concept is a nod to several things. First, the ska music genre, then their namesake pet budgie (also immortalised on the wall murals within), and finally, they say, there’s the character who serves as the ‘bad boy’ of the hospitality scene — the intoxicating, apathetic type you can’t stay away from.

If you haven’t already experienced this duo’s particular brand of hospitality, expect your jaw to drop upon first sight of the cabinet, laden with cream-filled, caramel-laced, homemade lamingtons, scones, savoury scrolls, towering chocolate cakes, rocky road, and so much more. A rotation of salads will provide plenty of healthy, protein-forward options, while the menu sees an all-encompassing range of eats including the indulgent oat and buckwheat flapjacks with chocolate sauce and petite banana doughnuts, and, the green eggs benedict with thick cut bacon and your choice of lettuce or sourdough. Yet, if there’s anything to incite proper food envy, it’s ‘Nonna’s chicken schnitzel sandwich’ — a pumpkin sourdough sarnie oozing melted swiss cheese and puttanesca sauce.

Open seven days, three of which they will also be serving dinner (Thursday, Friday, Saturday), Rude Boy, opening for the first time today, is sure to do a good trade feeding the insatiable appetites of nearby workers and residents.

@rudeboydeliandeatery

Opening hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 6.30am – 4pm
Thursday & Friday: 6.30am – 9pm
Saturday: 8am – 9pm
Sunday: 8am – 4pm