Inglewood is no longer a one coffee spot suburb. And what an addition it is!
After many years and council battles trying to establish a local cafe and bake shop, Marnee Rinaldi (aka @madebymarnee) has taken over the old Mr Underhill’s site next to Miss Kitty’s Saloon and opened Sugar & Nice, a beautifully fitted out space that feels like being in an indulgent tea salon. And indulgence is exactly what Sugar & Nice specialises in!
Marnee and her team produce a range of daily baked sweet treats, many of which are gluten free (honestly, it’s coeliac heaven), that typically include cupcakes, banana bread, brownies, muffins, macarons, meringues, cookies and more.
For those with a savoury inclination, there are bagels and schmears from the boys at Holy Bagel and the plan is to introduce more lunch and breakfast items such as toasted paninis, croissants and sandwiches over the coming weeks, as well as nostalgic treats like fruit loops and cocoa pops.
What I love about Sugar & Nice is that it does seriously yummy stuff with a playful, retro twist. Take my gluten free chocolate cupcake (pic above) with its raspberry sherbet topping. Light as a feather dark chocolate cupcake with a hint of redskin flavour in the topping – nowhere near as sweet as it looks, it gave me an unexpected and happy whiff of my childhood whilst tasting absolutely divine.
The sense of play extends to the drink list, where you can order large, old fashioned milkshakes with adult oriented flavours like Salted Caramel, Cookies & Cream and Tiramisu, although the Salted Caramel has apparently been a hit with the kids too. Coffee and Teas are from Karvan and the coffee is a special house roast exclusive to the cafe. There’s an in house water filter and you can buy a bottomless jug of sparkling if you choose ($4.50) and assorted flavours of San Pellegrino.
And there’s a lovely little gift shop at the back in case you want to do a bit of post coffee shopping and browsing.
Inglewood locals have long wished and hoped for another daytime cafe to open on their part of the Beaufort St strip and with its tempting food, gorgeous fit-out and fun approach Sugar & Nice is sure to be a hit. It’s currently open Tuesday to Saturday 9 to 5 and on Sunday from 10 to 3. Check their Facebook page for the most up to date open times and contact details.
