Grab-and-go snacks and after work drinks at new Kent Town spot
Henry’s has everything a Kent Town worker could want for lunch, after-work drinks and to stock the cupboard at home.
When Daniel Franklin first thought about a career in the hospitality industry – after studying tourism, hospitality and event management at uni – his initial dream was to own a pub.
“And then I realised that pubs are a little bit big and scary,” Daniel says.
“I finished working in pubs in about 2019 and then my wife and I moved to London at the start of 2020.
“We were stranded for a little bit in London [due to Covid], but then we ended up staying over there for about 18 months… obviously it wasn’t the London we had hoped for.
“Then we moved back, and I had a friend in the wine industry that owed Mosquito Hill wines and I bought into that – that keeps us pretty busy – and then we launched Franklie Wines.”
Daniel says that after launching Franklie Wines, he “always wanted a space where [he] could showcase the wines”.
“So one thing led to another, and here we are,” he says.
You might like
Henry’s, which opened this month and is named after Daniel’s son, is a “cross between a café and delicatessen”.
“I suppose it’s loosely based on my wife’s love for Italy,” Daniel says while looking at the delicatessen offering behind him.
“I think the food and wine culture over in Italy is unbeatable. We’re trying to create our own little version of that in Kent Town.
“Obviously it will be a little bit different, but those quick bites – grab and go.”
Daniel says they offer a range of products that he and his wife “just enjoy” with a heavy focus on local produce.
“We’ve got Coriole olive oil and olives, Maggie Beer’s stuff, Berenberg… we’ve got everything from their tomato sauce to their mustards, chutneys, all their jams,” he says.
“I think it will work well if you look at the corporate side of things – people coming into work early, and they might want a muesli or yoghurt, or somebody might want a microwave meal for lunch.
Subscribe for updates
“It’ll chop and change as we grow and see what works… it’s just products that we have in our pantry at home, and trying to get some pantry staples in here and see what works.”
Much like the delicatessen offering, Daniel says the menu was designed to capture the corporate crowd – given the location of the café being underneath an office building.
“We’ve got little bacon and egg brioches, egg and spinach ciabattas. We’ve got some quiches,” he says.
“We use Prove patisserie for our baked goods – muffins, cookies, almond croissants, chocolate, fruit toast, banana bread.”
The Henry’s lunch offering has several ready-to-go sandwiches like ham and cheese toasties, mozzarella, pesto and tomato toasties and a prosciutto, mortadella, provolone, pickles and mustard focaccia option.
“With everything in here, we’re trying to take feedback on with local workers and local residents and see what they’re enjoying and make sure we’ve got the price point right,” he says.
Henry’s is also open later on Thursday and Friday nights – offering charcuterie-style snacks – for an after-work drink.
The interiors, again, were influenced by the café culture in Italy.
“If you think about [different cities in Italy], you go off the main square and there are those little wine bars that are pretty cool – so it was loosely based on that,” he says.
“We went in initially with a want for a Mediterranean [vibe]. We’re facing north, so there’s a lot of natural light and there’s a lot of tile work.
“There’s a lot of textures in the paint, and a big wall of tile for the wine and then the joinery across the back.
“You can sit here during the day and it’s beautiful and bright.”
Henry’s is open from Monday to Wednesday from 7am until 3pm, then Thursday and Friday from 7am until 7pm.
Connect with the business on Instagram for more.