Reel 04 · An interview with J. Teoh
A cafe, printed monthly.
Recorded upstairs at 4:12pm. Twelve minutes, edited for length.
“You build a cafe the way you build a magazine. A cover, a feature, a quiet column at the back that only three readers will notice.”— J. Teoh, Founder
Q · On opening in 2012
We had no business opening a cafe on a lane no one walked down. That was, in retrospect, the only reason it worked. The rent was honest. The neighbours were curious. We spent the first six months explaining what a flat white was. By the seventh month someone explained it to us.
Q · On sourcing
Small lots, close relationships. We don't chase scale. A bag comes in, we cup it for two mornings, and if it earns its shelf, it stays. If it doesn't, we send it back with a note.
Q · On the upstairs room
We almost turned it into storage. Someone suggested putting a few chairs up there instead. Fourteen years later, it's where most of the magazine gets written.
Q · On the menu, printed
It started as a joke. We printed the menu like a contents page because our designer couldn't let it go. Customers read it like one. We kept it.
Q · On the lane
Jalan Galloway has changed. A little. Not much. A bookshop opened next door. A bar opened across the road. We're the oldest thing on this side now, which is new information for us.
Q · On staying small
We've had offers. We've turned them down. Not out of precious-ness — just out of a suspicion that a second VCR would be a worse VCR. The bar is the thing. You can't photocopy a bar.