The team behind XO, ILY and Vood open new cafe in Fyshwick

On Gladstone Street, where the Lollipop Lounge used to be, Kent Nhan and Greg Lally (XO and ILY) and Frank Iannelli (Alpha Fresh Foods) have cheekily named the venue Happy Ending.

"We wanted to have a bit of fun with the name and the venue, and not shy away from its history," says Nhan.

"But we also believe it's a bit of a happy ending for the building as well, which gets to live on in a completely new format. It's another reason for people to get excited in Fyshwick, and one that we can all enjoy."

The cafe serves up coffee from HAEL and a weekly menu of rotating sandwiches, sweets, pastries and savoury bites ideal for those after lunch in a hurry - or a "quickie", as the team aptly refer to it.

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The idea for the cafe came about when the team transitioned their New Acton venue ILY away from their daytime offering and into an evening venue.

"When we decided to focus ILY more on afternoons and evenings, we had an incredible coffee machine sitting around doing nothing," says Nhan.

"The bigger problem was that we also had about 100,000 ILY branded coffee cups in storage with no purpose."

When the team realised sufficient space was available next door to their other venture, Vood, the solution seemed clear - start another cafe.

Happy Ending will be managed by Camila Paloma and Mia Hubble, with Nhan using his experience and expertise to oversee the changing menu offerings.

"Some highlights on our opening week menu include Nonna's meatball sub, with meatballs and tomato sugo handmade by Frank's mum, as well as a cold mac sandwich of wagyu pastrami, mac sauce, lettuce and pesto," says Nhan.

"That one originally made a name for itself as a as the favourite staff meal at XO, with the mac sauce recipe derived by our head chef AK, Anand Kumar Ramakrishna."

Other items include an elevated ham and cheese croissant using provolone cheese and premium pastoral smoked leg ham; a caprese panino and prosciutto panino; and classics such as almond croissants, jam doughnuts and sausage rolls.

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