St. ALi to Open Victa and Hoist at Monash University

Visitors and staff at Monash University are in for quite the treat. Opening this week on the University’s Clayton campus, Victa and Hoist is the latest member of the St. ALi cafe family, and will serve breakfast and lunch to current and previous staff, research degree candidates, alumni and their guests – but unfortunately, not students.

The cafe is located in the former Monash Staff Club building at 32 Exhibition Walk. The kitchens will be manned by Chef Todd Thorburn, formerly of St. ALi North in Carlton. In addition to St. ALi’s famous coffee, breakfast options for early risers will include Dr. Marty’s bacon crumpets, cooked French toast style with avocado mash and tomato relish. For students surviving on Coco Pops and cold pizza, it’ll be hard not to feel a little jealous.

Lunch options will include a flank steak burger with cheese, pickles and cress called the Mac Daddy, as well as a "more sophisticated version of a ploughman’s" that consists of house cured salmon, bonito panna cotta, edamame and pickled veggies.

The opening of Victa and Hoist marks a poetic point in the career of St. ALi owner Salvatore Malatesta, who got his start in the cafe business nearly 20 years ago with Caffeine, a small coffee shop he opened at Melbourne University while he was studying arts/law on campus. In addition to Victa and Hoist, the St. ALi group owns Sensory Lab in David Jones and Sensory Lab Bondi, as well as Tom Thumb in Flinders Lane, Plantation in Melbourne Central and Clement Coffee Roasters in South Melbourne.

Victa and Hoist will open Wednesday, April 15 at 32 Exhibition Walk, Monash University, Clayton Campus.

CORRECTION 15/4/15: We originally ran this story reporting that Victa and Hoist will be open to students, when in fact, the restaurant is only open to staff, research degree candidates, alumni and their guests. CP apologises to both Victa and Hoist for an overrun of students on opening day, and to Monash students hoping to shake up their lunch options.