Moving from its small shop in Essendon to a bigger location along Brunswick's Sydney Road in 2018, Harper and Blohm's expansion is a testament of the demand and popularity of its cheesy goods. The gourmet cheese shop sells ready-to-eat items like cheese toasties, cheese-filled baguettes and salads, alongside a range of cheeses, and milks, yogurts and creams as well.
Visitors should expect a fresh, swanky interior that's well lit from the natural light flooding in through the floor-to-ceiling glass storefront. You can perch happily in a bar stool with a coffee while you chow down on one of the delectable grilled cheese options. There's the classic three-cheese — featuring cheddar, gruyere and raclette with caramelised onion — or the mushroom, taleggio, truffle pecorino and rosemary ($12–14). All toasties are vegetarian, but you can add ham or pastrami into the mix for an extra $2.
The mastermind behind the operation is Olivia Sutton, who, after working as a cheesemonger here and overseas, opened the restaurant as a homage to her grandparents. If you're eager to experiment with what she brings in, sign up for a monthly cheese subscription ($75–90), which includes 3–4 pieces of cheese from soft, hard and blue cheeses accompanied by information about the selections and the best places to store them.