Image: Neu Built
Walking into Torrensville’s newest cafe, it’s obvious that care and consideration have gone into every detail.
For owner Agnes, getting each little element of Lumu Cake & Coffee just right has been a labour of love, from the cakes sitting neatly behind the glass to the warm timber, soft lighting and little marshmallow characters that add a touch of charm.
Just off Henley Beach Road, away from the sounds of cars zooming by, Lumu sits quietly on Jervois Street with its doors open for locals looking for their next go-to cafe.
The cafe is dedicated to Agnes’ Asian-style chiffon cakes, made fresh with dairy cream and designed to be light, airy and balanced rather than overwhelmingly sweet.
Along with coffee, matcha, hojicha and tea, the offering is all wrapped up in a light and warm space that could calm almost any chaos.
Lumu opened last Saturday with a soft launch, giving Agnes and her partner Jonathan a chance to get used to running the business while listening closely to the people walking through the doors.
For Agnes, that feedback is an important part of the process.
She spent plenty of time trialling cake recipes before opening, getting friends to taste test different versions and tweaking the flavours until she found the balance she was looking for.
“I don’t want it to overtake the flavours with sweetness,” Agnes said.
That philosophy can be seen across the cabinet, where the chiffon cakes come in a mix of flavours, some leaning sweeter while others take a more delicate, tea-forward approach.
Fresh dairy cream is made each day, while ingredients such as strawberries are prepared in-house for creations including the matcha cakes, macarons and other desserts.
Even the practical details have been considered. Water is kept in the cake cabinets to help maintain the moisture of the chiffon, keeping the cakes soft and delicate rather than letting them dry out. It’s this kind of detail that has followed Agnes throughout the process of opening Lumu.
After previously working in aviation and studying the industry in Hong Kong, Agnes decided she wanted to try something completely different.
The idea of opening a cake shop had been sitting in the back of her mind for some time, eventually becoming a year-long project of recipe testing, planning and figuring out how to turn the vision into a physical space.
One of the challenges was adapting the existing shopfront and recipes to suit the new cafe, but Agnes says the trial and error has been part of the fun.
Images: Neu Built
The Japanese-inspired windows allow natural light to filter into the cafe, while oak tones, warm lighting and French-style finishes across the walls and floors give the space a polished feel without making it cold.
Little details, like the marshmallow friends perched on top of some of the cakes, add personality to the otherwise tranquil space.
On a sunny morning, with birds chirping outside and light spilling through the windows, it’s easy to imagine settling into one of the comfy chairs with a slice of chiffon cake and a coffee.
Behind the counter, Jonathan takes care of the coffee side of things.
He has spent the past year learning and experimenting with the coffee machine at home while the pair worked towards opening Lumu, bringing another personal touch to the cafe’s drinks offering.
Image: Neu Built
For Agnes, the opening is only the beginning.
She wants to continue hearing what customers think, using their feedback to learn, adjust and develop new flavours along the way.
There are cakes available to pick up and take away too, making Lumu a place to grab something for a celebration, surprise a friend or simply treat yourself without committing to an enormous sugar hit.
Lumu Cake & Coffee
Where: 4A Jervois Street, Torrensville
When: Tues – Sun 9am – 5pm
For more, click here.
