Taste of laneway culture becomes a capital idea

It may not look like much now, but in the next two months, Odgers Lane in the Melbourne Building in Civic will become a destination for those in search of a gourmet meal and a quality coffee rather than a garbage hopper or recycling bin.

Young chef and business-owner Joseph Cataldo, who has earned a cult following at his Bean in the City cafe, has spent the past two years planning Canberra's first official laneway restaurant completing a mountain of paperwork in the process.

The idea of bringing life to the internal walkway of the historic Melbourne Building has been on the agenda for decades, with ACT Planning Minister Simon Corbell saying this would be a trial which could have wider applications for other ACT laneways in Civic, Kingston and Manuka.

Mr Cataldo said the task of setting up had been a challenge and not all neighbouring property owners shared his vision of a creating a European-style piazza in a utility lane.

''It's been a little bit controversial,'' he said.

''We have had to do some work on making sure the traffic can still flow through the area … I keep having to argue that working out of small spaces is something they just deal with in Sydney and Melbourne.''

Of course, sitting down for a bite in what is a markedly industrial back-end of Civic with car parking at one side and wheelie bins at the other may not be everyone's cup of espresso.

But Mr Cataldo sees the space as ''intimate, unique and interesting''.

In the warmer months, he envisages a small crowd meeting for aperitifs under the shade of the enormous plane trees growing amidst the concrete.

''Loading Zone For Eating and Drinking Only'' will start out serving a small and select breakfast and lunch menu from a kitchen just 30 metres square.

The head chef, Marty Mus'e, who has spent seven years working in Melbourne's fine dining scene and knows a thing or two about laneway culture will create ''simple, honest food'' which will rely on fresh ingredients bought in daily as there will be no room for storage. James Duffell, from Chairman and Yip and Lanterne Rooms, will be front of house.

Mus'e is not at all phased by the prospect of feeding up to 40 diners at a time out of his tiny new space saying he could not wait to get into the bespoke kitchen, which will feature a bank of barstools, and in keeping with the industrial theme of the place, a graffiti feature wall.

ACT Property Council chief Catherine Carter said the development approval for Loading Zone was ''a breakthrough and something people will be delighted to see.''

Mr Corbell said the ACT government was keen to encourage other ventures of this type and had recently reformed the liquor licencing laws to encourage smaller venues to set up as well as upgrading landscaping and service provisions in Odgers Lane in preparation for the revamp.

Highgate Lane in Kingston had received recent masterplan approval for similar ventures.

''This is an exciting development,'' Mr Corbell said.

''It is a trial, to see whether this sort of thing can work, and we will need to manage potential conflicts around waste collection and parking but we think it can be done.''

Economic Development and Tourism Minister Andrew Barr said ''funking the city up a little is a worthwhile project and one we would like to continue.'' He had ''declared war on red tape and municipal regulations that inhibit this sort of work and creativity'' and was looking forward to sampling the fare at Loading Zone once it opened.