| About Padburys Cafe Restaurant |
|---|
In the nine years since it opened,
Padbury's Cafe Restaurant has established a strong following and become
a local landmark in Guildford. The Cafe is one of three tenanted shops located within Padbury's Stores and Residence which is one of the oldest surviving commercial and residential buildings in Guildford and is listed on the State Register of Heritage Places. It was built in 1869 and was originally one of Guildford's main stores, later the home of Browne's Machinery for 25 years. When the Restaurant's former owner Yvonne Khan took over the lease of the shop in 1997 she inherited an empty shell with no gas or running water. The building was in a dilapidated state having been unoccupied for two years and poorly maintained since the 1960s. However Ms Khan and her former business partner embarked on an extensive restoration spending every day working on the site for five months and doing much of the manual work themselves to adapt the run-down shop to an award- winning restaurant. Their belief in the potential of the building was shaken at times when they encountered several unanticipated problems but they were never deterred by the views of some friends who thought they were crazy to take on such a big venture. Ms Khan said that even before their restoration work began the building had a nice feel about it and to see it taking shape before their eyes kept them motivated.  The work involved rewiring, re-plumbing and stripping back layers of paint on the central timber pillars. A kitchen was created in the section formerly used as stables, which required new concrete floors, walls and a ceiling to be installed. Original pigeon holes were restored along two walls with pressed tin panels and are now used for storage. Today the exposed red feature brick, pressed tin ceilings and extensive use of recycled materials give the Restaurant's patrons a strong sense of the building's history. Ms Khan said the initial response from local residents made all their hard work worthwhile and the local support for their enterprise was reflected in a full house on opening night despite the fact they had not advertised. Owner of the building Frank Alban credits Ms Khan's restoration and opening of Padbury's Cafe Restaurant with sparking something of a revival in the Guildford area. Mr Alban said she has done very well in establishing a strong following and he believes the building's heritage played a role in that.  "The ambience of an old building such as Padbury's Restaurant is something special and is totally different to most Spartan, modern restaurants. I believe it plays a big part in people wanting to go somewhere different," he said. Ms Khan says the positive feedback she receives from customers is the strongest indicator of the success she has achieved at Padbury's. "Customers continually comment on what a great building it is, how faithfully it has been restored and how they love the feel of the place," says Ms Khan |
114 Terrace Road, Guildford, WA, 6055 - (08) 9378 4484
Copyright © 2009 Padburys
Cafe Restaurant.