The recipe for a you-beaut café is simple: good coffee, switched-on staff and food that takes advantage of the seasons. Throw in two chefs with exceptional track records and a culture of community and you’ve got yourself one heck of an eatery.

Hamlet occupies a converted warehouse on the edge of Hobart’s CBD. Opened in April, the café is expectedly industrial but there’s plenty to soften the raw of concrete floors and exposed beams, bricks and corrugated iron.

An open fire crackles in the corner, greenery hangs about the place and a wall of plywood glows warm from pendant lights. Then there’s the enjoyable chatter and children’s giggles from the all-ages crowd on a wintery Saturday afternoon.

Sitting up in our Bentwood chairs, we peruse the weekend menu while sipping cold pressed juice in miniature milk bottles and coffee served saucer-less in bespoke cups by two local ceramicists called Ben and Peta.

The list oozes simplicity and shows off a fair whack of local artisanal produce.

Our relaxed and reliable waitress insists we try the seasonal omelette and it turns out I could have eaten ten of them. Cabbage and house made ricotta encased in free-range eggs topped with dukkha and microherbs is silky and interesting to the end.

We’re told chef and general manager Emily Briffa honed her omelette skills at Franklin, the famed restaurant just a few blocks away. Joining Briffa in the kitchen is Cameron Perry, who hails from another Hobart dining institution, Garagistes. The pair’s credentials are obvious on every plate and we’re left wanting more of each.

The Buddha Bowl with brown rice, kimchi, seasonal veggies, toasted wakame, saltbush and sesame isn’t your usual punch of spice, but sweetly balanced and suitably crunchy.

We add braised ham hock to our chunky house beans and are totally impressed by the celeriac slaw slathered on pork terrine.

Dessert is a slab of lemon pie and raw cacao truffles, both of which could be enjoyed in Hamlet’s al fresco space with a splendid view of snowy Mount Wellington.

There’s a fantastic buzz to this place: guests are coming and going in droves and the staff seem to know many by name but are eager to help all. This enthusiasm is an underpinning factor in Hamlet’s success. You see, it is in fact a not-for-profit social enterprise. Hamlet teams with organisations like the Migrant Resource Centre, employment agencies and disability support organisations to give training and work experience to those who may otherwise miss out.

So, when you’re at Hamlet, remember you’re doing more than enjoying some good regional food and drink, but supporting something great.