A tribute to a late friend has become a vibrant community space in Fortitude Valley, where owners Kawid Brikshavana and Ratinan Rattanathai have created So What Stereo, a cafe that pairs personal memories with classic vinyl and authentic Thai food.
A Fortunate Discovery
For vinyl collectors, the greatest joy often comes from unearthing a rare record by chance. Many local food lovers are now sharing that same feeling of discovery with So What Stereo. Tucked away on Little Street, the cafe is easy to miss unless you already know it is there. Its location next to The Valley Grocer and other Thai businesses is helping create a small but vibrant community hub that some are calling a mini Thai Town.
The creation of the cafe itself was a stroke of luck. The owners, who are also the minds behind Hawthorne’s MaMeek eatery, had been collecting furniture and vintage audio gear for years, hoping to one day find the right home for their dream cafe. It wasn’t until they were shown a hidden, fully enclosed site that their vision finally clicked into place. After removing some internal walls and adding windows, they transformed the windowless box into the colourful space it is today.
A Menu of Sound and Flavour
The cafe’s name is a nod to the first track on Miles Davis’s famous 1959 album, Kind of Blue. That record changed jazz by favouring improvisation over rigid rules, and a similar free-form energy can be felt inside the cafe. The space is a vibrant mix of mismatched chairs, multicoloured walls, and pop culture items, with Rattanathai having sourced much of the decor from Facebook Marketplace.
This eclectic approach extends to the menu and the music. Brikshavana, who grew up in northern Thailand, is especially proud of his khao soi, a rich coconut curry noodle soup. He explained that he wants to serve the dish just like he remembers it from his childhood.
The menu also features other regional specialties like Thai boat noodles and Chiang Mai sausage. While customers eat, music from the owners’ personal record collection plays on the JBL speaker system. The selection is diverse, spanning from jazz legends like John Coltrane to rock bands like Korn, reflecting a belief that the sound feels just as the artists originally intended.
A Tribute to a Friend
Beyond the food and music, So What Stereo is a deeply personal project. The design was sparked by the work of Brisbane artist Gina Ward and heavily influenced by the mid-century modern style of Brikshavana’s parents. He shared that every piece of decor reconnects him to his family.
The cafe also stands as a tribute to Brikshavana’s late friend, the jazz musician Matt Clare. A saxophone belonging to Clare now sits proudly in the cafe. Brikshavana was inspired by his friend’s fearless approach to music and life, an attitude that now shapes the welcoming and unconventional atmosphere of his own community space.
So What Stereo is located at 4/15 Little Street, Fortitude Valley.
Published Date 30-August-2025
