Le Parisien is not the picturesque image of quaint, countryside France they think it is. The decor is old and tired. There’s lace where it doesn’t belong. The baked goods in the glass counter look like sad little French cliches. The serviette dispensers all have a strip of bright contact covering them in pink-trimmed pictures of cakes. They do bake […]
Le Parisien, Killarney Heights
The Coop, Bronte
From the moment you walk through the door, Coop is a delight to behold. It starts with a huge, open beachfront view, then there’s art on the walls, dried bunches of “wild botanicals”, a book entitled “Rock Pools of Sydney”, dogs, bikinis, vibrant juices and a bookshelf lined with colourful natural wines and an assortment of craft beers. Even the […]
Cafe Queenz, Ultimo
All that’s visible from the outside is a little door on a constantly busy and noisy Harris St corner, but inside is like a little haven. There was smooth jazz playing, leather lounges, slabs of wood with black steel trim. Lovely. The coffee was delicious: a nice, well-executed Toby’s Estate blend, almost as good as the one I got from […]
Tokyo Lamington, Newtown
Black Star Pastry and N2 Extreme Gelato have had a lovechild and she is stunning. I first stumbled upon Tokyo Lamington in late 2020 when it was a pop-up in Market City and loved the seamless fusion of iconic Aussie food and delicate Japanese style. Now, its particular blend of alternative, cool and professional fits perfectly into the Newtown cafe […]
Gazzi, Tramsheds
I was down at Federal Park today because of the sandpit, so that meant my coffee and banana bread had to come from the Tramsheds. I’d already tried the obvious options out front, Butcher and the Farmer and Garcon Spritz Bar, so I wandered inside looking for another option and found Gazzi, a casual Mediterranean restaurant/cafe. It looked okay, and […]
Simple Simon’s, Balmoral Beach
This is the best average gets. The coffee was pretty average tasting, but the milk was done well, and it was served nice and hot in a beautiful Gillie & Marc takeaway cup. The banana bread was your usual Mama Kaz (a little generic and plain, flavour wise) but it was nice and fresh, stored properly, toasted properly and served […]
Cafe 2151, EQ Moore Park
I don’t have much to say here, because I wasn’t impressed in the slightest. I like the EQ. I like the general quality of the chain stores here, like Black Star Pastry, The Bavarian and El Camino. So when I came out of the carpark and went to the first cafe I found, I kinda expected it to be on […]
Societe on King, St Peters
I ventured over the road to Societe on King when I was at Sydney Park one day, hoping for something a little better than The Kiosk. The sign promised Ona beans so my hopes were high, but perhaps that didn’t do me any favours because it didn’t quite hit the mark I’ve come to expect from anything bearing Ona’s label. […]
Wolf & Honeybee, Newtown
Here I am, right in the middle of what I’d consider to be Marrickville, and yet across the road I can see the Wolf & Honeybee, a little cafe on the far west border of Newtown with, unsurprisingly, very Marrickvilley vibes. There were cool murals on the wall both inside and out. The service was homely, the locals were friendly […]
Flower Child, Chatswood
It’s been a while since I’ve really scoped out the Chatswood coffee scene, but I’m always surprised at how few good cafes there are to choose from. I’ve been to Flower Child a few times, expecting excellent looking and tasting fare, and it delivers, but just barely. My coffee was good, but not mind-blowing. My mushroom toast was also good, […]