The stars have aligned – I’ve found Maeda and I feel enlightened. Their coffee was simply perfection in a cup, with a rich flavour and gorgeous velvety texture. Achieving the ideal temperature, ratio and texture of the milk, let alone balancing the complex factors that contribute to a good espresso shot, is both a science and an art and Maeda […]
Maeda, Newtown
Little Bear, Big Bear Neutral Bay
I used to be a regular at whatever cafe was in this spot 10 years ago, but Little Bear has only been here for 3 weeks. The place was a little sparse in terms of signage and decor, but being brand-new certainly explains that – cafes tend to develop character with age. For example, Rising Sun Workshop is absolutely oozing […]
Little Tanya, Newtown
There’s a Little Tanya in every family: loud, sticky and unattractive. I might be able to overlook her lack of visual appeal if she served me an awesome coffee, but that was looking less likely by the second. Turns out the coffee was a lot like the one I had at her neighbour’s place, Chill Cafe. You could definitely taste […]
Shots Cafe & Gallery, Glebe
Shots is a funny little place. From the front, it looks a bit like a photography shop, except there’s a coffee machine and it doesn’t sell cameras or photography supplies. There are photo prints for sale, but they adorn the walls and shelves as if they just belong in the shop. And there are little pot plants around the place […]
Chim Cham Cafe, Camperdown
I had a bad experience here a couple of years ago where I was waiting an unreasonably long time for a sub-par takeaway coffee, so my expectations today were not high. They could badly do with an interior refurbishment: there was a broken oven sitting on some stools right next to the customer side of the counter, peeling stickers in […]
Chill Cafe, Newtown
Walking to the park this morning was like being on holiday – temperature well on its way to 30 plus, tropical humidity, and the smell of Moreton bay figs and bacon and eggs wafting through the air like an island resort’s breakfast buffet. I wanted nothing more than to be sitting down with an omelet and an OJ. Instead, I […]
R Restaurant and Cafe, Camperdown
They don’t have a name. They don’t have a menu. The don’t really have anywhere to sit nor much going for them stylistically in their apartment-block-foyer location. So when the manager/barista asked me, “How’s the coffee?” I felt kinda bad how surprised I sounded when I said “Yeah, it’s actually really good!” I could taste the coffee. It’s kinda pathetic […]
Oh My Days, Glebe
Oh my days… I’d heard good things about this trendy vegan patisserie, and the goodies in the window looked absolutely tantalising. Give me some of that savoury danish please and a banana bread for science. Like Buddha Bowl, Oh My Days is proudly vegan-only, so I had to choose my milk substitute, and like Buddha Bowl, I was hoping it […]
Il Caffettino, Westfield Sydney
I almost didn’t see this cute little place, hidden underneath an escalator in the Westfield hidden underneath Sydney Tower. It had an old-timey Italian hole-in-the-wall style, so I was hoping it would be run by old-timey Italians serving classically rich espressos in tiny little cups. Unfortunately there was none of that, but the service was quick and I’m sure they […]
Swedish cafe, IKEA Tempe
Do all IKEAs have a cafe? I don’t mean the automatic machines where you press the button over your little pre-paid mug. I’m pretty sure they all have those. I mean a real-ish cafe, with an espresso machine and a barista (or two, this time), that will actually serve you a real coffee and a banana bread. The coffee was […]