I got a kick out of the advertising for this place. The flyer was in an envelope addressed “To our special friends on PHILLIP STREET, ENMORE” which is not only a little over-the-top, but also not even close to my address. Inside the envelope, the flyer was a dramatic open-the double-doors fold-out thing referring to the cafe as a “unique […]

Sweet Lu is a Taiwanese dessert cafe, so I wasn’t really expecting a classic flat white and banana bread. The service was excellent, and given that my friendly barista this morning was very, very not Taiwanese, she knew a lot about their products, and was an excellent barista to boot. She took pride in recommending the Reuben croissant and she […]

Well this is depressing. The darkly-carpeted, cool-lit building foyer looks like it hasn’t been renovated since the 80s and there are long rows of chairs seating elderly patients who are extra cantankerous for having to wait. But none of that is Well Bean’s fault – the name is cute and the service is, understandably, especially calm and polite. I would’ve […]

Having recently concluded my tour of North King St with Cafe Newtown, today I started the southbound journey – the side of King St with which I am far less familiar. And so, I approached the fork in the road excitedly wondering what the first cafe would be. My face fell: it was a Bourke Street Bakery on the entrance […]

First, I’ve just gotta say that this is hands-down by-far the cheapest coffee and banana bread combo I’ve ever seen: $6. It’s 2023. I couldn’t get coffee and BB this cheap 15 years ago. I don’t know how they do it – not only must they have cheap suppliers, they must have incredibly good deals with cheap suppliers. None of […]

I used to come here fairly often when my kiddo was in primary school, but they’d always be closing up if we tried to grab a post-school shake. This morning, the service was the second worst I’d ever received. I was waiting at the counter trying to make eye contact for at least an awkward minute while various staff members […]

Soul Brew have carved out a pretty good thing for themselves down their end of the iconic Australia St. Literally surrounded by multiple (better) places for coffee and food (Black Star Pastry, Tokyo Lamington, 212 Blu), one is kinda left wondering what Soul Brew has to offer. For a start, on New Year’s Day, it was the only place open, […]

I went to the Cuckoo Callay at Newtown station earlier this year and was unimpressed by their stale, crumbly “banana bread”, with a floury taste and too many uncooked oats on top, served as a muffin. I was both disappointed and very surprised by their equally terrible coffee. A stale muffin is certainly not a good sign, but it can […]

This is the cafe at Newtown’s Dendy Cinema. It’s been here forever, and has a very iconic Newtown vibe, but it has never really been what I would consider “good”. It has a decent enough menu, but when your food arrives, it kinda feels like it’s hitting a bit of a flat note. Everything entices, but nothing pops. Their coffee […]

The cute name makes this little train station kiosk sound like a real cafe, but I was expecting station-grade fare and that’s pretty much what I got. At only $7.50, I thought they’d undercharged me! I guess it’s hard to be disappointed when that’s all you’ve paid. The coffee certainly wasn’t good, but it also wasn’t offensive – it met […]