Well, it’s been a fun and fattening year, during which I’ve really gotten to know the good, the bad and the ugly (literally) of the Newtown cafe scene, and beyond! So let’s look at the stats. I’ve visited 138 cafes over the past year. I’m pretty proud of that effort. Overall, this is what I found: Coffee Banana Bread 34% […]
First Year Wrap Up
Little Island Hungry Sea, Balmoral Beach
I’ve had a really good run with cafes in Balmoral, so I was a little hesitant to try this little takeaway kiosk since there are so many seemingly better options. But this time I didn’t have the pram and needed the convenience of being right next to the playground, so we just toddled on over and were pleasantly surprised. Everything […]
Coco Madness, Chatswood
Sometimes you’re just in a busy semi-urban Westfield with very few options, so I tried out Coco Madness because I wasn’t game enough to go to the Three Beans after my experience at their Broadway branch. But Coco Madness wasn’t exactly a fantastic alternative. Even in a small, the coffee was too milky. I could barely taste the coffee, so […]
Bathers, Coogee
When taking the babies to the beach, I usually have enough to carry without stopping for a coffee and banana bread, but I managed to score a fantastic 4P free beach spot right next to this sunny little coffee kiosk on the street underneath Bathers Coogee. The coffee was Seven Mile and executed perfectly with a nice, rich flavour. There […]
Sub-Station Cafe, Alexandria
I’ve driven past this place so many times, but it’s strangely hard to get to since you can’t just pull up out front and the street parking in this semi-industrial location seems to fill up with semi-industrial vehicles. But inside the disused shell of Electricity Substation No. 152, Sub-Station Cafe is like a wonderfully refurbished little oasis, with the side […]
Cafe Blossom, Chatswood
You don’t go to Cafe Blossom for the coffee or the food – you go there because it’s right next to a huge indoor playground. The location is everything, and Cafe Blossom isn’t bad enough to force you to go somewhere else for anything better. With run-of-the-mill Mama Kaz banana bread and a coffee that was neither here nor there, […]
Elbow Room, Chatswood
Elbow Room used to be my local a very long time ago. They had a cool chef who was unusually good at executing homely cafe fare with a slight twist of elegance. I was pleased (and also slightly disappointed – I liked the guy) to see that he was still here after so many years. As well as having a […]
Mint Tea & Rosewater, Killarney Heights
Ah, I knew there was somewhere nice that would hit the spot whenever I head up to Killarney Heights, and it’s been right here under my nose for years! The coffee was head-noddingly smooth and flavourful. And the home-baked banana bread was really next level – bursting with fresh banana flavour and honey overtones rather than an excess of sugar […]
Cafe 101, Alexandria
Cafe 101 wouldn’t be my first choice for a cafe outing. For a start, it’s inside the Alexandria Homemaker Centre, but I guess I’m a homemaker, so here I am. The coffee was not well executed. I burnt my tongue first, then tasted that thick overboiled milk flavour. The banana bread was kinda ok, in theory. It had the right […]
Brudo’s Coffee, Circular Quay
We don’t talk about Brudo, no, no, no. But we do talk about Brudo’s cute little coffee cart down by the water at Circular Quay. I broke my flat white standard and ordered their signature “Hot Brudo”: a double-ristretto piccolo. I figured if they can’t get their featured drink right then they sure won’t be serving a decent flat white […]