Archive for category cafe
Coutume – cafe joy in Paris
Walking down Rue de Babylone a couple of weeks ago I noticed a cafe with startling resemblance to what one might find in Australia (apart from the ice cream cart at the front). It was closed that day and I took a mental note to return next time. As I entered Coutume a week later, I noticed torn paint work, light bulbs hanging naked from the ceiling, siphon apparatus with the unmistakable halogen heat source (Hario) and the tall, cold drip coffee maker. At the back of the shop was a roaster separated from the cafe with transparent plastic. I have no doubt I have found my favorite bench to sit on. Perfect to do some cooking school homework when they are not too busy.
A mini ice cream cart on the right
“Hello, how are you!?” one of the staff said to me as I waited to order. Sounded like someone who knew me. And it was. Antoine, who I met in Melbourne a few years ago, used to have a coffee roasting shop in the suburbs of Melbourne. I remember he said that he wanted to open a cafe in one of the French colonies in the tropics. He would have his own roaster and espresso bar by the beach. I didn’t remember he was going to Paris. But here we are few years down the track under the same roof. I call it coffee foot prints. He introduced me to Tom from Canberra who, together, opened this cafe. They serve single origin, blends, siphon, cold drip and milk based espresso drinks in all its glory. A piccolo latte (my favorite) was easily done. Milk well textured and served without being burnt. For purchase are beans and brewing equipment (pour over, siphon, espresso machines.
Paris as a whole is just beginning to realize coffee is far more than the swill they are used to. A ironic fact is how a city ( or nation) so obsessed with food, drinks and leisure is so late in coffee development. Their deep worship of tradition and the respect of how things are done as they used to be (thinks of chopping vegetables in triangular ‘paysanne’ shape at school) is proving to be a major contributor to their slow embrace of the coffee movement. The competition will heat up though and I really wish Coutume the best in leading this revolution.
Piccolo
75007, Paris
Tuesday – Friday 8am – 7 pm, Saturday – Sunday (10am – 7pm)
Egg&Co – Paris
Egg&Co. is the cure for one’s yearning for Australia’s cafe culture. In Paris, it is unbelievably hard to find a place to sit down for breakfast (without table cloth), be automatically given a bottle of water and a cup and coffee orders taken before getting the menu. Coffee came the way I am used to for a latte – balanced, not too hot and nicely textured. Yep, the guy at the coffee machine used to work in Sydney. But make no mistake, this cafe is run by the French – really friendly and enthusiastic French. The egg-focused menu delivers an omelette with fresh tarragon that is perfect. Slightly brown on the outside, soft and airy and juicy inside. I am told next time I should try their specialty, the cocotte – or what I know as ‘baked eggs’.
I haven't worked out the names on the chairs yet
The decor is cosy. Nearly all the seating is upstairs and partly loft style. The roof is low and supported by old and large wooden beams. There are 2 windows out the back which over looks some green climber plants. I don’t have a photo that does these windows justice. The owner pointed out that they had a fake chicken farm upstairs too. Such intimate space also proved popular with a couple kissing away while waiting for their coffees. This rare place is a reminder of just how lucky we are in Australia to have so many places to chose from for a place with decent coffee and breakfast. It is obvious that our habits are different to most Parisians.
I didn’t catch their names. But I figure I will be back soon.
Looks familiar?
Tarragon omelette
"Because if we had a real one, we would be shut down"
Sitting in a small lane way. I came across the place after wondering around without a map in hand. In retrospect, I have read about this place somewhere but I wasn't looking for it today.
Chez Dre – Eclair
Posted by tzuyen in Patisserie, cafe on August 15, 2011
Every minute that goes by without you eating an eclair from Chez Dre is another minute you have wasted in your life in a dark, dull and anaesthetized world. Throw out everything you once knew about an eclair, dial up the insulin pump, and front up to the counter. If you haven’t had a macaron from here either then strongly suggest you do as a matter of urgency.
The wooden communal table next to the courtyard is a lovely piece of furniture.
A 'holy f__' moment
One of the communal tables
They do sell out, often.
Sydney July 16th, 2011 – Mecca Espresso Bar
Piccolo latte - Mecca Espresso Bar
A sigh of relief after handing in my stack of paper work to the French Consulate for visa application. One of the best piccolo lattes I have had recently. Sit and ponder what the rest of the year will bring.
67 King St, Sydney(02) 9299 8828
A seriously good macaron – Chez Dré
Posted by tzuyen in Patisserie, cafe on June 28, 2011
Serious things
Macarons are mostly too dense, too sweet, artificial flavoured and just disappointing (regret) to pay $2-3. But this is a good one – from cafe Chez Dre. The head pastry chef is Andrea Reiss.
285-2877 Coventry St, South Melbourne, VIC 32059690 2688
The League of Honest Coffee
Danny Bhoy is a super act. Chilled, calm, confident and in control all the time. Just like having an every day conversation except he can talk for 80 min without making me bored or think of something else. I was walking home in the mist and saw some serious hardware.
Melbourne’s coffee scene is bubbling mad. Many cafes are trying to ride ‘the third wave coffee’ and producing ‘specialty coffee’ these days that the terms are obsolete. Pointless because everyone who roast or buy roasted beans, as long as the beans come from one region, can sign up to the ‘single origin’ badge. A mention or a sign to indicate how much care and emphasis is made to the coffee, or the offering of a non-espresso based coffee allows one to claim the honour of ’specialty’. Tear off paint to show distress bricks, have a big wooden bench or communal table and you have ticked off the circles like the Heart Foundation ticks. That’s fine, the just-being-educated-by-The-Epicure mass will bite.
What is really needed at the bottom of the cup is honest passion and the relentless pursuit of the best. The barista should be the ‘pass’ at the cafe where every drink is looked at and the deficient ones are discarded, just like a good restaurant. I have visited Padre Coffee, (Specifically, Brunswick East Project on Lygon St), a few times and their passion is certainly not running low. These guys probably drink a bottle of passion everyday they wake up. This will be their new cafe – The League of Honest Coffee. Looking forward to it.
Broadsheet Cafe – A better reason to visit Crossley Street
A empty shop converted into the best house to serve roasted beans - Broadsheet has organized 11 days of joy to the city when 6 cafes takes turn to showcase their beans and brew. What a delightful idea and place to enjoy an expertly made coffee. Today was hosted by 7 Seeds and I had the Kenyan Kiangombe pour-over (if wasn’t too sleepy to forget) with my all-time favorite almond croissant. This is the line up for the rest of the days, straight from the Broadsheet website:
Fri 4: Seven Seeds
Sat 5: Five Senses
Sun 6: Dead Man Espresso
Mon 7: Market Lane
Tue 8: The Premises
Wed 9: Seven Seeds
Thu 10: Five Senses
Fri 11: Proud Mary
Sat 12: Dead Man Espresso
Sun 13: Proud Mary
Mon 14: Market Lane
24 Crossley Street, Melbourne (between Bourke and Little Bourke, Exhibition and Spring)
On my way out, I organised the rest of my day and spotted this
Details
Posted by tzuyen in Photography, cafe on February 13, 2011
Spot-fires of ideas can brew from here, in South Melbourne
Cibi – Japanese breakfast
Where else can you see a mum transporting her tiny baby in a pouch located on a front-pack while serving customers in a light filled cafe? Cibi’s traditional Japanese breakfast is the most popular option here, only available on weekends. Why isn’t it packed with people in lines I am not sure. Busy, but not hectic. It’s probably the miso soup and salted salmon with rice that puts most Melbournians slightly off. Mind you, their miso soup is one of the best I have tried – scattered with scallions, vegetables and bean curd. Their ice coffee is literally a 3/4 latte given to you to pour over ice cubes. Great if you don’t want the usual sweet stuff. I haven’t tried their hot coffee yet but I don’t really go there for coffee.
Oh, please don’t miss the green tea cupcakes with red bean paste. In my opinion, my favorite cupcake by miles. The key is not too sweet and a good balance of moist and doughy.
Cibi 45 Keele Street, Collingwood, Melbourne 3066 3 9077 3941
A DIY ice coffee allowing a unsweetened version or sugar to be dissolved in hold milk first
Breakfast for champions part 2
Green tea cupcake with red bean paste worth a trip
Bunker – Milton, Brisbane
A more literal version of “a-hole-in-the-wall” cafe than anything in Melbourne. Bunker is set inside a single car space enclosed by vine covered concrete. The menu is pure coffee (Blackstar coffee), home blend iced coffee and hot chocolates. There are about 3 stool seats and 2 small cushioned benches to sit and enjoy a brew before continuing one’s journey. The milk was perfectly textured and warm. Passionate people. Simple.
21 Railway Terrace, Milton, 4064
One care space