Back in the espresso lane
The Age
Friday January 1, 2010
SO MY little piece on Melbourne's best places for coffee two weeks ago started a flurry of correspondence. Among more oblique stuff we were sent was praise for coffee roasters in Albany, WA, a short story aptly called Caffeinated, and some well-placed nepotism from one couple who wanted to laud where their son worked and his coffee blog, which seemed largely to be grainy pictures of baristas flicking each other the bird.In fact, much was written about the attitude of some of the city's rock star baristas €” not much of it good. Nicky Robinson was particularly scathing about those baristas who think that standing behind a coffee machine wearing a look of disdain has anything to do with making a decent espresso. That's not to say that she won't drive across town from Kensington to Elwood to have an espresso made by Anthony at Combi Coffee on Ormond Road.On the other hand, Johnathan Walters wanted to highlight not only the importance of a skilled barista to the whole coffee-making process but also celebrate the educational pains taken by the two Hyde brothers, who are baristas at Dancing Goat in the CBD, to share their love of all steps of coffee-making with those who drink there. As Walters put it: "The lattes were exceptional but what really made our day was that coffee experience, knowing where the beans came from, being educated about its flavours and of course the best form to drink it in."Then there were those quirky little favourites. Andrew Flanagan declared his love for Journal Canteen and Rosa's stove-top espresso and Theo Vlachos for a short black at MoVida Aqui, while Hanna Richardson singled out Eclipse in Flinders Lane and Cafenatics at the Docklands end of Bourke Street for praise. Nanny Nicole generously sent in her list of favourite places for a good latte and babycino €” an obviously important double bill in her book. Crunch in Thornbury, Mitte and North Island in North Fitzroy, and Cafe Bouchon in High Street, Armadale, all made her list, which suggests that her young charges must be among the city's most travelled cafe aficionados. Ian Anstee praised Liar Liar as the equal to St Ali and Seven Seeds but also gave kudos to the Maling Room in Canterbury for its range of excellent single-origin beans, house blends and talented female barista. Others gaining praise closer to the CBD were Batch in Carlisle Street, North Cafeteria in Rathdowne Street, Le Chien in Seddon, Carlton Espresso in Lygon Street, the new coffee store and cafe at David Jones, and Cavallini in Clifton Hill, which David Curlewis named the home of the best cappuccino-and-muffin combination in Melbourne. Dukes, the roaster and cafe set up by Peter Frangoulis on Chapel Street about six months ago, also came in for much praise. There were also quite a number of emails about DiBella in North Melbourne. Duyen Ho singled it out as an unpretentious place for coffee alongside another favourite, Auction Rooms in nearby Errol Street.There was more than a little praise, too, for Brother Baba Budan in the city, with double-espresso fan Mike Wells lauding it for its "perfect balance of great coffee, unpretentious yet very competent staff, cool atmosphere and . . . a double espresso [that] is the best around!" Inevitably, however, among the hot praise for the top places, there were also brickbats. Russell Wanklyn went so far as to commit the self-admitted heresy of describing the short blacks or long macs at Docklands' Promenade Cafe as better than Seven Seeds! Hmmm!While we are talking heresy I might suggest that Proud Mary, just off Smith Street in Collingwood, which was launched by Nolan Hirte (ex-Liar Liar) a couple of months back, would be my call for the challenger to Seven Seeds' crown. It may come as a surprise to some regular readers but I actually loved the syphon coffee here as it has both texture and some oomph alongside the textbook delicacy. In fact, I can even see it becoming my summer coffee of choice, such has been the turnaround in my opinion of this method of coffee making. It is suitably Proud Mary to keep on turning.Our call for favourites also threw up some interesting suburban locations that might make it into any future guides to the best coffees in Victoria if their champions are to be believed. Chosen Bean in Mountain Gate near Ferntree Gully was given kudos. Angela Molinari drives from Bulleen to the Greythorn shops in Balwyn for a coffee at a "dingy little place" called Romeo's because of the rich aroma of the roasting beans and coffee that is "rich, smooth and 'proprio all'italiana'; I feel I am in Rome or Florence or Venice or Padova." Jo Prestia singled out C4coffee in Mordialloc, which, while not a fully fledged cafe, roasts and sells green beans and does serve a fine espresso. Further across the state, praise came for the coffee at Roxburgh House in Hamilton, Caffe Volare in Pakington Street, Geelong, and Coffee Traders in Blake Street, Mornington, which I hope might help make your Christmas travels slightly less tedious.The final words must go to Peter Gompertz, who took the time to remind us that the perfect cup of coffee is as strong as love, as black as night, as sweet as a kiss, and as hot as hell. And that "anything else is a marketing con designed to gull the airheads and fashion victims into believing that they can tell one cup of coffee from another". So with that hearty, and very Aussie, scepticism in mind, let me paraphrase the heroic Captain Lawrence Oates and say that I am just going outside for a coffee and I may be some time.
© 2010 The Age