863 Albany Highway

East Victoria Park WA 6101

Gee, it looks as though these sandgropers really wanna let us know what’s going on out WEST, and by the look of the latest offering, a review by ‘The Dan”, these guys are doing everything right, plenty of beans out west and plenty of coffee to be drunk.

Here we go:

The Imp is a relatively new cafe in the heart of bustling Victoria Park, that has caught my attention every morning on the way to work. I’d heard only great things about the food they serve, and went along to see if the coffee was up to standard.

I was pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, WA hasn’t got a huge range of places a true coffee connoisseur would frequent, but if I was in the area, I’d definitely stop in to the Imp again.

The Wega machine that was being used was nice and clean, with no grind or caked on milk, which is always a good thing. They use a variety of different Fiori origins, rotating them on a regular basis. Today I had the pleasure of sampling the Single Origin Honduran. The ristretto I was served was ready for me before I’d finished making my whole order, and it was rather enjoyable. The shot had an interesting mouthfeel… It was almost, but not quite the viscosity I’d enjoy from a ristretto. It had quite dark cocoa notes, with a very long lingering acidity, though not unpleasant. In fact, the acidity was still hanging around by the time I’d taken my seat to wait for my breakfast and second coffee.

An extra-shot flat white is the usual order by which I rate a cafe. The flat white that was delivered to me had a very thick, brown crema, covering the majority of the cup, with just a tiny bit of white down one side. Crema like this would have been ideal for latte art, but was left wanting. The Honduran I thought was better as a ristretto than through milk, but it wasn’t by any means unpalatable.

Where the Imp really shines, however, is the food. I ordered a Big Breakfast, and it was big. Bacon, Mushrooms, Eggs on Toast, all the usual suspects. And it took an effort to get through, even for me. I also sampled the breakfast porridge, ordered by my colleague, which was beautiful, with berries on top.

The Imp is a very funky place, where you definitely get value for money. If it’s good food you’re after, it’s the place for you. If you’re a coffee snob, be prepared to lower your standards a touch.

Excellent work out in the WILD WILD WEST, must get out there one day and see, or rather, taste for myself, happy to report on it as the Melbourne Coffee Review tours the globe in search of coffee that’s up to Melbourne’s standards…..because life is too short to drink bad coffee….

Bean Rating: 1 bean