10 Hall St Moonee Ponds Vic 3039
Well well well. congratulations to the team here. A wonderful little establishment, with enormous potential. If I were from the humble suburb of Moonee ponds I would be thankful for such an edgy little space which sends me on a direct route to a fantastic coffee.
Using five senses coffee, this cafe has transformed a typical suburban shopping mall into something with the Midas touch. It is the little bit of cream on a fairly bland sponge cake. Walking into the space, I felt totally seperated from the outside world. I sat with my book in the warm suroundings and admired the simple timber features, some of which I assume is artwork. Similar to the some of the thriving spaces found in other inner melbourne pockets, Nabiha had a certain style which im sure will attract a really good following.
I ordered an espresso, which the barista informed would come in the way of a double ristretto…. not going to complain about that! It was short, sweet and carried lovely fruit flavors, with a punchy but quite mild acidity. to follow up I ordered a strong latte. The extraction (which came from a Synesso Sabre if im correct?) cut through the milk perfectly and it was finished patterned, with a silky texture.
Huge fan, thanks for the heads up MCR. You need to expose these guys more and let the world know of another Melbourne pearl!
3 Big bold beans here!
Coffee: Five Senses
Agree 100%. I recommended this cafe to MCR a couple of months ago. I had a long mac and it was as good as it gets. It was served in a funky black cup. The place is an oasis in the Ponds. I have know doubt the barrista knows his stuff but where ever I have 5 senses coffee, I seem to have a really good coffee experience.
I work in Moonee ponds and visit nabiha daily. The most friendly staff and coffee that tastes amazing ad well as being fair trade.
This place is a class act and is a refreshing alternatives to the vittoria cafes surrounding it!
Love that you guys actually opened my eyes on this one. Was totally unaware I had my very own local coffee haven in my own backyard!! Love it!!!!! No need to hop in the car and mentally prepare myself for the traffic or chaos I must face to get a damn good coffee. Totally love this place. Not a lot of foot traffic which is perfect when I’m totally not awake yet. Love it!! Did I mention I love it?!?
happy to help… we need a pic!
Excellent and try the food too.
Ever since I stumbled upon this place when it first opened I have been one of the most vocal supporters of Nabiha. I think I told just about everyone I knew (or even just met) that the coffee void that is the Essendon/Moonee Ponds area, finally had a cafe that did great coffee. I loved that their standard coffees were always strong and smooth.
Today however, I had an experience that infuriated me so much that I felt compelled to actually write about it online. I ordered a short mach which was lovely – they use a bit more milk than what would classically be in a short mac, but I actually like that. Service was friendly from the curly haired girl – she’s always awesome.
After that I ordered a latte in expectation of the coffee that I’ve always loved there. Instead, I received weak, but well made coffee. It was pale in colour and weak to taste (I had all of one sip). I felt terrible being ‘one of those’ customers but I politely explained to the waitress that my coffee was weaker than usual and could they please make me one that was stronger. They were ok about it and soon my coffee was replaced with a delicious latte.
When it came time to pay I realised that I’d been charged for the weak coffee I’d taken back. I said, I think you’ve charged me for an extra coffee. The barista said, well you ordered (x amount) and I said that I returned one of them. She was quite defensive and said, well you need to ask for a strong coffee if that’s what you want. I explained that their coffee has always been strong without asking in the past and that I felt awful returning the coffee but it just wasn’t what I had expected. I honestly thought that a place that prided themselves on their standard of coffee would gladly have changed it. Eventually she acquiesced and didn’t charge me but she had a go at me saying, “we’re a small business you know” to justify that she couldn’t be just giving free coffees away willy nilly.
You know what – I’ve got a small business in a service industry too. Customer service is everything. Her attitude and arrogance sucked. I won’t be back and I definitely won’t be sending any more business their way (and I’ve sent plenty in the past). Here’s a lesson, you never know who you’re serving. Lesson #2 – everyone has the Internet.
I think policy in this area needs to be consistent, and we are far from it. I had another instance where i was charged 2 x coffee price due to a double shot.. what the?
I would say;
1. A return coffee with one or two sips is no charge.
2. A double shot does not equal double price (that is fundamentally wrong).
3. A complaint is an opportunity to engage, so should be appreciated.
4. Everyone has a bad day or makes mistakes, we should remember that, but hey, lets all be courteous.
5. false economies should be part of basic business education,.. looks like that one coffee cost them a bucket!
Peter