March 3, 2010

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100 St George’s Tce, Perth

Mon-Tues 7am-5pm

Wed-Sat 7am-midnight

A totally new and exciting concept to Perth, Greenhouse is located at the St George’s Terrace entrance to swish new Enex100 retail complex.

Greenhouse was brought to fruition by Joost Bakker who initially built the concept in Federation Sqaure,  Melbourne for a three month season, the Perth Greenhouse will be a permanent fixture on the landscape and has been a hot topic of conversation around our fine city.

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Check out the website to see how it was constructed in only six weeks, view the time-lapse photography detailing the construction and the use of re-cycled materials wherever possible.

www.greenhouseperth.com

By now every media outlet in Perth has covered Greenhouse concentrating mainly on the food, decor and accentuating the environmental friendliness of the place.

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I have passed by several times hoping to try their coffee but Greenhouse has been bursting at the seams with people lined up waiting to get in, today we finally managed to score a table and  ordered our coffees–a short mach and a flat white, an attentive waitress kept our water glasses topped up while we waited twenty minutes for our coffees to arrive.

My short mach was temperature perfect, nice crema, medium body with rich choc/cocoa notes and a lingering aftertaste.

The flat white looked the goods, crowned with smooth microfoam, a caramel coloured crema circling the rim on the cup, the blend cut through the milk producing a smooth creamy chocolate taste experience, a couple of good but not great coffees.

Coffee by Fiori, Osborne Park

Perth has embraced this totally innovative new addition to our cafe culture with gusto.

Three beans for the innovative design and decor, one bean for the coffee

For a food perspective check out:–

www.bowlofhoney.com/fine-dining/greenhouse-perth

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Trevor Green
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February 10, 2010

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163 Scarborough Beach Rd,

Mt Hawthorn

Open 7am-6pm 7 days

New Norcia Bakeries is a private company which operates under an agreement with the Benedictine Community of New Norcia, 133km north-east of Perth.

Located in a strip of shops in bustling and trendy Mt Hawthorn, New Norcia Bakery has a range of sourdough, yeasted breads, cakes and biscuits along with a range of cheeses, preserves, oils and condiments to tantalise the tastebuds.

The three group Synesso was getting a good workout from the busy baristas, their beans of choice are a custom blend from Five Senses.

I ordered an espresso and sat watching other diners enjoying their coffees and food, my espresso arrived in a white demi cup and saucer and looked visually appealing, temperature was perfect, I experienced an  initial hit of crisp acidity with a hint of citrus with good body that left a rich chocolately aftertaste, a most enjoyable caffeine hit.

After a breather it was time to try a flat white, it was presented in quite a large cup, the microfoam had good texture though it was a tad too hot for my liking, the natural sweetness of the milk complemented the blend giving a smooth milk chocolate taste experience. Being accustomed to having flat whites in 170ml  cups the coffee got a little lost in the larger cup but was still an enjoyable bevy.

Coffee by Five Senses

Great meals, cakes and breads, good coffee and service, check out the website

for a history of the Benedictine monks at New Norcia.

www.newnorciabaker.com.au

Well worth a little brown bean

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Trevor Green
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February 4, 2010

114 Miller St
Preston VIC 3071

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tropical marine bivalve found chiefly off eastern Asia and Pacific coast of North America and Central America; a major source of pearls..

Ahh, nothing like a little love at 7:30 in the morning. Coffee that is.

Catching up for a good old yarn with Ben From Somage fine foods at his local, in the artistic district of Preston West. I admit this is not my first time here, and probably wont be my last. its a cruisy sort of a hang out right on the  no 112 tram line. Pearl Oyster occasionally wow you with espresso, but on this occasion it wasn’t to be. Under that lovely peice of artwork that protruded my cup was a coffee without the TLC it deserves. Whilst it was a very drinkable morning beverage, I know that should I try my luck again, the barista may be able to wow me with those supreme flavours Kiwi’s are so good at providing. A pretty good effort, but the bar has recently been raised in our great city..

In all.. awesome food, and the coffee deserves some credit too.

MCR says 1.5 beans

Drop in if your from Melbourne’s North!

Coffee: Coffee Supreme

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jamesclarke
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January 30, 2010

Wanneroo Cultural Centre

3 Rocca Way, Wanneroo

Mon-Fri 7am-6pm

Sat/Sun 8am-5pm

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Cafe Elixir is a recent newcomer to the rapidly expanding area of Wanneroo and is a welcome addition for a populice starved of a decent java hit, on arrival my old work mate Stewie and his family were just finishing lunch and gave the generous portioned meals the thumbs up.

Cafe Elixir is located in the new $20m. Wanneroo Cultural Centre which houses a library, art gallery and museum, what better way to spend some time than soaking up a bit of culture and then lingering over cofee and a tasty all day breakfast or lunch.

The interior is spacious, light and bright with polished terrazo floors, comfortable seating with  a shaded alfresco area to sit and watch the world go by.

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They’ve got some serious hardware comprising a Synesso 3 group Sabre and Mazzer Robur electronic with Five Senses beans in the hopper.

I started prodeedings with an espresso which was served at an ideal temperature, it looked and smelt a treat having medium acidity and a hint of citrus, good body with a lovely rich crema, choc/cocoa notes and lingering aftertaste.

I followed up the spro with a flat white which was a tad hot for my liking, the blend cut through the silky textured milk giving a smooth choc/caramel taste experience.

Coffee by Five Senses

A welcome addition for this mega growth district serving good food and coffee, keep up the good work,  gotta be a worth  one bean!!

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Trevor Green
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December 20, 2009

194 Wells St

South Melbourne VIC 3205

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The name of this cafe really seems to capture the essence of what the CaFFiend is all about, sometimes it really feels like I’m not all there, so it was with a sense of curiosity and interest that I headed down to check it out, at the request of one of the finest palates I’ve met and good friend, Andrew! (thanks for the HOT TIP mate!!)

So close but yet so far, truly sums it up here as I’m always around South Melbourne, but NEVER would have discovered this little gem, nestled away in a back street if it wasn’t for the tip off, so if you know of a caffeine-stop that the CaFFiend should visit, LET ME KNOW: I’M ALL EARS!!!!

Anyway, this busy little local spot, really had a great vibe, plenty of bustling crowds, lots of caffeine being served, a delicious menu and heaps of smiling faces; exactly where I wanted to be mid-morning! I took a seat, ordered a piccolo latte and watched as it really was grand to see so many people being dealt with in a polite and friendly manner, make no mistake this place really had great customer service, even though it was packed to the rafters, it was still not overly loud or uncomfortably packed, probably due to the adequate space between tables.

My beverage arrived looking mighty fine, with a delicate fern leaf adorning the top, with a delicate aroma to pre-empt the delightful taste bud orgy that was about to follow The milk was well textured, at the perfect temperature and had combined well with the well extracted espresso to create nirvana in a cup, really velvety and creamy, my palate delighted in partaking in this offering!

Truly a divine drop and a worthy recipient of ONE bean from the CaFFiend!

Another winner in South Melbourne, which seems to be turning into quite the suburb for quality caffeination!

Till next time, keep on Caffeining on and Merry Coffeemas: The CaFFiend!

Coffee: VENEZIANO

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Steve Agi
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December 19, 2009

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Located at Northbridge Plaza

Cnr Lake and James St,

Northbridge, Perth WA

Northbridge has another debutante cafe added to its ranks, nestled in the corner of the new Piazza and surrounded by lush lawns and a huge outdoor video screen.

Cnr is run by ex West Perth bean-counter Lu Yao.

The decor is appealing with concrete floors adorned with geometric artwork, in one corner is a large red fire hose reel, the tables and chairs in this section are in matching fire-engine red, front of shop has stylish and very comfortable Spanish tables and chairs with cube seating in the alfresco area.

An overhead projector will be used for entertainment and visual effects and the side wall has some funky pieces of artwork.

A  glass display cabinet showcases their inviting range of cakes, panninis and foccacias.

The breakfast and lunch menu has some tempting dishes on offer, one that caught my eye was the mega-breakfast aptly named “cnr sink”, it literally had everything in it but the kitchen sink!

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The business end of cnr has a three group Synesso with   a mighty Mazzer doing the grinding of the Brazil Blue blend.

Perth has the well-earned nickname “Syn City” due to the growing number of Synesso machines pumping out the nectar of the gods in this fine city.

I have found the coffee consistently good over my threee visits, the espresso was most enjoyable having good body, rich choc/cocoa notes and a lingering clean rich aftertaste.

The latte and flat white that I enjoyed on separate occasions cut through the milk nicely, they were well presented at a good temperature and left me with a smile on my face.

There seems to be a good consistency with their coffee and with the decor and friendly service creating a relaxing way to spend some time over good coffee and food.

Coffee by Five Senses–Brazil Blue blend

Another great little addition to the ever-blossoming Perth coffee scene and I’ve got to award them a bean, keep up the good work cnr.

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Trevor Green
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December 7, 2009

3A Edward St Brunswick VIC 3056

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Monday morning coffee is important,

It has the ability to shape my work habits for the week, normally its best to play it safe and go with what you know. but this week, I took a bit of a punt.

Settling into my new burb, i jumped on the bike and arrived at one of MCR’s top 100’s, grabbing myself a cheeky espresso from Gingerlee’s big Synesso machine, which occupies the majority of their front window. Bold and punchy, will a constant flavor from start to finish. I knew that by having this, my morning could not possibly end up too bad. As i continued down Edward st toward Sydney Rd I became excited that I was about to take such a risk.

I had spotted this little cafe the day before, and was interested in their house roasted organic Ethiopian bean that they promoted in the window.

My order a short Macciatto, which was more like a piccolo, however the flavour output did not disappoint, a nutty and smooth taste, at perfect sipping temperature. very impressed with the quality of the beans, from a very simple and quiet cafe.

Worth a drop in and give us your opinion! a conservative one bean for a cafe with loads of potential.

Coffee: Organic house blend

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jamesclarke
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November 2, 2009

345 Victoria St

North Melbourne   VIC   3051

 

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It seems that North Melbourne is quickly becoming quite the coffee hotspot, a real destination for any weary pilgrim looking for some re-caffeination. And you can’t go past a place like Fraus, a real Melbourne landmark as far as coffee and chocolate go, and what better way to spend a beautiful spring afternoon than downing an espresso while enjoying the sun and the company of my amazing wife.

Ordering a serve of their trademark Crepes and a hot chocolate, my wife seemed totally content to partake of the sumptuous fare on offer, totally indulgent and very well presented. I ordered an espresso to test theit dedication to the humble coffee bean and found that they presented me with a decent drop, well extracted, with a thick, rich crema that revealed a viscous and caramelly drop. I went back for seconds and ordered the obligatory cafe latte to test their skill at combining the Devils Cup with milk and found that they did quite a thorough job, a real well made beverage that was both pleasant on the palette as well as delightful to the eye.

A solid ONE bean for this little hidden treasure, go down and say g’day to Marco and the team @ FRAUS, make sure you try the chocolate and tell ‘em the CaFFiend sent you….till next time keep on caffeining on……..

 

Coffee: Genovese

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Steve Agi
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