April 25, 2009

23 Ebenezer Pl
Adelaide 5000 SA

Nano - Ready to Go

Nestled behind Adelaide’s thriving cafe precinct of Rundle St is a new, but very well established cafe with great food, fantastic service and funky euro stylings.  Nano began as a small but scarilly busy cafe on Hutt st in the city.  Their prompt service, great produce and terrific coffee ensured their success and subsequent out-growing of their small footprint cafe.

So they moved shop into very well sized cafe along the historic strip of Ebenezer place, upgrading just about everything else along with it.

A shiny, curved yellow bar greets you as you enter, sporting a La Marzocco FB70 and Mazzer Robur grinder.  It’s all very clean and well maintained and you can’t help but grow your expectations for the coffee that is to come.

Fortunately they easily deliver on this department.  Without hesitation I order a ristretto and a flat white.  Both come out at the same time and look fantastic.  I throw back the ristretto and am met with an explosion of flavour.  The coffee is fresh and gassy (maybe a little too fresh), but showcases huge body and a wonderful intense sweetness.  The lingering finish sits mid palate and is Devinne, I almost feel bad cutting it short to sip on my flat white.

Rich and creamy, this is just what I needed to kick start my day.  Perfect temp and amazing texture.  Flat white’s like this are worth crossing town for.  Nano definitely serves one of the nicest cups in the CBD and earns itself a very deserving 2 beans.  Be sure to check it out next time you head into the city.

 

Coffee: Rio

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Ian Callahan
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March 31, 2009

 

Cikolatte

 

133 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide SA 5006

 

A stone’s throw north of the city lays Melbourne St.  And although the name of the street would suggest some fantastic coffee to be had (and the street easily has enough cafe’s to accomodate for this), unfortunately it’s actually quite hard to find something worthwhile to wrap your pallate around.

With the exception of the case in point, Cikolatte.  Owned by a passionate couple you instantly feel a part of the business with their warm welcoming and great hospitality.  The decore is clean, comfortable, funky and functional.  They really manage to use their space well, fitting quite a few tables and chairs into a relitively small space, without cluttering the space, or making you feel cramped by the other tables around you.

Straight up I ordered an espresso which was presented promptly.  Rich crema, dense chocolately flavour and good length to it.  I followed this up with a flat white which came out quickly again.  Well textured and well made.  The creamy texture of the milk gave way to lavish coffee flavour which really hugged your mouth and seemed to sit around for quite some time to follow.

I chased this with Turkish Coffee, which was a real treat.  Served in traditional demtasse, this thick, rich coffee was presented beautifully and the flavour was just subperb.

I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn’t have time to grab anything to eat, but I must make mention of their fantastic selection of hand made truffles.  1 very solid bean here, and I’ll definately be back again next time I’m up this neck of the woods

 

Coffee: Kikko

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Ian Callahan
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February 18, 2009

12 Elizabeth St,

Croyden, SA 5008

Queen St Cafe

Stepping out just North West of the city, in the suburb of Croyden, is an eclectic and quirky group of businesses collectively known as the Queen Street shops.

Nestled amongst them is a good sized cafe, aptly titled, Queen St Cafe. Funky decor, friendly staff and what has to be one of Adelaide’s best breakfasts and lunch menu, make this place an excellent destination cafe to catch up, relax, or hold a laid back business meeting.

Don’t expect a well polished, elegant bistro, or overly produced mass of stainless steel and back lit Perspex menu boards. What you will find, is a gritty (in the very best sense of the word) and very functional cafe, oozing with character and charm.

The food menu is creative, well thought out and very well presented. And I’ll happily mention it again, their breakfast is easily one of the best in Adelaide. All this serves as a fantastic backdrop for the superb coffee they’re serving. One of the few cafe’s in South Australia to be serving Directly Traded coffee, the dedication to serving fantastic coffee is easily witnessed by watching the barista’s here pump out some beautiful espresso.

My flat white was wonderfully textured, ad served at the absolutely perfect temperature. Toasty, nutty and with a great presence of lingering cocoa. Superb! My espresso was short and to the point, exactly how I like it. Delicious deep, golden syrup flavour and mouth feel, backed with a dry and nutty finish with some spicy notes. I simply had to order another.

It’s great to see a cafe really aiming to do it all well, two solid beans here. Definitely drop by next time you’re in the area, but if you’re not one for the busy cafe scene, try and make it in during the week as weekends here can get pretty hectic.

Coffee: Five Senses

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January 22, 2009

261 Rundle St
Adelaide SA 5000

felici

Nestled about half way along the cities vibrant Rundle St, upstart cafe, Felici’s have got a big job ahead of themselves, wooing coffee enthusiasts away from the myriad of cafe’s and habitual coffee haunts.
To help brake those trends and to raise a bit of money for parkinsons disease, they decided to give coffee away, for free (or by donation), for a whole week (proceeds to go to Parkinsons Sa). The goal was 300kg’s by the end of the week, and as I write this (three days into the week) they stand at a little over 100kg, which is quite a feat for any cafe.
Certainly a good idea to get people through the door, and to support a great cause also.
Moving onto the coffee, probably the biggest drawing card is the speed in which you get it. Despite the massive volume this place was ticking over, the well oiled machine of barista’s ensured you never waited more than a couple of minutes for your coffee to be delivered to your table.
My cappuccino was great, with silky, well made milk, textured perfectly to the right temperature. And enough flavour present that you knew you were drinking a coffee.
My espresso was a little hot, but pulled fairly well, though it was a little disappointing not to see them grinding on demand, hopefully something we’ll see when their volume isn’t so hectic. The flavour was fairly well rounded with a strong presence in the mid to back palate.
Rounding up, as felici’s joins the very long list buzzing cafe’s along Rundle St, they will no doubt develop a following of commuters and coffee enthusiasts alike. A good mix food, coffee, style and service gets them ONE BEAN here, so be sure to check them out.

Coffee: Di Bella

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Ian Callahan
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