Quick Coffee @ Rubber Duck

Cremalicious.

Regular readers will know that I love a good long black, and I had one of the best I've encountered in a while at Rubber Duck this morning.

The crema was devine, the flavour was rich and bold, but without overwhelming. The beans they had chosen were of the rich, chocolate-y variety, and they had extracted every last drop of goodness from them, while leaving the bitter behind.

I tore through it, and it left me wanting more. I'll be back and you should go!

Aeropress @ Grandpa Joe

So, I own an aeropress and while it has made me some excellent cups of coffee, making sure that I can get the coffee to brew just right before it leaks through the filter has always been a challenge. That was at least until how I saw them do it at Grandpa Joe.

Push the plunger in to make a seal, invert the whole apparatus, put in your coffee and water and let it steep. Then when you're happy, attach the filter spin it back around and press out a beautiful cup.

The one I got at Grandpa Joe was good, but it was just a step on the road to my mastery of aero pressing.

Reuben and Horchata @ Twenty & Six Espresso

With a lunchtime flight interstate, I felt I needed to pre-game with a sandwich that was better than what Qantas was going to be offering me. So prior to taxiing out to the airport I stopped for a coffee, a Ruben and an iced Horchata at Twenty & Six in North Melbourne.

My Ruben came on a delicious rye with pickled onions, lashings of house made sourkraut, a delicious Russian dressing and a side of pickles and salad. The coffee was strong and nutty and my Horchata was just sweet and rich enough to take the edge off my morning.

Twenty & Six also has a lovely range of breakfast and lunch options (though trending more toward the 'lunch' end of the spectrum as most of North Melbourne seems to be. The pastries and the staff are also great and I'll definitely be back.

Breakfast @ Grigons & Orr

Grigons & Orr (Grigsons and others if their name is a law report citation joke as I suspect it might be) is a pleasant little outfit in North Melbourne that I often frequent when I am wandering the area with friends.

On this particular morning I enjoyed an excellent coffee along with the 'Salmon and Rosti' eggs (two poached eggs, smoked Tasmanian salmon, spiced potato Rosti, smoked aioli, pickled carrot and cress) while my friend had the 'Italian Stallion' jaffle (Italian prosciutto, spinach, sundried tomatoes, a mixture of hard and soft Italian cheeses, toasted on white in a jaffle iron with a side of pesto).

My dish was really nice, the eggs were perfectly poached and richly flavoured. The smoked salmon was fresh and flavoursome and offset the smoky, garlicky, richness of the aioli very nicely. The Rosti could have gone with a little more flavour or kick, but as absorbent base to the dish it picked up many fine flavours from the other components. The cress was good but the carrot added... not much really.

My friend enjoyed his coffee and found his jaffle quite satisfactory. He had wanted something sweet to begin with, but went for the jaffle because the flavour combo appealed to him and his verdict was that it worked just as well on the palette as it did on the menu.

Grigons & Orr is well worth a visit if you're over the more mainstream North Melbourne joints. I will say though, it seems like their menu has shrunk and focused more on lunch than brunch. So perhaps the long predicted death of brunch is finally upon us. Snowcrabnebula will keep our eyes peeled for any other harbingers and report the, as we see them!

Coffee and antipasto @ A25

My friends and I, all being foreign policy tragics, were originally enticed into A25 at the Yarra end of Chapel Street because of the prominent photos of former Italian President, billionaire and noted sex pest Silvio Berlusconi as well as a selection of quotes from the 'great' man that adorned the walls.

It was fortunate that we chose to go in as they brewed a damn fine coffee and offered up some great antipasto to go with it.

Along with our long blacks and lattes we shared a platter of fine imported small goods and cheeses as well as a delicious herb focaccia.

The coffee was excellent. A25 use Dukes coffee and the blend they chose made for a great cup while our charming Italian waiter pulled us a series of great cups.

The antipasto platter was also fantastic. We enjoyed some fantastic bresaola, salami and perfect prosciutto. In addition there was a fine gorgonzola as well as a collection of hard cows and sheets milk cheeses.

Finally the focaccia was freshly baked and had a great chewy texture with a crisp base. It went very well with the platter.

If you're venturing down to the cooler end of Chapel, A25 is highly recommended.

Baked goods @ Prospect Espresso

I stopped in for a quick coffee and a snack at Prospect Espresso while with a friend in Camberwell. I've been before and was generally impressed with their coffee so I was looking forward to my return.

I must say my long black was a bit disappointing. It had almost no crema (hence no photo) and the flavour was a bit sour and unpleasant.

The dark chocolate and orange muffin that I coupled it with was however more than enough to compensate. It was crisp on top and beautifully moist inside. I really enjoyed myself.

My friend's lemon and lime cupcake was also apparently quite delicious, and her long mac was apparently up to par.

I'd go back, but I might be a little less confident that I'll be satisfied with the coffee side of things.

Quick Review: Dessert and Coffee @ Meatballs & Sons‏

Many places have now hopped on the Meatballs bandwagon, and I feel we may be nearing the end of the trend, so it was with some trepidation that I went to Meatballs & Sons on Brunswick Street. However it was late and I needed a coffee to help decompress after a late flight.

Intending to only get a take away cup with a friend the grim weather outside persuaded us to stay in for it and also to get some dessert. In hindsight I'm really glad we did. I had a fresh baked chocolate brownie with blueberry sauce and chantilly cream.

It was wonderful, the bittersweet chocolate of the brownie was perfectly offset by the tart blueberries and the rich sweetness of the flavoured cream. My coffee was also excellent. As you'll know about me by now I am all about good crema and my cup at Meatballs had it in spades. So on the whole, recommended. I can't speak to their dinner but if it is anything like the dessert you will leave happy.

Coffee and dessert @ Dex2Rose Nitrogen Gelato

So Nitrogen Gelato is the new cupcake store, it's clearly a fad, 90% of the places won't last the distance, but there are the occasional points of interest that make you see why it became a trend in the first place.

I think Dex2Rose is one of those places. I really liked it and I think it may have what it takes to make it, provided they can attract customers to their slightly oddball location.

I was first introduced to the brand when an earnest young man shoved a sampler pot of Walnut-Maple-Vanilla into my hand as I was walking back from the Australian Open. Some weeks later, out with my friend D, I needed a late night hit of coffee and sugar and the memory of Dex2Rose surfaced in my mind.

I had the 'Lazy Dinner' (sage, burnt butter and vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce) and D had the Pink Flamingo (moscato and peach gelato with coconut cream). We also both ordered one of their iced filter coffees.

The Lazy Dinner was AMAZING. It is the nicest ice-cream that I have had anywhere in Australia for a very long time. The sweet/savoury combination of the sage, burnt butter, rich vanilla and the bittersweet caramel was just perfect. The staff told me the owner comes up with all of the flavors, and so a massive shout out to someone who has a great talent for creating taste sensations.

D said that the gelato component of the Pink Flamingo was amazing, but that the coconut cream worked against it. He was still however very impressed and wolfed his down.

We both loved our coffees. They came in this amazing little brown glass bottle and the flavour was perfect. Not a hint of bitterness (which is so so rare for iced filter coffee) and just the perfect beans for the job (light and tangy, but not too acidic).

Seriously, take the time to duck down the side alley off Little Bourke where Dex2Rose have their HQ, you will not be disappointed.

Coffee and Dessert @ DOC Espresso, Lygon Street

Lygon Street is basically a theme park. It thrives off the fact that large numbers of people perceive it to be an accurate simulacrum of some dining district in Rome and that somehow, because of that, it is a classy place to go. So they dress up in their Armarni Exchange jeans, put on their best fake Gucci glasses and arrive to have overpriced rubbish at Brunetti, listen to idiots rev out their mid-90's Ferraris and bask in their own 'culture'. I was as guilty of this as anyone until R pointed out to me that the whole place was more Eastern European sleaze than it was high renaissance glory, and that the pushy touts out the front of every restaurant are about as authentically Italian as a McCafe Cappuccino. I have now repented.

However, there is a glimmer of the real Italy in the Lygon wasteland - DOC.

Both of the DOC outlets, the Pizzeria and Mozzarella bar and DOC espresso make excellent food with great Italian service.

I went with my friend J to Doc Espresso for a late night coffee and sweet treat. We were not disappointed.

I had a long black with a Nutella Pannacotta and J had a latte with a Goats Cheese Tiramisu.

My coffee was excellent, from the roast to the expression to the funky little cup and saucer set up. I really enjoyed it and it was the perfect nightime pick-me-up. J really liked his latte and the pattern in the foam had all the continental flair you might expect.

My Pannacotta was smooth and richly flavoured. You could taste the rich choc-hazelnut of the Nutella as well as the quality of the other ingredients. The crunch of toasted pine nuts sprinkled on top was also a nice touch.

J's Tiramisu was interesting and I am keen to try a full one. The single mouthful I had was rich and tangy, with a deep choc-coffee flavour permeating the delicate sponge at its heart. I'm not sure that I'd go for making a Tiramisu with Goat's Cheese myself, but it was an interesting deviation from the norm.

If you find yourself, by some strange misfortune, on Lygon Street in the near future, do yourself a favour and head to one of the DOCs, you won't be disappointed.

Coffee @ Snow Pony, Balwyn

I have wanted to try the coffee at Snow Pony for quite some time. It gets quite high praise for its hot drinks and pastries so I thought I would stop by for a quick morning coffee.

So, it was OK I guess, not amazing.

First, the coffee. There isn't a photo because it wasn't worth it - there was no crema and so it just looked like a black puddle. Crema is one of my favourite parts of the coffee experience, and a long black without any suggests that the crew manning the coffee machine was just too overworked. Not to mention it took ages to arrive, although I guess the place was pretty full.The flavour was up there though, so I would definitely like to check it out again sometime.

Or at least I would have, but for the pastry. So, I get that in cafe math, a pastry is automatically $4.50+. That's fine. It should cost more than my coffee. However, when it is the size of a postage stamp and tastes like... nothing, that's just criminal.

Anyway, if I happen to be passing by I might stop for another coffee. Otherwise, no dice.

Hugo's @ Kingsway, Glen Waverley

Let’s hear it for the little guy! Hugo’s Sweet and Dessert Bar on King’s Way in Glen Waverley was a breath of fresh air after the disappointingly lowest-common-denominator turn the food there has taken in the last few months.

I went for coffee and cake with a friend and we both had a great time. The service was super friendly right from the moment we got through the door. The coffee arrived quickly and was truly excellent. My long black was well expressed and richly flavored, making it possibly the only long black that I have properly enjoyed on King’s Way in about 3 years. My companion said her Latte was also similarly nice.

I ordered the flour-less Chocolate and Walnut cake and was really impressed. It was super rich – full of Belgian couverture chocolate apparently – and had a delicate brandy flavor running through it thanks to a splash of good Cognac. The walnuts cut through the richness very nicely and I was happy from start to finish. The serving size was perfect for a between-meals treat and for the price I don’t think there is better value dessert on the King’s Way strip.

The walnut cookie my friend sampled also tasted amazing. The small bite I had contained a burst of super fresh, super short pastry and a rich walnut filling that made me wish I had room for one myself.

I would highly recommend you making a trip to Hugo’s. It’s as good (if not better) than somewhere like Burch & Purchess – without the pretensions to being a haute patisserie or the pain in the hip pocket. I have a feeling it will be quite hard to get into once the word of mouth starts to spread.

ShortStop Coffee & Donuts, Melbourne

Donuts have become big business in the last 18 months or so, with a range of gourmet donut shops, bakeries and suppliers popping up to meet demand. My pick for the best of these is ShortStop on Sutherland St in the Melbourne CBD.

I recently ordered a box of their donuts to share with my work colleagues and was very pleased eating my way through a selection of their varieties and flavours.

The ‘user experience’ at ShortStop is great, the shop itself is sleek and modern and the staff are friendly and helpful. However it is online that they shine, most people apparently order off their website to collect in store and this really shows in the sleek web design. The interface makes choosing your donuts simple, but the beautiful photos make you just want to buy them all. I had a brief issue in making a payment through the site, but less than 10 mins after logging the issue, someone from ShortStop called me to help me finalise my order. Fantastic service!

My impressions of the three donuts I had are as follows:

Creme Brulee Filled Donut w/ Bourbon Cream – My personal favourite of the three, the Crème Brulee donut featured a lovely, yeasty, high domed donut, filled with a rich brandy-spiked cream and topped with a crisp bruleed sugar shell. The contrast between the bittersweet brulee shell, the soft yeasty flavour of the chewy doughnut and the sweet (yet boozy) cream was perfect. Apparently these wont always be on the menu at ShortStop, but I encourage you to try them when they are!

PB&J Filled Donut – I got a second filled donut (as these are my favourite kind) and wasn’t disappointed either. The PB&J donut features the same base as the Crème Brulee but is filled with a rich blueberry jam and topped with a sweetened peanut butter glaze. The combination of the slightly salty glaze and the delicious jam was just right – not to mention the visiual contrast between the dark purple of the jam, the white of the dough and the soft brown of the peanut butter glaze. Not quite the sensation that the Crème Brulee was, but this is a mainstay of the menu and is also highly recommended.

Red Velvet Cake Donut – As if to prove that even Melbourne’s donut masters have their flaws, this one was a real disappointment. I wanted one traditional ‘ring’ donut, but made the mistake of ordering it in the ‘cake’ consistency rather than a traditional ‘raised’ donut. It was cake-like, but in that sort of dry, 'European', crud-they-serve-on-Ackland Street way that R and I both hate. The donut itself was also barely flavoured, with none of the nice rich flavour that most red velvet style baked goods have. The icing was also a disappointment, was it out of a packet? Probably not, that would have made it better. This one has disappeared of the menu, and good riddance, it should be avoided!

All in all, I would recommend ShortStop to all donut fans, but would strongly suggest you avoid the ‘cake’ varieties. By all accounts the raised and cruller ones are very nice (and my colleagues certainly seemed to enjoy them). Their coffee is also nice, a nice filter, but certainly not as notable as their donuts.

Quick brunch @ Three Bags Full, Melbourne

For brunch with a friend I headed to Three Bags Full in Abbotsford. I'd heard amazing things about their coffee (and that they did an interesting breakfast) so I wanted to check it out.

The coffee lived up to expectations, I ordered two long blacks (the house blend and a Colombian single origin). Both were excellent. Well roasted, well expressed, perfect crema and you could taste the freshness of the beans in both cups. My friend had a soy flat white which she was very pleased with.

For breakfast I had the "Eggs from Hell" (two poached eggs on fried polenta cakes doused in a spicy tomato and capsicum sauce with slices of hot chorizo and fior di latte). It was nice, but didn't quite match up to the quality of the coffee. The sauce was tasty and the chorizo really added something special. The eggs were also very fresh and nicely poached. However the polenta cake was soggy and flavourless. It could have (and should have) been a nice slice of sourdough or wholegrain. It really took the whole dish down. Also, where was the fior di latte? I guess it could have been in the sauce but I didn't notice any and I really missed what a little fresh milkiness would have done to cut through the fire of the sauce.

My friend had already eaten and settled on a pistachio tea cake. She said it was alright, but I've had the exact same cake at The Bond Store on Southbank (it must be commercially sourced) and I wasn't impressed.

All in all, go to Three Bags Full for the great coffee and expect a reasonable but not amazing breakfast to go with it.