Toby's Estate Coffee. 65A Gloucester Rd, Hurstville. This place - well outside the main shops of Hurstville - has that relaxing lounge room feeling that tends to be absent in the heart of a Westfield.
The walls are lined with pictures of various famous places and buildings, enough to provide a talking point for a conversation with a new acquaintance.
Coffee is well made: ground to order (even the decaf) and the milk-work is quite good. Worth a visit if you're in the neighbourhood.
When I'm visiting a cafe to get some work done, I often feel bad that I'm taking up a table that could be going to someone else. This German cafe has a different approach: it charges by the time spent, not by the coffee consumed: it's not yet clear if it will catch on.
Customers are charged €0.05 per minute, amounting to €3.00 an hour. When they come in the door, Volkova gives them a wristband with the time marked on it. When they leave they hand it back and their bill is calculated to the minute. The concept of time is turned on its head, with several clocks purposely showing different times. The intention is for people to forget about time and focus on those around them...
When I read the synopsis of The Act of Killing, I wasn't completely convinced. The title makes it sound like an action film, but it's not that at all. In 1965-1966 in Indonesia, as part of a military coup, over 1 million people were killed, not just by the military, but by paramilitary and "gangsters".
Because the extermination of those people accused of being communists was sanctioned by the government, none of the people involved had to go to prison for their crimes. In fact, at one point it's mentioned that because the events took place over 40 years before, the statute of limitations has expired.
This documentary (the directors cut is around 159mins) goes beyond just interviewing some of the people involved in this, it gives them a chance to represent their killings on film, in whatever way they want. These scenes are interspersed with footage of the making of the scenes, interviews with some of these people, and reaction shots as the people watch the scenes they were in.
That the gangsters seem to have a long history of appreciating cinema makes the film all the more complex. I had the opportunity to hear the director introduce the film: he framed it as a story about evil, and what it means to be human. It's fascinating to see how people who have been involved in such events justify them.
This movie is going to stay with me for a long time. Here's the trailer.
Caffe di Gabriel. 56 Connells Point Rd, South Hurstville. Doing an excellent job on an upmarket version of Lebanese pizza (the meat pizza is crispy, the Zatar is generously flavoured), their real strength is in the scrolls, where a range of flavours are on display. I try the Tahini scroll, which is a delightful mix of sweet and savoury.
Coffee is really good: the decaf is fresh ground and the milk work is excellent. This is a great spot to sit down and enjoy the passing of time. It's a little more pricey than the usual, but the quality justifies it. Recommended.
Campos Coffee. 79 Regent St, Chippendale. This place is a re-invention of "The Angry Fix" - the wifi network still bears that name. Look inside, and a lot has changed. There's less seating, but a larger kitchen area, and the menu has expanded accordingly.
A welcome addition is a decaf grinder, and their decaf is quite good. The highlight beverage for me, though, is the Nutella hot chocolate (you can see the giant jar of Nutella above the coffee machine) - it's an excellent blend of flavours, and bodes well for future visits.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 10:55PM 
