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Caffe di Gabriel coffee. Shop 602, 207 Kent St, Sydney. Lots of outside seating for the smokers, and on the inside, there’s a high ceiling, a licensed bar, and a largish team of staff keeping everything moving along.
Coffee has a good texture, just the right temperature for drinking, with a slightly sweet finish.
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Toby’s Estate Coffee. King St, Sydney. Outdoors, in the shade of one of Sydney’s oldest churches (which, incidentally, looks like it’s pretty high Anglican with its talk of Eucharist and healing ministry), is this coffee cart, with its umbrella-covered outdoor seating. Having walked past and seen a line of suits, I thought it was worth a look.
Up close, there’s a coffee machine, a choice of soft drink or water, and a series of pastries: the aim here is to have things that can be prepared easily – the barista is also the one taking the orders, and handling the cash. It’s clearly popular with the local business people – as many people are ordering two coffees as are ordering one.
The decaf lives, pre-ground, in an open air jar atop the coffee machine: not a good sign for fresh coffee. Indeed, the flavour is a little flat, and the milk, for some reason, tastes a little buttery. Having said that, it’s a pleasant enough drop, even if the charge for a large decaf latte is $4.
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Calima Coffee. 299 Elizabeth St, Sydney. Just back from Elizabeth St at the south end of Hyde Park, this place is only open on weekdays, 6:30am-4:30pm. There’s outdoor seating for 12, and indoor seating (along the window) for another 4, where you can sit and read some complimentary magazines.
The name of the cafe is up against the wall in a mosaic, just above the coffee machine. One man stands behind the machine, another two people shift between taking orders and making the food: amazingly, in this small space there’s a full kitchen.
The decaf, though not fresh ground, tastes really good: it’s not a complex cup, but has a slight sweetness, and ends up being very drinkable indeed.
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Crema D’oro coffee. Next to the Marriott hotel, near Circular Quay. Unusually for the city, there’s a queue to order coffee here. Though the staff know all the regulars, none of them talk to each other: it’s strictly get the coffee and run. There are a few biscuits, and some banana breads on offer, but that’s about all you can find here.
Coffee – the large is absolutely huge – is really pleasant. Freshly ground decaf, and still a good temperature 15 minutes later, thanks largely to the polystyrene cup that it’s served in.
Update: coffee is Crema D’oro, not Piazza D’oro. Sorry!
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Velluto Nero coffee. 259 Clarence St, Sydney. Rated just yesterday by the SMH’s good living section as the best coffee in sydney (though it was an odd set of places, to be sure), I couldn’t resist having a look at this place. The outside is nothing special – there’s a lot of construction work taking place on clarence st at the moment, and the bins were out this morning too, hence this interior shot.
Once you’re inside, though, it’s the kind of place that good living tends to wax lyrical about. Polished concrete, clean lines, a roaster on display as you walk in, all manner of coffee-making gear on sale – even the $2,000+ variety of home espresso machines! Order and pay at the counter: the staff are very friendly and efficient, and the barista even apologises – twice – at how long it’s taking, but hey – it’s the morning rush!
The large, takeaway decaf is very large: about the size of a venti at starbucks, which is surprising for a place that roasts its own coffee: normally drowning the espresso with milk. The cups – like the whole place – excel in their branding: refined and elegant.
The decaf itself is quite good, though it’s hard to tell with all the milk. The more you drink it, the better it gets: the milk is thick and hot at first, but calms down during the course of consuming the beverage, letting the flavour of the coffee shine through. I wouldn’t say the best decaf in sydney, but for a café in the heart of the cbd, it’s worth adding to a list of places that are worth a visit.
Update: As a commenter rightly points out, they roast their own coffee, and it has indeed won awards at the Sydney Easter Show.
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Caffe di stefano organic coffee. Corner elizabeth and liverpool sts, sydney. Near the courts, lots of glass bricks., soft music. Has the sense of a waiting room: people either drop in, and immediately depart, or stay, with no clear aim in mind.
Coffee is not great; there’s a metallic taste to the decaf. Doesn’t improve on the second sip.
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Toby’s estate coffee. Corner kent & druitt st, sydney. Adjacent to the library, this is a place where office workers grab a cup on their way to their desks, either in this building, or in the surrounding area.
There’s lots of natural light for eating in, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, which makes for a pleasant spot. There’s no menu at time of visiting, but they can make all of the usual fare.
Coffee is quite good: competently made. Better than most of its immediate neighbours.
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Merlo coffee. Corner of kent st and erskine st. Their claim to fame is a unique approach to sandwiches: you can buy them in different sizes, which works well for them at lunchtime, I’m told. A visit at breakfast sees a more mainstream style menu.
Coffee is, sadly, not so good. The decaf improves slightly as you continue to force it down, but there’s nothing to encourage you along the way.
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Espresso di manfredi coffee. Clarence st, sydney. In a giant atrium, dozens of westpac staff stop here to grab their morning caffeine hit. There’s some limited seating, awesome natural light, thanks to the floor to high-ceiling glass, and a general buzz of activity.
Coffee takes a while – the toast is ready first! When my order is called, it’s a ready to drink temperature with velvet milk, and uncomplicated flavour. A good find.
This would also be a good place to write: close to trains, light, fairly quiet. Worth a look.
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Schibello coffee. George st, sydney. Just a cart against the wall of an office building, but there’s usually a queue of people out front, so I thought I’d investigate further. A lifelike toy dog sleeps on a mat in the space where coffees are delivered, and another patron reads a newspaper at the edge of the cart: full use of space is made. Friendly, personable staff take the order efficiently.
Coffee is disappointing. For a decaf latte, it’s weak, even somewhat watery, with a strange aftertaste. Drinkable, but only just.
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