Stuzzichino, Melbourne

Over the weekend, Wenni and I went down to Melbourne for a wedding.
We decided to fly over after work on Friday to make the most of Saturday exploring what the city had to offer. So being true to the title of this blog, the first thing we did was to head out for a search of what Melbourne had to offer in terms of coffee. We headed North towards Lygon Street which reminded me of Leichardt due to the number of Italian restaurants. (We came back to Lygon St later that same night for Italian for dinner. YUM!)

At about 8:30am, it was still pretty dead so trying to judge cafes by the number of patrons proved difficult. Our only gauge was just to try and let ourselves be enticed by the menu....... or a cheeky manager.   

Whilst reading the chalkboard menu outside Stuzzichino, we didn't notice a guy sitting by the window who mentioned to us with a wink "One of the best cafes on the street! Can't go wrong." Later we realized he was the manager. That, combined with a menu that claimed to have "Best breakfast on the strip", we decided... "Why not."

Now whenever I'm at a new cafe, I'd always order the Eggs Benedict with salmon ($15.50) as a gauge. The eggs were poached perfectly, the salmon was nice and fresh,
The muffin was moist and still had a little bit of crisp to it but sadly, I was dissappointed to find that the hollandaise sauce was overbeaten
and a bit too salty for my liking. It almost had the texture of yogurt. Overall, I still enjoyed my meal. 


Wenni on the other hand went for the Italian Toast ($16.50). This dish was surprisingly delicious! It was basically 2 slices of egg battered toast served with
a few strips of bacon, a grilled banana, drizled with maple syrup and a sprinkle of icing sugar. The next time I'm out and about, I'm gonna give this dish a try.   

Finally, the coffee. Stuzzichino's Barista does a damn good job of making a cuppa.  I had a quick chat with him to pass on my compliments and was informed that they use Circi beans.....not one that I was familiar with. If I had to compare it with Campos, I would say that Circi would be the older sister. 

Unlike the strong creamy flavour of her brother, Circi's beans are milder in taste, almost delicate-like but still have enough of a kick behind it to remind you that she's no pushover. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely keep a lookout for it in Sydney!


 


Stuzzichino
169 Lygon St, Carlton
Opening hours : Early morning till late night
Website : link / Google Map

Don Campos & Rosetta Stone Artisan Bakery (Alexandria)

Don Campos

On Sat 26 October, 2013
Campos is one of my top choices in Sydney! Instead of heading to the original shop in Newtown (hard to find parking!), I like to head to the one in Alexandria. Not only that they have nice coffee, there are also other shops at the same complex (will be mentioned later).

Once you are within 100m from Campos, you would be engulfed by the coffee aroma. The smell simply tells you to, "Come in and have a cup of coffee!"

Large Latte

Regular Cappuccino

The staffs at Campos have a mysterious way of remembering your orders, no matter how many cups of coffees that you need to order, they always seems to be able to use a dice or a figurine to represent your order, and the orders were never wrong! Hats off to them! The Latte Art always impressed me, the flower seems to be the same every single time. Did I tell you that I love Campos coffee?

Cafe: 9 / 10; Coffee: 9 / 10
Comments: A great cafe to catch up with a group of friends. There are many small tables, just grab a few near by if one table doesn't fit all of you.

Don Campos

Shop G1, 21 Fountain Street, Alexandria

Opening Hours: M - F 06:30 - 16:00 / Sa - Su 08:00 - 16:00

Website: Link / Google Map

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All the delicious bread and pastry

As mentioned at the start of this post, there are other shops at the same complex, another shop that we visited was Rosetta Stone Artisan Bakery. Look at the shop front, with so many delicious bread rolls and pastry displaying on the shelf, and the wonderful smell coming out of the oven, how could you go pass empty handed?

Rosetta Stone Artisan Bakery

They also have the bakers preparing the bread and pastry right in front of you while you are enjoying their masterpiece, it makes the dish tastes 10 times better!

Lemon Meringue Tart

Apple Danish

Almond Croissant

Cafe: 9 / 10; Food: 7 / 10 (Almond Croissant scores 9.5 / 10)
Comments: The Meringue on top of the Lemon Tart seems a bit over the top, the taste was alright. The Almond Croissant simply takes the cake out of the 3 that we tried. Not too sweet, slightly roasted almond, layers in the Croissant, just delicious!

Rosetta Stone Artisan Bakery

Shop 7, 21 Fountain Street, Alexandria

Opening Hours: Daily 06:30 - 16:00

Facebook: Link / Google Map

The Copper Mill (Alexandria)

Apart from searching for the best coffee in town, we also give the breakfast menu a go and try out the Chef's culinary skills.

On Sat 19 October, 2013

The Copper Mill

A rustic and small cafe hide away from our busy lives, with limited spaces in the cafe, it gives you a cozy feeling within. Unlike other cafes with big breakfast and eggs benedicts on the menu, The Copper Mill's menu selection is quite refreshing. It's like an Oasis in the Desert.

Special menu

I couldn't go passed the Specials on the blackboard and ordered the Broadbeans, Chorizo, Lemon Zest, Sunnyside Egg, Fresh Parsley, Toast. Some of us ordered portobello mushies, pearl barley, poached egg, kale, sheep's fetta. Both dishes were very nice, especially the Chorizo with Broadbeans, surprisingly a good combo!

Broadbeans, Chorizo, Lemon Zest, Sunnyside Egg, Fresh Parsley, Toast

Portobello Mushies, Pearl Barley, Poached Egg, Kale, Sheep's Fetta

Regular Cappuccino

Let's go back to the coffees! I always order a regular Cappuccino in different cafes for comparison. The coffee beans that they use is a blend called Human Cannonball for milk based brews. In my opinion, the Cappuccino is pretty good, however I prefer a stronger coffee taste.

The friendly staffs are also very accommodating with the big number of us (total 8) showing up. They served with a smile, makes us feel very comfy at the cafe.


Overall, here is my opinion for this cafe...
Cafe: 9 / 10; Coffee: 7 / 10; Food: 9 / 10
Comments: A cafe recommended to catch up with a small group (up to 4) of friends. Refreshing dishes on the menu.

The Copper Mill
Suite B, 338 - 356 Mitchell Road, Alexandria
Opening Hours: M - F 07:30 - 16:30 / Sa 08:00 - 16:30 / Su Closed
Facebook: Link / Google Map

Mission Statement

Hi all you coffee lovers out there,

Australia had became a coffee fanatic country over the years, and there are hundreds of great coffee joints around town! Starting from the end of 2012, every fortnight, a group of my friends would march out to a different Cafe in search for the best coffee joint in town!

I have created this blog to share with the rest of you for our little adventures every fortnight! One day I wish you can also share with the rest of us about your coffee adventures!

Happy Caffeining!!!

Hubert