Famish'd - CBD

Feeling Famish'd?

You wont be once you've visited this legendary CBD coffee and lunch haunt of many. Nestled smack bang in the centre of the hustle and bustle you'll find Famish'd on Little Collins street in between Russell & Exhibition. Seriously scrumptious treats, salads and winter warmers to compliment a solid St Ali Specialty Coffee and Single Origin espresso. 

The boutique familiarity of St Ali's specialty coffee invites a deliciously full and fruity blend with a mild acidity that triggers a mouthful of flavour. An espresso that simply melts in the mouth. I couldn't go past the indulgence of a creamy flat white and lamington as I watched the world go by and the afternoon coffee drinkers buzz around me. A beautiful spot in the centre of the CBD and a two beaner worth finding on that fairly famished occasion. 

Famish'd - Salads n' Stuff

130 Little Collins Street

Melbourne CBD

Cafe Bisqui - CBD

What a little treasure to find a quaint spot in the city for a moment to daydream. It really was quite unexpected to walk into this sweet cafe to be greeted by smiling barista's and a low buzz of lunch time in the city. Proud of their home made quality treats and sweets that compliment a solid Toby's Estate blend from Woolloomooloo. My latte was promptly delivered with a neat rosetta and a smile. I sipped to find a well textured, all round good coffee at perfect drinking temperature.  It was creamy, pleasant and well made by my barista.

Cafe Bisqui faces onto Flinders Street and is a stones throw from Fed Square camouflaged by city buildings but worth seeking out for a quite instance of joy. A nice spot for a bite to eat while you get some work done or watch the world go by. It's most certainly a 'locals' cafe in the city and will no doubt surprise you with its warm welcome presence and slow you down for a much deserved coffee occasion.

Cafe Bisqui

130 Flinders Street

Melbourne 3000

Find Cafe Bisqui of Facebook

Big Cup - Camberwell

Oh boy Oh boy! Usually I'd start telling you about how fantastic my experience was, but I'm so excited I need to tell you about the coffee RIGHT NOW! Apart from this perfect flat white you see before you, complete with the finest rosetta, we must talk about the delicious crema of a perfectly extracted sensory lab espresso. Every shot extracted by master barista Eric takes a life of its own. Barista Erics exudes the utmost care with every shot ground, packed and poured. The result is an espresso so rich in body and a buttery texture that it fills and pleases your tastebuds. Nothing but crema baby!

Located directly opposite the Camberwell Market catching the warm afternoon sun, this cafe really has a bit of everything for everyone. Loaded with all the coffee aficionado could ever want or need, as well as quality tea, chai, soy and crockery! You will be sure to be greeted by the warm, friendly and attentive staff that are really going to make you feel welcome. A really lovely cafe and a delight to visit. Thanks Big Cup!

Apologies for the photo - it's just an iPhone :)

Jackson Dodds - Preston

The Caffeine Queen cannot be seen with anything other than Coffee Supreme. 
Or so the tale goes. Today the tale is told far from my inner city Kingdom to the land of Preston where lies the valiant throne of Jackson Dodds. I have set off on my merry caffeinated venture to chase the account of MCR loyals and asses the treasure that lies there. As I dined and rhymed and let my taste buds do the talking I am afraid to claim that the strength of my first forlorn flat white did not pack the punch that el supremo has before. Without enough texture or heat in my milk based drink the lacklustre espresso was lost on my palate. I invited redemption for this otherwise inviting corner cafe by ordering an espresso, to find that an over extracted shot of coffee supreme, however crisp and clean is no Caffeine Queens dream.

Before I part my fair followers I must give due credit. The most impressive breakfast menu awaits you at Jackson Dodds, the drive was made worth it for the royal standard of delights at peasant prices. Grilled haloumi sat beside free range poached parcels of joy, however no match for my rich and light ricotta pancakes with perfectly seared bacon smothered in maple syrup fit for a Queen to bathe in! If you are in the land of Preston, this kingdom of culinary delights, while not a 3 beaner will certainly indulge and invite you on a wholesome ride.

Ghin Kopi - Windsor

Sawat dee!

That's Hello in Thai!

This funky place is no ordinary Thai restaurant. Right across the road from the Windsor train station on Chapel Street. It is in the heart of our cafe culture right here in Melbourne. I've visited this funky restaurant a couple of times now and find myself at home listening to the good tunes and ordering my coffee. The front half of the restaurant boasts floor to ceiling windows that showcase its prime corner location to the world passing by. Fantastic grand light fixtures and features throughout the dining section behind me cast a warm glow on an otherwise grey day. There is also a function room upstairs that has a view right down the guts of Chapel St. Awesome place to be for breakfast, lunch, dinner or an espresso fix like I am today.

My flat white, as you can see (or hear even), is calling my name and is inevitably a pleasing cup of coffee. It doesn't last long, gone in minutes! I would have liked it a little hotter, perhaps. I finish with a nice round espresso, extracted by my attentive barista Billy! He is a great host and adds to the fantastic atmosphere at Ghin Kopi!

Ghin Kopi serves Genovese Coffee with a Mazzer grinder and classic Wega 3 group machine and also serve breakfast, lunch and Thai food from 5pm 7 days per week.

58 Chapel St, Windsor.

A Thousand Blessings - Richmond

The best piccolo's in Richmond. I'm not even exaggerating. There are several other things that are the best about this cafe also and I strongly suggest you go and find them out for yourself. On my frequenting of this blessing in Highett street, I happen to enjoy the best piccolo latte's and choc chickpea cookies. Often. Boasting a beautiful La Marzocco and Mazzer combo and backed by a talented barista and supportive and hardworking team, it is a noticeably passionate environment to walk into.

A Thousand Blessings is a cafe unlike the rest. No need for a sign or advertising, it is built on quality, consistency, reputation and passion for all that is good and organic in life. The digestives of Melbourne and the essence of Richmond, found here daily. My favourite time to visit is after a stroll at the Saturday fruit and veg market to watch the people pass and to appreciate the ambiance that makes Richmond such a wonderful place to live. The culture of a community cafe in the heart of Richmond is something almost indescribable unless you have experienced it first hand. I guarantee that whether you pass by once or visit regularly, Barnee and his team will make you feel at home and welcome.

Roasting daily for in house use and wholesale supply, A Thousand Blessings offers quality organic Melba coffee, also without need for advertising or marketing, it is a quality coffee that literally sells itself. Complimented by breakfast, lunch, charming conversation or a quiet corner to watch the world pass you by, go and say hi to Barnee and Evelyn and invite the first of a thousand blessings into your life.

A Thousand Blessings

251 Highett Street, Richmond VIC 3121

Barnee and Evelyn

Melba Coffee and Tea

Selection Cafe - South Melbourne

I really like South Melbourne! Lots of hidden potential here and some serious competition with some secret specialty coffee in the area. It was nice to find a decent cafe on Clarendon Street doing a good job of striving for the high coffee standards we've set in Melbourne. Many cafe's are jumping on board with the single origins and we are all grateful for choice and quality. Selection Cafe offers a dark roast from Atomica Coffee as their house blend and are also currently grinding a single origin from Cuba. Smokey tobacco flavours and a bunch of regulars that stroll in daily for their fix. The place has a good feel about it. Red feature walls and little touches every where. The opportunity for communal sipping/dining and a feast for the eyes with a coffee machine suspended by chains in the centre of the cafe. Chairs and blackboard quotes pinned to the walls to keep you entertained while you drink your poison. I've started with a short mac and although a little surprised to find the less traditional version (a little more milk than usual and served in ceramic) it was still a strong and dark punch in the taste-buds. My cafe latte was well textured and perfect temperature and again served in ceramic. They have taken the what we all love about coffee and tweaked it to make it their own here and the place has great potential to boost the coffee scene on Clarendon Street. Worth a visit, deli sandwiches and treats available for lunch and lots of love for their coffee and the bean. Thanks!

Espresso 3121, Cremorne

Espresso 3121 made this years Top 100 and rightfully so. It's got its own style here and I really like it. Seems like a lot of regulars coming and going. I'm not going to talk so much about the flawless piccolo latte I was served here...

Espresso 3121 reminded me just how comprehensive and broad the coffee industry is now and I'd like to ponder that with you. People who know this cafe know it well. I can see by the way they interact as customers, clients and neighbours. They have a massive flat screen on the wall with their live twitter feed... great touch. Especially considering it's a sure way to advertise another way to order your coffee in the morning. Tweet it in! Doesn't that just show you how far this industry has come! Displayed on the wall, a black silhouette world map illustrating the origins of the coffee served and sold here.

I had a moment of appreciation for the vastness of what comes in a take away cup to us on our way to work, or the afternoon espresso that saves our day. Recognising value of knowing exactly where the 'single origin' of your coffee comes from in order to give credit to a farmer living in perfect conditions growing thousands of trees and combing each one in whatever form they deem fit. To find a cherry that conceals, colour and fruit, to pick it only when it's ready. To dedicate your labour, intensively to each cherry and reveal beneath the layers and after all your time, a simple green bean.

Now, to think of the relationship that each bean has with how many people, countries and cultures before it even reaches our lips in the morning. It's huge! The entire process, I could tell you about it all day. To be able to specify exactly where my coffee has come from to satisfy me this day, is a moment of appreciation for the work before the cup. To be able to tweet my order before I leave my house, is a matter of the future. Tomorrow when you take that first sip, stop, reflect and take time to, remember the journey and not just the destination.

Table Talk - Hawthorn

Cute Cute Cute…. I love it when people realise that food and coffee can go hand in hand with other things! Table Talk Cafe on Glenferrie Road has paired a cute little cafe with a homewares and gift shop where you can sit and sip amongst the products and throughout. They use organic, fair trade Red Star coffee through a neat la Scala machine. My flat white has come to me in a cute ceramic ‘latte glass shaped’ cup with a bright red star on it. Really great actually, perfect temperature and decently texturised milk. The staff are smily and quick to serve and obviously enjoy being here. It would be nice to sit and relax here and have a few coffee’s, or a little meeting as I’m sure the various Hawthorn 9-5ers in the area do. They cater for grab and go lunches and afternoon tea’s with some yummy treats on display. If you’re in the area be sure to stop by and say Hi to Jaison and have a coffee and a browse.

Red Door Corner Store - Northcote

What a little treasure to find. The Red Door Corner Store is a neat little place on the corner of Mitchell and Andrew Street in Northcote. I arrived on a sunny Saturday at the tail end of a breakfast rush to find, people reading newspapers outside on bright red tables in the sun. A buzz and hum inside met with clever and cute eye catching enamel pots and pans and all things red can be found here. Muffin trays and the like have been framed and decorate a whole wall on one side. It is a feast for my eyes. Tables dressed with flakey sea salt and red pepper grinders along with raw sugar bowls and mismatched art deco, 50’s style cutlery. Serving Gravity coffee in gorgeous cups and saucers, quaint and sweet attention to detail has been paid. My flat white was the perfect temperature and beautifully presented and although it wasn’t as strong as I would have preferred it was still a lovely cup of coffee. I watched as plate after plate of delicious breakfast feasts pass me by and remind myself to come back for a feed another day. I decided to try the Gravity as an espresso to see if it had more punch in it. I think that I should have stuck to my regular flat white as it was the least favourite part of my experience here and its crema did not last long at all. The milk based coffee’s here are just fine and are a compliment to the fabulous food and venue on offer. A lush and green courtyard to catch the rays in and slow the day down is available or you could grab a red and white ‘keep cup’ and get it on the run with your breaky groceries from the Red Door Corner Store.

Three Bags Full - Abbotsford

Rocking a slick stirling Synesso and matching Mazzers all round….the vibe of this place is best kept hidden in the residential/commercial Abbotsford area where only those that know it visit, or those that want to know find it. Sneaky as they are they may be, they also brew various drip options by way of the Clover and a classic pour over cup version, which although I haven’t tried on this visit, I will endeavor to return for. From a near approach of Three Bags Full, its hard to ignore the style in which they have presented to us. Old road signs turned into well designed tables and chairs, the yellow and black theme permeates throughout the cafe from furniture to pepper grinders. Two kick ass barista’s working hard and after some slight suspense, a flat white worth waiting for arrives. Upon my genuine interest in the coffee and my approach to said Barista, the spring espresso is served to me, black, fast and hot, along with an ipad supporting coffee notes on all and any of the blends and single origins that are on offer here.

The spring espresso is a light and bright blend of Columbian and Kenyan (my favourite) sun dried beans complimented by a perfect extraction of 20mls presented to me as a delicious golden syrup in a black and white ceramic cup. The sweetness of such a ballsy espresso surprises and delights me and I am left with no choice but to walk out with a bag of beans of my own. Have heard about you guys before, it turns out the word on the street has sorely underestimated you even though I have heard nothing but rave reviews. Three Bags and Three Beans Full.

Rowena Parade Corner Store - Richmond

My relationship with coffee has been given life once again! I'm back on the tools, pulling perfect shots and getting my rhythm back. Rowena Parade Corner Store has been one of my favourite spots in Melbourne for years. When I lived here previously I lived on Rowena Parade, I was here very often drinking coffee, eating delicious food and generally spending quality time here. It is a cafe for locals, we have people who come to us several times a day and we cover so many aspects of everyones day to day life that you simply cant resist being apart of the community here.

It's an inspiring time of year with finals footy and being in the heart of Richmond there is certainly a buzz in the air. Currently we are toying with the possibility of expanding our range of coffee available on site, ground to order and we are looking at having fresh roasted beans to take home as well. So the hunt is on, tasting and sampling different beans from various origins and seeing what will work well with what already works fabulously at Rowena Parade.

Recently we have expanded into stocking our own range of items for the grocery shelves. Home packed and labeled and hopefully you will see Theophani's smiling face spread across the shelves of the store very soon! A reminder of where the inspiration for quality, generosity and community really comes from around here.