Melbourne Cafe Reviews

Stringers Stores
2-8 Ocean Beach Rd
Sorrento

Ambience: constituents. People who know their job. Timing. Friendliness. Music – or lack of it. Physical layout. Fellow imbibers. Views – exterior, interior. I’ve made three visits to this establishment and each time it’s been good.

I’m sitting alone at the bench facing the sea, regarding its pale blue surface through a fringe of Norfolk pines and musing upon Terry Eagleton’s words on Samuel Beckett. “… many of the features of his later prose and plays arise directly from his experience of radical uncertainty, disorientation, exile, hunger and need … What we see in his work is not some timeless condition humaine, but war-torn 20th century Europe. It is, as Adorno recognised, an art after Auschwitz, one which keeps faith in its austere minimalism and unremitting bleakness with silence, terror and non-being. His writing is as thin as is compatible with being barely perceptible … words flicker up for a fragile moment from a void into which they then fade back.”

High ceiling, cream decor. Good Mocapan coffee. Tart, fruit-cake, friands, cookies. Slices of tart and fruit-cake are a very reasonable $3. The caf is predominately a wine shop and I like the table arrangements – one abuts the end of a wine-rack, another sits in a nook, and a bench faces a stack of bottles of olive oil and jars of olives. There are chairs and tables outside on the pavement, and also a secretive little paved enclosure at the back. A quiet, relaxed yet attentive vibe comes through to me.

It’s January 30, 2007. Teachers are back at their posts, readying themselves for tomorrow’s invasion. Retired folk wander the street and peer into shop windows. Too many cars occupy parking lots.

A walk-down cellar holds older and more expensive wines. A visit here, well outside of the January holiday madness is recommended. Open every day.

The Maling Room
Crn Maling & Canterbury Rd
Canterbury

Lovely old building, great natural light… but the praise might end here. Spacing of tables was not thoughtful; for instance, to look at the cakes etc. on display one has to squeeze behind chairs and tables. Service was not entirely clear. We had to order at the counter, but I saw some folk being served at their tables(?). The coffee was quite good, but not up to our expectations*: the long black lacked density and depth – although our cappuccino tester was happy with her coffee. There was no music, which was a plus.

The atmosphere was not one which we at cafesmelbourne.com enjoy. I like a cafe which is not too busy, but has a buzz, perhaps even a sense of excitement. However at the Maling Room the atmosphere was somehow indifferent. We felt as though it didn’t really matter whether we were present or not. Wait staff seemed to drift or float around without providing even an occasional attentive eye.

* A placard stuck onto the front counter advertises the The Maling Room is ranked very highly by Crema.

Bomb Cafe
229 Johnston St
Abbotsford
Ph (03) 9486 0699

I stumbled across this place by accident. Having a spare 10 minutes, I drop in for a coffee.

Walking in the red front door, the first thing I notice is the fresh baguettes being prepared and an assortment of pastries behind glass.

Just three tables in this cosy front room; one a half-height coffee table for the L-shaped bench which I sit at.

“Are you aware there’s two types of coffee?” I’m asked, having just ordered a coffee and sat down. “No,” I reply, “What are they?” The answer is “Strong Italian style Genovese or a smooth organic one.” I choose the organic. I receive a loverly smooth and well made latte. Later I ask what type of organic coffee it was. “Gravity — an organic type,” I’m told, “It’s not available in supermarkets or anything.”

In the front room here it’s quiet compared to outside. A guitar and vocal track plays. A local comes in and talks about a protest she attended. I hear the staff talk about a smear campaign against The Greens, and The Greens preferences. I think The Greens would get support here.

Five bar stools in the front window. A reader sits at one, with coffee. On the menu: Baguettes, five choices, Bruschetta, four choices, Risotto, three choices. Nothing costs more than $10. Friendly staff, smiles.

This place is really quite discreet. I didn’t even notice there was a section out the back until two people appeared from a doorway to pay their bill.

Daley at Chimmy’s
276-278 Park St
South Melbourne

Public transport: Jump on a No. 1 South Melbourne Tram (comes from East Coburg via city/Swanston St) and get off at Stop 25 in South Melbourne. You are in Park St and close to Daley at Chimmy’s.

Large open space, high ceiling supported by massive riveted girders painted maroon. We’re here on a Sunday afternoon and only two others are joined with us. White-painted walls with a large archway. Out on the street, a wide verandah. All breads, cakes, pastries and pies are made on premises. This used to be an à la carte restaurant which is now closed. The wine list remains as a remnant. 2000 Blue Pyrenees Sparkling Brut $36, ’04 Xanadu Semillon/Sauv Blanc, Margeret River $30, ’02 Redfin Shiraz, Mt Barker $36. Breakfast from 7 a.m. every day. Various toasts available inc. fruit (bracketed as “Serious Toast”), Bircher Muesli and Yogurt $8. Soup $8, Quiche $6, Pies $5. No music. Recommended. Good tram access. Leave the car at home.

Feedings at Readings
253 Bay St
Port Melbourne
(03) 9681 9876

Public Transport: From Swantston St in the city, catch a Port Melbourne 109, jump off at Bridge St in Port Melbourne, Bay St is not far.

“I’ve missed really good coffee.” I’ve just sat in a corner back against the timber wall, and this is the first thing I hear from a woman who’s just about to depart. Good start. Soon our LBs arrive. Yep. Good. Nice strong genovese, correct fill. No meals for us today — just a coupla biscuits and a small lemon tart (excellent).

Above the kitchen, pleasant lime green high ceiling and the ceiling above me is pink. Its a Saturday morning and it’s quite, relaxed; people come and go, tables at the ready — nothing like the frenetic pace that seems to have taken over the weekend Brunswick scene lately.

The caf and the bookshop blend well. The caf has nooks, hidden corners. All the food — biscuits, cakes, wraps, stuffed rolls — look inviting. Bentwood chairs, gleaming wood. It’s a caf that combines space and intimacy.

I’d like to sit and muse, but the books and the Quarterly Essay I know await me on the shelves. I find the clientele interesting — certainly book-lovers without being bookish. There’s interesting-sounding wines by the bottle and the glass, wines whose names are unfamiliar to me. Also local and imported beers. These are listed on black boards and on discreet little printed lists nest to the tables.

Good spot. We’ll be back.

Sweethearts Cafe
263 Coventry St
South Melbourne

Good Genovese coffee. Cookies $2.50, biscotti $1.80, muesli slice $3.00. Off yellow walls, bentwood chairs, grey blue carpet, north facing, banquette, Arkley print. Shuts at 3. Soup $7.50. Toasted foccacia $13. Tables on pavement. A girl talks on her mobile, fag in hand. Two bottles of Mt Franklin mineral water. No “help yourself” water. You have to ask.

I like this place. I sat at a sun-filled table and gazed out on Coventry St. But closing at 3? Too early.

Cafe 3A
3A Edward St
Brunswick 3056
03-9380 4996

Public Transport: By train, get off at Jewell Station on the Upfield line. By tram, No. 19 get off at stop 25. A short walk from either.

At most this cosy place would accommodate about thirteen inside. Five square, solid wooden tables with two seats at each. Stool seating in the front window. Artistic photos spaced along the white walls. A blackboard with small neat handwriting in white chalk lays out the menu.

Meals are exquisite. I invariably order “Eggs Olivada”: Two poached free range eggs atop two slabs of quality sour dough, sprinkled with feta, an olive paste and capers. Small fresh cakes available, today among others are orange poppy seed cakes with thick icing.

The long black, when first placed on the table, had a crema of about 25mm. Organic, fair trade coffee is used — Ethiopia Gold. FaemaStar coffee machine. Music at a good volume, cool jazz. A couple sit next to our table, about four people at the tables along the wall, and a young woman reads at a stool in the front window. People come in for a take away coffee. Wicker stools out on the front pavement (but too cold today!)

Considering just how flavoursome and high quality the meals are, they’re very cheap. $7.50 for my Eggs Olivada. Almost no cafe will give you an egg inclusive breakfast for this amount. The waiter is efficient and has a sense of humour.

Laurent Patisserie
109 Dundas Place
Albert Park
03-9690 4700

I sit at a little round table of faux granite. Bentwood chair. The easy chairs by the windows are prized. When one becomes vacant, people pounce. It all seems a long way from Sadr City, Kabul (or the cafes of Brunswick for that matter.) Here, the crowd is well-heeled, quite genteel and there’s not a soul reading Crime and Punishment or belting out words on a laptop. A big brown canvas awning hangs out protectively and welcomingly over Dundas Place.

A cluster of red and white cane chairs on the wide pavement. From inside, big windows and the glass front door offer up fine views of the passing parade. No-one seems in a hurry here. No-one appears anxious or tense. The standard Laurent fare displays itself prettily in the display cases — croissants, Danish, meringues, apple-puffs, escargots, donuts. Loaves of bread for purchase. Cakes in the window. Water in silver jugs — help yourself. More expensive tempters like a green “Mirage” or a wicked chocolate “Christine” are up the back. (Ah, first mobile-caller in an hour, but he keeps it short and muted.)

Good coffee (Monte). My long black is a centimetre too full but I don’t mind. Some of the great lb’s in this town are shorts anywhere else.

Do cafe-haunters invade foreign territory all that often? Probably not. Hard to imagine any of the crowd here, at Ray, in Victoria St. It’s mid afternoon in winter. A glorious soft sun floods the windows, illuminating floor and table surface. An “02” tram comes into view. Why are there no spare parking places? Come on guys — walk here or catch the tram. It’s the land of big white dogs.

Journal
253 Flinders Lane
Melbourne
9650 4399

Any number of transport options, since the location is Melbourne city. Journal is in Flinders Lane between Elizabeth and Swanston Sts.

Journal is the slickest cafe I’ve been too. Like a lot of places in city laneways, you can walk right past without noticing. If you were walking into the Melbourne City Library however, you’d see a row of cosy bar stools on your right below a cut out rectangular section, revealing the cafe. Inside there are two long dark wooden tables with good lighting and shelves above containing books and other reading material. It’s not messy though, but sharp and neat. There’s two large windows and a sliding door leading to Flinders Lane. About six smaller tables are placed around for people to sit at. Bar stools run along the inside of the cut section so people can sit inside or on the other side – I like this, it adds an extra sense of dimension.

The crowd is a mix of those coming in from the library to read a book or peruse study notes, to professionals who work in the area. I’ve been here when two architects and another guy (maybe the person with the money) were having a quiet argument. At one point I heard ‘the other guy’ say, “No — wait until I’ve finished speaking please.” Today there is a man in a black suit and a woman with photos at the end of a long table. She is showing him the photos one by one and he is commenting on them, “Hmmm… No, I really like how you’ve got the background in this one.” At one of the smaller tables, a girl waits and is eventually met by a young guy.

Service is smooth and friendly. A long black has a good crema, flavour, and is hot. This is not the place you’d expect a poor coffee. Two people across from me have ordered a glass of red each. Food is available, although I’ve only ever tried their pastries, which are good quality. In terms of atmosphere for reading, thinking or having a chat with someone, Journal rates highly. I stayed here for about two hours, in the end ordering a glass of red too. I could’ve stayed longer.

Feedback Cafe
31 Ballarat St
Yarraville 3013
(03) 9689 1955

Public Transport: Brilliant. 2 min walk from Yarraville Station.

I sit at a bright red laminex table rimmed with aluminium. It has 5 brothers and sisters, a larger green laminex table and a laminex bench with high chairs fronting Ballarat St. There are touches of corrugated iron, a clean concrete floor, soft yellow wall (replete with a birdie on a bush inscription) plus a good stack of papers and mags.

My long black is filled to the correct depth, good crema but a tad cool. Water is available. Music is soft, sometimes barely noticeable. This is more a lunch place than a cake and coffee nook so we find organic fruit toast, sourdough bread, satay burgers, spanikopita, lentil dahl and falafels as standard fare. Service is friendly.

A few outdoor tables on the pavement. A couple of slow fans hanging from the pine ceiling. An old Wega coffee machine, Genovese coffee, a chunky vase with big stalky yellow flowers, some still in bud. Artworks for sale grace a wall.