Aslan Coffee

The first time I knew about this café was from the list of cafés who offer Suspended Coffee for those in need.  My attention was caught further when I came across their website which explicitly states their full dedication to making coffee from Indonesia.  Should I call it ‘Single Origin Café’?

They do various coffee beans from different parts of Indonesia and do in-house roasting.  So, if you want to taste the real Indonesian coffee, including the high-end Sumatra beans, it’s a place you shouldn’t miss.　　Apart from roasting for their own use, they also roast for some cafes as OEM and other uses.  According to the owner Budiono, they are now using a house-blend type which is also acceptable for some customers who are susceptible to strong coffee for gastric problems.  There you can see what customer care lies in.

Budiono used to work in IT but quitted his job to dedicate his passion and effort to start up this café about 3 years ago.  His friend is working in a not-for-profit organization to help farmers to get what they should be paid – a concept similar to Fairtrade I suppose.  Without such assistance, poorly educated farmers might only be paid less than $1 per kg of their production.  Now, they could be helped to get $4-5 per kg which acknowledges their efforts and values.  See such meaningful link with the farmers, Aslan Coffee shows its full support.  

In support of the benevolence to the needy and those being easily neglected by the society, Aslan is participating in the Suspended Coffee.  Sometimes they bring the Suspended Coffee cards to surrounding areas such as Newtown.  People who then bring the cards to Aslan can then enjoy a free coffee.  The warmth doesn’t only come from the hot coffee, but also from the care shown by others. 

第一次聽聞這咖啡店是從一個清單中，了解那些咖啡店是提供‘預付咖啡’。當看見它們網頁上的資料時，我更被深深吸引，因為它們指明全力支持來自印尼的咖啡豆。那麼，我該稱它為‘單品咖啡店’嗎？

它們的豆子選自印尼的不同產區，並在店內自家烘焙。若你想品嚐真正的印尼咖啡豆品味，包括是高價品蘇門塔立豆，你絕不能錯過這咖啡店。除了烘焙給自家用外，他們也供應給一些咖啡店，作它們名下的咖啡豆賣給顧。根據老闆Budiono，他們還會用上一配方豆，讓腸胃對咖啡易敏感的顧客也不易引起過敏；的確是很細心周到。

Budiono以前是在資訊科技工作的，後來辭工專心經營這咖啡店，現已3年。他有位在印尼的朋友，在一非牟利團體工作，致力幫助當地農民，能夠得到合理的工資；大槪是公平貿易的槪念吧！沒有這些協助，農民只能獲得每公斤不到$1的回報，但有了他們的協助，農民能在每公斤的收成中，得到$4-5的利潤，合理得多! 因此，這咖啡店也全力支持這樣的協作關係。

此外，為關懷社會上有需要的人士，及被疏忽的一群，這咖啡店也支持‘預付咖啡’的計劃，他們會把咖啡咭帶到周邊的地區，送給有需要的人士，讓他們能享用咖啡。熱騰騰的咖啡，不只帶來口感的溫暖，還有心內的那份暖流！

1 Council Street (Cnr of Council and May Streets), St Peters

Website: www.aslancoffee.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aslancoffee

Mon-Fri: 7am – 3pm

Sat: 8am – 2pm

Phone: 0488 827 526

They distributed these coffee cards to those in need in surrounding areas such as Newtown.

It's a real corner cafe

Gather on the Green

As compared to Hong Kong, Sydney has more ‘blue’ and ‘green’ – blue sky and grass and trees, things people living in Sydney should not take for granted.  Not to say having a picnic on the lawn, you can’t even sit/lie/walk on the lawn of some major parks in Hong Kong… Ridiculous, right?!

 

At the time when I called to make a booking at this café, the staff asked, ‘Do you want to borrow the blankets to sit on the lawn?’  Wow… something I have never thought of!  Yes, I can imagine how great it will be for having food and fun with friends or family on the green.

It’s a shame that the time when we visited the café, it was a rainy day.  But we still sat outside the café to soak up the early spring breeze.  The café was so popular that there’s hardly any empty table even it’s a rainy day!  No wonder … the food and coffee were so good.  We had 13 people in this brunch and we were all happy with the food, nicely done and tasty!  Definitely, it deserves another visit on a sunny day!

跟香港比較，悉尼的「藍」與「綠」的確是比較多－藍藍的天空，跟綠綠的草與樹，這一切也許居於悉尼的人絕不應當是理所當然。莫說是在草地上來個野餐，你休想在香港的公園坐／躺／踏在草地上！很荒謬，對不對？

致電預約的時候，店員問我：「你要借用我們的野餐坐蓆用在草地上嗎？」噢！這是我從沒想過的！對，我能幻想，若跟家人或朋友坐在草地上分享食物及歡樂，那是多棒的一回事！

可惜我們到訪咖啡店的那天，是一個下雨的早上；然而，我們仍坐在咖啡店的門外，享受一下早春的和風。這咖啡店很受歡迎，即使是下雨天，仍座無虛席！怪不得！原來因為咖啡跟食物都用心製造。我們一行13人，全部人都對食物相當滿意，不單有賣相，也很美味。當然，我絕對認為這咖啡店，是值得在一個好天氣的日子，再訪一次。

15 Fowler St, Camperdown NSW 2050

https://www.facebook.com/GatherOnTheGreen

Mon- Sat: 0700-1700

Sun: 0800-1700

Phone: 9557 4106

Bread and Circus

Situated at a corner of the complex of 21 Fountain Street is this little café – Bread and Circus.  In a chilly winter morning, nothing is better than sitting in the café facing the window to enjoy some sunshine.

Every corner was well-decorated with fresh vegetables and fruits, potted plants and colorful flowers.  What an experience!

The coffee was well-made with nutty flavor.  The signature breakfast – not-so-scrambled egg set was good in both presentation and flavor.  It marked a good start of my day.

Next to the counter, you could also find some freshly baked products for a lighter choice for your breakfast.  Drink menu was amazing.  You could find a whole page of drinks with different combination of fresh vegetables and fruits.  What can you ask for more?

I totally have no hesitation in recommending this café!

來到澳洲以後，讓我重新認識陽光，感到它的溫暖，讓我不知不覺的愛上它。乍暖還寒的早上，還未能穿上短裝，風吹來，仍是冷冷的。這一刻，陽光透過咖啡店的落地玻璃，吻在我的臉上，非常溫暖，讓人有點感動。

咖啡店的每個角落，也看得出經過悉心佈置，新鮮的蔬果、翠綠的盆栽、鮮艷的花朵在你的周邊，讓你如置身於田園裡，輕鬆悠然的享受美好的景緻。

咖啡造得很好，入口是一陣的醇和，不澀不苦，卻有一陣果仁的口感。

點了一份早餐，它叫Not-so-scrambled eggs，從食物的賣相，到質素，我想沒有能讓我批評的餘地。

它們還有新鮮烤焗的糕餅，給你一些輕怡的選擇。

要一讚的，是他們設有一整張餐牌的飲品，全部都是新鮮的蔬果搭配，讓你在味覺與健康上多給予選擇。

這，絕對是值得推薦的咖啡店。

Shop 2, 21 Fountain Street, Alexandria, NSW 2015

Website: www.breadandcircus.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breadandcircuswholefoodscanteen

Mon- Fri: 0630-1600

Sat & Sun: 0700-1600

Phone: 9698 2939

Not-so-scrambled egg set

The Rag Land

The first time to go to The Rag Land was a good one.  The café is situated in a street which I pass by few times a week.  Yet, I never knew this hidden gem.

 

The decoration here was special.  The customer area was decorated in an approachable and friendly way.  Rocking chair, iron board and shelves with books all created a harmonious home-like feel.  In contrast, the staff’s work area was a totally different domain in which all things are neatly put and presented.  The way they put the espresso bar gave you a clear view about how the coffees were made from the portafilter to your cup.  No secret at all!

How’s the coffee?  Excellent!  A considerable number of cafés in Sydney tend to make espresso-based coffee to an unnecessary high temperature.  It’s true that high temperature can make sugar dissolve easily.  Yet, this ruins the overall cup and brings out a lot of unpleasant bitter flavor (no wonder sugar is needed!)  The way The Rag Land made coffee tells you that they are professional.  I believe that they want us to enjoy the coffee, not to burn our lips!

Food was a surprise!  Baked beans were more than suitable to warm you in a chilly morning.  The Brekkie set has a generous portion size and is good.  I was satisfied with all stuff, including the muesli and yoghurt.  Everything was well prepared and presented.

My visit ended by a chat with Dave, the Café Manager, who had good knowledge about the cafés in Sydney.  I believe that when people know how others’ standards are, they know the industry benchmark and how well they have to improve.  This is called professionalism!  And The Rag Land has been put on my favorite list!

第一次到這咖啡店是一次愉快的經歷，它位處的街，是我每星期也途經數次的，然而，我從不知它是這小區的瑰寶。

它的裝潢很特別，食客的角落擺設得很友善可親。安樂椅、熨衣板及書架令這地方有種和諧的家庭氣氛。對比之下，職員的工作間卻是另一不同的天地，所有東西都是放置得整齊與雅觀。它們放置意式咖啡機的地方，讓你知道你的咖啡從咖啡濾器把手到杯上的過程，一目了然，沒有秘密!

咖啡水準如何？一絕！在悉尼，為數不少的咖啡店把意式咖啡為基礎的咖啡做得不必要的高溫，當然，這樣有助糖溶化，然而，這亦破壞了整杯咖啡的味道，帶出很多令人不舒服的苦澀(難怪要加糖!)　這咖啡店沖煮咖啡的方法該你知道他們的專業。我相信他們想我們享受咖啡，而不是燙傷我們的咀巴！

食物讓人驚喜！焗豆在冬日的早晨讓你暖暖胃。早餐定食的分量慷慨，味道又好，我十分滿意它的食物，包括是堅果穀物加乳酪。所有東西都預備與賣相都相當好。

臨行前跟咖啡店的經理Dave閒聊幾句，他對悉尼的咖啡店都相當的認識。我相信當人們了解別人的水準時，才懂得業內的標準及他們要做多少才能跟別人並列。這才叫做「專業精神」！而我，也把The Rag Land放在我喜愛之列！

Tue-Fri: 0700-1600

Sat: 0800-1500

Sun: 0900-1500

129 Ragland Street, Waterloo NSW 2017

www.theragland.tumblr.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theragland/

Bar Nosh – giving me ‘Chicken Soup’ today

I really hate the feeling of being sick.  With a low immune ability against flu viruses, I got affected almost each time people around me had a flu and usually the sickness lingered for days.  The last years before moving to Sydney, I had a flu almost once every 1 to 2 months and I even jogged in front of friends that my future COD should be influenza!

 

Being sick makes me feel very vulnerable and frustrated.  I can reach about half of my usual functioning, lose appetite, feel helpless and weak like a child.  I wouldn’t want that… :~(

In the past, I hoped that people could take care of me and soothe me.  Now I know I have to be strong and more importantly, I don’t want others to worry about me.  I’d rather to hide myself until I recover.  During this period, I’d better find something to soothe myself.

A cup of good coffee plus delicious food do help.  People recommend chicken soup for influenza.  Yet, I had a cup of cappuccino instead.  Without any appetite for meat, I ordered some salad.  Oh good, they had baked pumpkin and beetroot salad.  The warm and soft texture was really soothing.  I said to the beetroot and pumpkin, ‘Give me energy and make me recover by eating you!’… 

I had a dream in my afternoon nap.  In the dream, I danced with the pumpkin and beetroot!  :D

110 Swinson Street, Erskineville, NSW 2043

8021 4317

Mon-Tue: 0700-1500

Wed-Fri: 0700-1500; 1730-2130

Sat: 0800-1500; 1730-2130

Sun: 0800-1500

www.barnosh.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarNoshEatery

The Coffee Roaster

This is my 4^th time visiting this café (in fact the name is called ‘Roaster’ because there is roasting operation at the back of the premises).  Shortly after entering the entrance, your eyes will definitely be attracted by the huge machine sitting in a glassed room.  There it is the heart of the production line – the Chinook (air-flow) coffee roaster.  I met Dan, Managing Director of The Coffee Roaster in my last 3 visits as well and each time he was more than helpful to share with me his knowledge about coffee industry in Australia and his roasting experience.  Today, he gave me an even more detailed explanation of the operations of their roasting production. 

I like the drawings on the floor

Those having knowledge about roasting should know conventional drum roasting (direct heat) method is the prevalent means of roasting all over the world.  So, my question was why he took the risk in 1992 in using air roasting (seemed to be a pioneer at that time).  My question was then well-answered by the following half hour of explanation and actual demonstration.

Air roasting allows beans to be evenly heated up by hot air, preventing the burning of beans which is common in conventional drum roasting methods.  The overall roasting procedure is well-monitored by the computer.  More than saving man power, thermostats, air-flow rate and air temperature can be carefully adjusted to achieve the desired results.  While roasting, graphs are shown instantly in the computer system.  After roasting, the beans are tested and grounded for retested by a machine using infrared light reflectance (so scientific!).  This determines the external and internal degrees of roasting for quality control.

They are using computerized records to keep all the data for generating consistent production.  Awesome!  With such scientific methods, no wonder they are proud of gaining customers’ support and was awarded one silver and seven bronze medals in Sydney Royal Food Show 2012.  Today, the roasted beans are supplied to about 50 cafés in Sydney.

When discussing about beans, I told Dan Costa Rican beans are one of my favorites.  He then took some Costa Rican beans and demonstrated the whole roasting procedure which took about 15 minutes (including cooling).  Amazing!!  And there I got them as a gift!!! Yeah Yeah Yeah!! ^-^

這是我第四次到訪這家咖啡店(事實上，它的名稱是烘焙店，正因這地方的後半部分是作烘焙用途的)。正對大門的玻璃小房內，就是整條生產線的心臟地帶－一座以熱空氣運作的烘焙機。過往3次來訪中，董事經理Dan都很樂意解答我的問題，分享他對澳洲咖啡業的了解及烘焙經驗，今天，他給我更詳細講解他們的烘焙生產運作流程。

對烘焙有了解的朋友，都該知道傳統的直火鼓筒式烘焙大概是全世界上最流行的烘焙方法。因此，我的第一個問題就是，為何他們會在1992年冒險用這非傳統的方法(他們大概是當時的先驅吧!) 其後約半小時的講解與實際示範中，我的疑團終於解開！

熱空氣烘焙讓豆子可以平均地被熱空氣烘焙，不像傳統直火烘焙方法，豆子較易被燒焦，而且整個過程都由電腦監控，除了節省人手外，恆溫器­、空氣流動速度及溫度都被好好調節致期望的效果。烘焙的同時，電腦即時顯示所有有關數值。

烘焙後，豆子會用紅外線機器測試數值，然後被磨粉後，再作測試(實在很科學化!) 數據用作豆子外與內的烘焙度參巧。

他們用電腦記錄資料，作參巧用途，確保質素穩定。因為這些科學化的方法，難怪他們為贏得顧客支持而自豪，並在2012的Sydney Royal Rood Show中榮獲一個銀及七個銅獎。現今，他們為悉尼約50家咖啡店的供應商。

當我們談論豆子的時候，我告訴Dan來自加斯特黎家的豆是我所喜愛的豆子之一，於是他取了些加斯特黎家的豆，即席示範了整過歷時約15分鐘(包括冷卻)，還送我作為禮物！Yeah Yeah Yeah!! ^-^

Mon-Sat 0600-1430

380 Botany Road, Beaconsfield NSW 2015

1800 811 0309

www.thecoffeeroaster.com

This is interesting... seeing myself from the reflection in the window... enjoying a cup of coffee watching the rainy street outside.

The air-flow roaster

Mini-sized roaster for small-scaled production

Beans from all over the world

 

You can see the roasting data on the computer.  Hahaha.... I'm the Roasting Operator this time! :D

Print-out of the roasting chart

With Mr Dan Fitzsimmons, Managing Director of The Coffee Roaster