Whole Bean

It’s uneasy to have good coffee by siphon and pour-over in Sydney.  Yes, I’m serious!  Basically, the prevalent brewing method in Sydney is espresso machine coffee.  Few people like or have even tried other brewing methods.  No wonder not many cafés here provide siphon and pour-over coffee.
 

As a fan of siphon and pour-over coffee, today I really had the luck in finding a right place – Whole Bean.  The café is owned by Michael who worked in the coffee industry in Osaka, Japan for about 20 years.  There he learnt the siphon and pour-over brewing methods in traditional ways.  In recent years, Japan and Korea have become leading countries in siphon coffee and hold internationally important siphon championships annually.

This café is nicely decorated with a comfortable corner with skylight and couch.  It’s more than relaxing to sit there enjoying a cup of coffee.  I like the vinyl records and old stuff at the other corner.  Sitting in front of them is a scooter which attracts your attention.  All come together to form an atmosphere where you would love to spend a lazy morning in.

The siphon coffee was nicely brewed by Michael.  Beans were roasted to an appropriate degree, not so dark but enough to give you the proper flavor of Ethiopian beans.  Michael and I shared the coffee with a loyal customer who comes from another suburb but visits the café regularly because of the good coffee.

Whole Bean roasts its own beans to ensure good and well-controlled quality.  Apparently, self-roasting plus brewing methods for the minority (siphon and pour-over) are something I consider as things only dedicated coffee people care and do.

Whole Bean’s major business revenue comes from mobile coffee cart service in which they do coffee for corporate customers.  Whenever they have big events, Whole Bean’s van carries the mobile equipment to the venue to do good coffee for those who attend the events.  How lucky for those who can enjoy good coffee but need not to travel to buy! 

The mobile coffee service is so busy that Whole Bean can’t open on all Saturdays.  So, if you want to go there on a Saturday, better call to avoid disappointment.  

According to Michael, it’s because of the good revenue from the mobile coffee service, he can finance more variety of coffee brewing methods to the customers, including siphon and pour-over methods which are not readily available in other cafes.  Café owners know it very well.  It takes 1-1.5 minutes to make a cup of espresso-based coffee which charges $3-3.5.  But it takes 5-10 minutes to make a cup of siphon or pour-over coffee (excluding the preparing and cleaning time) which charges $5-10.  If solely from a profit point of view, what would you choose?

Next time when you go to Whole Bean, give yourself a try of their siphon or pour-over coffee.  You won’t be disappointed!

老實說，在悉尼，很難到提供虹吸壼和濾杯手沖的咖啡。基本上，悉尼的咖啡都是以意式濃咖啡為主導，很少人喜歡或甚至曾試過其他的沖煮方法，因此，大部份的咖啡店均沒有提供虹吸壼和濾杯手沖的咖啡。

作為這兩種沖煮法的粉絲，今天我就有幸找對了一間咖啡店，它是由一位曾在日本大版的咖啡業工作差不多20年的Michael所經營。在那兒他學懂這兩種傳統的咖啡沖煮法。其實，近年日本與韓國已成為領導國，屢辦一些相關的國際性虹吸壼沖煮比賽。

這咖啡店的裝潢令人有種舒服的感覺，入門的一個角落有透天然光的天窗及沙發，坐在那兒歎咖啡是件賞心樂事！我也喜歡他們在牆上作裝飾的黑膠唱片及其他的老東西，旁邊還有一架小摩托車吸引你的視綫；這一切構成的氣氛，定讓你願坐在那兒享受一個懶洋洋的上午。

今天的虹吸壼咖啡由Michael親手沖煮，豆子烘得合適，不會烘得過度，卻足夠給你享受來自埃塞俄比亞豆子的美味。Michael與我跟一位他的常客分享了這壼吸啡，他是專程從自己住的小區來到這兒，為的，就是一杯好咖啡。

Whole Bean自家烘焙豆子，好能確保咖啡有高水準的質素。明顯地，自家烘焙及提供只有少數人才會點的沖煮方法(虹吸壼和手沖濾杯)，我認為只有對咖啡有熱誠的店主才會願意關顧的。

Whole Bean的主要營業額來自流動咖啡機服務，顧客都是大型企業。每當他們有大型活動時，Whole Bean的小車便把咖啡機運到場地提供咖啡服務，讓在場人士可以享用高質素的咖啡。他們真是幸運，不用千里迢迢來到Whole Bean便能享用好啡！

流動咖啡機服務的生意繁忙，有時Whole Bean亦不能在每個星期六都營業。因此，若你打算在星期六光顧的話，不妨先致電查詢，免致失望。

據Michael所說，因為流動咖啡機服務營業額滿意，經濟條件才能讓他為顧客提供更多的咖啡沖煮選擇，包括是虹吸壼和手沖濾杯這些不是所有咖啡店都提供的選擇。咖啡店東主都很清楚，做一杯意式特濃咖啡為基礎的咖啡大槪須要1至1.5分鐘的時間，收入為$3-3.5。若做一杯虹吸壼或手沖濾杯的咖啡，須要5-10分鐘的時間(預備和清洗的時間不包括在內)，售價為$5-10。若純為營利角度著想，你會選擇那類?

下次當你到Whole Bean光顧的話，不妨給自己一個機會，試試他們的虹吸壼或手沖濾杯咖啡，定不會讓你失望！

38 Chapel Street, Marrickville

Website: www.wholebean.com.au

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

Mon- Fri: 0700-1500

Sat: 0800-1400 (Please check before going)

Phone: 9565 4063

Siphon coffee

si

Mobile coffee cart

Traditional pour-over using cloth as filter

A relaxing morning with Michael and a loyal customer - cheers for the coffee!

Kelby’s

This is a corner café.  The people I saw, including aged couples and babies, dressed in casual and informal way.  You could tell they were probably people living in this or surrounding suburb.  I believe this was a café of this neighbourhood, a landmark and gathering place for them.  On the wall at the entrance there posted some certificates of appreciation from various organizations and units in Marrickville.  Apparently, the café has considerable amount of community participation!

Sitting at a corner with my coffee, I observed the people there for a while.  I liked observing their subtle yet meaningful interaction among those friends, mother and daughter, as well as aged couples.  The café seemed to become a stage of performance while I became a supportive audience.

Today’s Pick:

Cappuccino: they are using the imported Vittoria coffee beans.  There was no latte art but the froth was well made, very silky and smooth.  Some cafés put too much emphasis on the latte art, forgetting about the essence of cappuccino: froth.  To me, I would rather have something more traditional and authentic than focusing too much on the trend or appearance.

The food looked nice and gourmet.  I must try it next time!!

 

Mon-Fri 0630-1600

Sat-Sun 0800-1500

293 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, NSW 2204

9564 5165

www.kelbyscafe.com.au

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelbys-cafe/149456418444085 

這是一間街角咖啡店，坐在裡面，看到的是穿著得平民化的人，有老有幼，我想他們大概是小區的當地人，我想，這是屬於這小區的咖啡店。從它牆上張貼多張各地區單位致送的感謝狀，更引證這咖啡店在社區上的參與。

 

它的裝潢、擺設等，不會給你豪華與別緻的感覺，卻令你有一種格外親切的感覺；正是愛這樣的感覺。

點了一杯咖啡，靜靜坐在一旁，觀看店內顧客邊享用他們的食物，邊與他們的家人或朋友交流，格外有意思：朋友在說笑、小女童在媽媽的懷內發嗲、老夫婦有默契的互相分享食物… 那一刻，咖啡店成了他們的大舞台，而我，則成為一位忠實支持的觀眾，非常有趣！

今天所選：

Vittoria 的入口咖啡，味道並不算很特別，但這杯的Cappuccino奶泡造得相當出色，很滑與有質感；有時有些咖啡的Cappuccino造得像Latte，奶泡不夠，或許，因為它們都較著重拉出來的拉花好不好看，忽略了，Cappuccino著重的該是奶泡。

這兒的食物賣相相當吸引，可惜今天食得太飽，下次定要留點空位來嚐嚐！

 

Cornersmith

It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and there were people lining up for a table at this corner café.  Let’s give it a try.  This was the first time for me to sit at a bar table directly facing the barista production corner which gave me a good opportunity to observe their skills in making good coffee.  Highly skilled and consistent café latte art gave you confidence about their professionalism.  

If you are here, you won’t miss their food.  That’s what I am quite sure.  Why?!  When you look around and find that every table is enjoying at least one plate of well-presented food, how can you miss it?  The bread was excellent.  My friend, who used to work as a chef, said the lamb wrap was the best she had ever had. 

Today’s Pick:

House-blend latte: hardly could I find any fault for this cup.  Good temperature, balanced flavors and moderate aftertaste. 

They actually had single-origin coffee (El Salvador for the day).  I must try the single-origin bean next time.

一個美好的星期六下午，誤打誤撞來到了這街角的咖啡店，竟看見人龍在等候；想定是不錯，一定要試試！

這是我第一次被安排坐在正對咖啡製作枱前的長枱，正好給我一個機會，看看他們的製作過程：每杯咖啡的拉花藝術都是很細緻及一致，顯出他們的專業，絕不馬虎！

當你看見兩旁的人枱上的食物，我想你必抵不住誘惑，來一客他們的食物。他們的食物都很新鮮，包括是麵包。同行的朋友曾當廚師，她說她點的那客羊肉卷，是她吃過中最好味的！

今天所選：

Latte: 沒瑕庛讓我可以挑剔，這一杯在溫度、味道的平衡，與餘韻後感方面都很好。店裡其實是有單品咖啡豆的，但由於時間太趕，還是留待下次再試！

Tue-Fri 0630-1530

Sat-Sun 0730-1530

314 Illawarra Road, Marrickville, NSW2204
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Cornersmith

Double Roasters

Double Roasters joined the neighbourhood of Marrickville only about a year ago.  It roasts its own beans each week.  Owner Scott said they wanted to ensure the freshness of beans for customers.  Because of the good roasting quality, it also does wholesale to nearby cafés.

The decoration, ranging from the old-styled things such as scales and lamps to modern style café embellishment such as fresh flowers, creates an interesting picture in the café area.

Food here is excellent.  It’s a luxury to enjoy a big breakfast here at the weekend.  There must be something you can pick in their manual, including the signature baked beans, pork belly sandwich and vegetarian choices.

Oh, the staff members are super-friendly and informative.  I am impressed by their good knowledge of their food and bean information in respect of roasting and brewing.  This gives you confidence that they can recommend food and coffee to suit your needs.

Today’s Pick:

House-blend Cappuccino: with Costa Rica based beans; toffee and caramel flavor; good and long-lasting coffee art.  I intentionally allowed the coffee to stand for several minutes.  The coffee art stood without any collapse, indicating that the milk was well-frothed.
 

Double Roasters 僅著足在Marrickville區一年左右，它每星期也會自家烘焙咖啡豆。店主之一Scott說他們想確保顧客享用新鮮的豆子。或許因這樣的執著與優質豆子，造就了這店批發的商機，有些咖啡店也來光顧買他們的豆子來造咖啡。

這兒的裝潢十分有趣，有古舊的東西如天秤與燈，也有現代咖啡店的裝飾品如新鮮花束，構成了一個很優美的構圖。

這兒的食物質素很高，週末在這兒享用一個大早餐絕對是個奢侈的享受；你可以在餐單內點用不同的食品，包括他們的招牌焗豆、豬腩肉三明治，及多種素食選擇。

職員超有禮貌，也對食物與咖啡豆有豐富的知識，這樣，的確讓你很有信心，他們能給你最好的介紹。

今天所選：

店選Cappuccino: 主要來自歌斯達黎家的豆子，拖肥與焦糖的口味。拖花做得很好也很持久，我刻意把它待數分鐘，拖花一點塌的跡象也沒有，證明奶泡是被均勻的打熱！好!!

Mon-Sun 0600-1500

199 Victoria Road, Marrickville
http://www.doubleroasters.com

Long lasting coffee art... toffee and caramel flavor of Costa Rico based beans

Poached egg

Pork belly sandwich with sour dough

Fresh flowers on each table

Knowledge of beans on the board

Soul of the shop - the roaster producing 12kg of beans per roasting cycle