Thelma and Louise Café

Situated just beside Neutral Bay Wharf, this little café offers an awesome sea view as luxurious bonus for your breakfast or lunch.  Colors of the walls, fresh flowers on tables and glass doors all concert into a bright and fresh outlook.  Probably your mood will be heightened in such an environment.
 

The Cappuccino I tried was full of nutty flavor, well-frothed and with suitable temperature.

There was almost no flaw in the food ordered by me and my fellows.  All the dishes were well-presented, fresh and delicious.  Service was excellent.  Although we sat on the balcony which was separated by slide doors from the café, waitresses came to check for further service from time to time.

I’d better not write too much.  Hopefully the photos can bring you into an imagination in eating the delicious food in such a well-decorated café with sea view.  This is life!

這小咖啡店在Neutral Bay小輪碼頭的旁邊，在這兒享用早餐或午餐，簡直是豪華的享受。咖啡店內牆的顏色、桌上的鮮華，加上落地玻璃門外的情緻，格外協調，給人一種清新與明亮的感覺，只要你一進去，大槪情緒也會被提升。

我點的Cappuccino充滿果仁口感，泡沫打得充足，而且整的杯溫也很合適。

同行朋友與我點的食物中，我們幾乎找不到任何瑕疵。所有碟上食物的賣相都相當吸引、新鮮及美味!

我還是省回筆墨，少說一點，讓照片帶你走進一個幻想裡，你就在這小咖啡店內，享受著美味的食物，也盡享著眼前的海景。這就是生活!

Mon-Sun: 0700-1700

Shop 1/1 Hayes Street, Neutral Bay, NSW 2089

http://www.thelmaandlouise.com.au/

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/

Street Smart Australia

StreetSmart Australia is a not-for-profit organization and it raises money for small grassroot projects and services which are not funded by the government. It takes action against homelessness.

On 7th June, if you buy coffee from the participating cafes, they will match the $1 from each coffee with their own $1 at the point of purchase. Please consider buying a coffee on June 7 to support this event:

• 16 Feet Espresso: 91A Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Stanwell Park
• Allpress Espresso Roastery Cafe: 58 Epsom Road, Zetland
• Aslan Coffee: 1 Council St, St Peters
• Bay Coffee: Shop 2/213 Rear Military Rd (Grosvenor Lane), Neutral Bay
• Belaroma Coffee Centre: 75 Kenneth Rd, Manly Vale
• Bent on Food: 95 Isabella St, Wingham
• Bissys Cafe: 88 Warrendine Street, Orange
• Cafe Cookie: 44 Brighton St, Bundeena
• Cafe Mamma: 5/501 Olive St, Albury
• Danes Gourmet Coffee: Shop 12, Railway Ave., Wahroongah
• Di Bella Coffee: 50 Holt St., Surry Hills
• Don Campos: Shop 1, 21 Fountain St, Alexandria
• Estabar: Shop 101/61 Shortland Esplanade, Newcastle Beach
• Mockingbird Cafe: 86 Marine Parade, Kingscliff
• Mr Benedict: 664 Dean St., Albury
• Oggi's Jamberoo: Shop 2, 22 Allowrie St., Jamberoo
• OneSixNine Cafe: 169 Alison Road, Randwick
• Quattro: Suite 1.02 Platinum Bldg, 4 Ilya Ave., Erina
• Single Origin Roasters: 60-64 Reservoir St., Surry Hills
• Sunriser Espresso Crane Street: 2 Crane St., Concord
• Sunriser Espresso Parramatta Road: 13 Parramatta Road, Concord
• Sunriser Espresso Queens Road: behind Concord Oval; Cnr Loftus St & Queens Rd, Concord
• Tamper Press Cafe: 35-37 King Street, Sydney
• The Cake Man Lane Cove: Shop 5, 23-25 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove
• The Grounds of Alexandria: 7A/2 Huntley St., Alexandria
• The Little Queen Cafe: 28-30 Queen St., Chippendale
• Toby's Estate Chippendale: 32-36 City Road, Chippendale
• Trio Bondi Beach: 56 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
• Uncle Tom's Pies: 1 Gulgan Rd, Mullumbimby
• Whole Meal Cafe: 6 Flinders St., Darlinghurst

Enjoy the coffee; support the assistance to the homelessness~!

Please also consider forwarding the message in your network.
Website: www.streetsmartaustralia.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StreetSmartAustralia?ref=ts&fref=ts

Some people are poor because we are lucky.  
Be thankful for what we have, health, job, shelter, family, friends, partner, pets, etc. 

Photo Acknowledgment: newtown_grafitti 

Not just a name

Identity

Who cares?

All I am having

A home

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

From a cup of Kenyan coffee

Having a minor temperature this morning, I stayed home for a sick leave.  This gave me a time for total re-charging of myself from the recent hectic life.  I haven’t made myself syphon coffee for a while.  Today, I made a cup from the Kenyan coffee beans.

I remember the days when I still a small kid, there were TV news reports on the severe famine of people living in such African countries as Kenya and Ethiopia.  I naïvely asked mum why these people lived in such an environment.  She said, ‘because people were poor’.  And I cried for these people.

African countries have undergone a lot of improvement in recent tens of years.  The once poor lands now become fertile grounds for coffee plantation.  Thanks for organizations such as OXFAM who taught people ways of plantation, helping these people to help themselves.  Places like Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania fall exactly on the best areas of the world’s coffee belt which give them special blessings in producing the most famous beans in the coffee industry. 

Today, I really feel happy for these people.  They show us hopes in hopeless situations.  And today, I am no longer a little girl with naivety in all things.  People are poorer than us only because we are luckier.  And I would never learn to take things for granted.

今天因為早上發燒，沒有上班，便待在家中；這卻給了我一個好好的機會，從近來忙碌的生活中竭一竭，充一充電。已很久沒有為自己做一杯塞風壼的咖啡，今天，就來一杯用肯雅豆子做的塞風壼咖啡。

記得小時候不時在電視新聞報導中，得悉非洲一些國家，如肯雅和埃塞俄比亞等地，人民都受著饑飢的煎熬。那時，無知的我問媽媽為什麼那些人會生活在這樣的環境中，媽媽說：「因為這些人貧窮」… 我為這些人而哀慟。

數十年來，非洲國家經歷了很多改善，曾是貧脊的土地，現今成為種植咖啡最佳的土壤。感謝如OXFAM等的組織，教導當地人民咖啡種植的方法，讓他們助人自助。現今，如埃塞俄比亞、肯雅和坦桑尼亞等地方，正落在全球最好的咖啡帶上，讓這些地方得到最大的祝福，為全球出產最出名的豆子。

今天，我為這些人而慶幸，因為他們在絕望的環境中，讓我們看見希望。而今天，我再不是一個小女孩，天真地感受生活中的每件事情。世界某些角落，別人比我們貧窮只因為我們比他們幸運；而我也學懂，對身邊的事物，不要當是理所當然。

Something for Jess

I was attracted by the name to go to this café – something for a lady.  It’s really a big surprise to me because the café is a hidden gem in the city area. 

I like the decoration here.  The overall composition including the use of furniture, potted plants and old stuff tell you explicitly how much support they have endeavored in for their central theme: sustainability.  The owner Philib stated that only 2 pieces of furniture were bought while the remaining ones were got from the street.  The abandoned articles now have a place of shelter and a chance to maximize their potential here!  Food ingredients are fresh with a portion of organic materials.  Philib said some of the ingredients were directly brought from his partner’s parents living and planting in the Blue Mountains once every 1 to 2 weeks.  Wow!

I was much impressed by the words written at different corners of the café.  The words were small; yet the messages were impressively meaningful.  Aren’t we too much spoilt by the affluent materials in the modern world today?  Are we too easy in throwing away old things which still have values?  Haven’t we added too much flavors in our cooking that we blind our senses in experiencing the real taste of ingredients?

Last but not the least, I am really jealous about Jess.  When I saw Philib working hard in the kitchen for preparing food for the customers, I could feel the dedication of this gentleman not only to this café, but also the lucky lady Jess.  I wish somebody would also do something for me~! :P

因為名字特別的緣故，我被吸引來到這咖啡店，竟發現它是繁忙城市中的瑰寶。

很喜歡這咖啡店的裝潢，它的佈局很特別，用的傢俱­、栽種的植物及舊物品，清晰的告訴你他們致力支持環保。店主Philib說傢俱中只有兩件是買的，其餘的都是從街上拾到的。就這樣，這些舊傢俱得到容身之所，也發揮了它們的作用！食材也是新鮮的，部份還是有機物品。Philib說部份材料是他伴侶居住在藍山的父母所種的，每一至二星期左右新鮮運到店來！讚！

我被店內不同角落所寫的字所吸引。字的體積雖小，但它所帶著的訊息卻是格外的有意義。在現今世代，我們是否被富裕的物質所寵壞？我們是否太易丟棄舊卻仍有用處的物件？我們在做菜的時候，又是否添加太多不必要的味道，蒙閉了我們的味覺去感受食材真正的味道？

最後，我的確很羨慕Jess；當我看見Philib在廚房裡很努力的為顧客準備食品，在這男子身上看到的，不只是他對這咖啡店的熱誠，也是他對這幸運女神的熱誠。我都希望，也有同樣的福份！

Mon-Sun 0700-1500

Corner of Abercrombie Street and O’Conner Street, Chippendale NSW 2008

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Something-for-Jess/460954030651788

Yes, no entry this way, but round the corner

 

Support sustainability and small scale businesses~!!

Bean Drinking

Bean Drinking has been selected as the top 10 of Sydney cafes in the past few years.  
 

It is a popular café to the locals living in Crows Nest.  It’s probably a good place for take-away coffee, lunch, snack and catch-up, etc.  Nevertheless, this is more than a normal neighbourhood café. On the right corner at the entrance, there is a coffee lab with things ready for coffee education purposes: global map showing coffee belt, tasting chart, test tubes containing beans at different roasting degrees, siphon, hand-drip set, etc.  It’s awesome that products of the highly reputable brand Hario are available for sale here, including the siphon set, hand-drip scale, hand-drip filter, filter paper, etc.

Various brewing methods are carefully prepared.  Apart from the traditional espresso-based coffees, you can also have siphon and hand-drip coffee here.  Wanna try making coffee at home.  There you go.  You can buy some of their freshly roasted beans home.

這咖啡店在這數年內都被選為悉尼十大最佳咖啡店之一 。

這亦是在當區極受歡迎的咖啡店之一，受歡迎的原因，或許是因為它的確是一間幾乎是全能的咖啡店，讓你享受外帶的咖啡、午餐、零食及跟友人交誼談心等。然而，這也是一間非一般的咖啡店，進門口的右邊，你會見到一個咖啡實驗角落，內設不少能隨時提供咖啡教育的教材，包括標示咖啡帶的世界地圖、咖啡品味圖、裝有不同烘焙度豆子的實驗容器、手沖壼、塞風壼等。在悉尼難得一見，高質素的品牌Hario的物品也可在這兒買得到，包括塞風壼套裝、手沖法的濾杯、濾紙和電子量重器等。

這兒你可以享受到不同的沖煮咖啡方法，他們都為你精心泡製。除了常見的意式特濃咖啡及相關飲品外，你還可以享受到手沖及塞風塞的沖煮法。若然心癢癢想在家自行沖煮?! 沒問題，即管在這兒買一包他們自家烘焙的新鮮豆子，包你滿意！

Mon-Sun 0700-1800

Shop 1, 13 Ernest Place, Crows Nest, NSW 2065

9436 1678

http://www.beandrinking.com.au/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BDMicroRoaster?fref=ts

Always crowded

 

Single origin coffee available here

Freshly roasted coffee beans ready for you to buy them home

siphon coffee

Different degree of roasting