Is anybody serving decent food with decent coffee

System

Just wondering if anybody has come across good food served along with their coffee, certainly a plate of food does not mix but I'm sure small dishes served as a compliment to the flavours of your blend would go down very well. There appears to be an emphasis on food rather than coffee in 95% of cafes is there anybody else frustrated with quality and thought put into cafe food?

Unknown

Welcome Oscar! What State are you in? EF

Unknown

NSW... Sydney to be exact, I was reading the forum yesterday and thought that more input would improve discussion and give a wider scope of ideas and topics so I thought istead of sitting on the sidelines I was better to becoming a participant... P.S thank you for the welcome. So any ideas on the food? Are cafes more worried about profit margins than enjoying the whole experience, surely it is a mix of the two profits will come when the customer notices the effort providing you are well placed in a niche that will appreciate... any ideas?

Unknown

Could not agree more The inner sydney city cafes are a bit sparse on the food front... I am sick to death of seeing grab and go foods wraped in plastic! I guess it all boils down to what your willing to $ and what enviroment you are after. Most innercity places tend to spend more money on beautiful lights, tables and chairs than quality produce. I guess it would be OK if i drank chairs and ate tables! EF

Unknown

There are places that do quality cafe food in sydney eg: Danks st depot, bills, il baretto although any one who has visited these places might have noticed that the emphasis is clearly on the food rather than the coffee, hard core coffee bars like berrado in surry hills serves excellent coffee but where is the food? surely there is a pocket in sydney that dishes them both.

ristretto

Well made espresso is quite often followed by good food but not always. I like Morgan's in Darlinghurst although the food is on the pricey side and a little better than the coffee. Vargabar in Newtown is quite good at both. I disagree about Berrado, had an espresso there and it was foul, could have been a bad day.

Unknown

I do agree with Ristretto's recomendations and his advice on Berrado. Unfortunately I am a very fussy eater and even fussier espresso drinker. For me I tend to eat here and drink elsewhere. I have only ever gone to an cafe and really been speachless a few times times in my life, but i am always looking for the best. EF

Unknown

So where is the best? I think berrado is quite a good espresso bar having said that the barista does the blend justice not vice-versa, Allpress does quite a nice colombian blend as does coffee and things in Randwick; but I put it to you where and how does food link these elements together?                           OR Is there no link?

Unknown

So where is the best? I think berrado is quite a good espresso bar having said that the barista does the blend justice not vice-versa, Allpress does quite a nice colombian blend as does coffee and things in Randwick; but I put it to you where and how does food link these elements together?                           OR Is there no link?

coffee_gruva

Oscar, it appears that maybe you should head further away from the city/ Darlinghurst/ Surry Hills cafes... maybe try Lavender Blue at Mc Mahons Point if you can get a seat....

askthecoffeeguy

hmm... this is a bit of an old topic that has somehow become attached as a sticky!  I'll have to speak to admin about that one before i go ahead and remove it - but still an important area for discussion nevertheless! I believe that good food and good coffee go hand in hand - after all, a coffee is often the last thing you will have in the course of a meal, and provides a lasting reminder of your dining experience So if the coffee's no good, it doesn't matter if the food is smashing, as a bad coffee experience leaves a bitter taste in the mouth! Cheers, Pat

GrindOnDemand

Yeah, how the hell did that one rear it's long-gone head??? Yet still, it was interesting to read all respondents at that time on an issue which still seems poignant - quality food complemented with or w/out the bean. Initial posting being over 4 years ago, gotta say now that Sydney has no monopoly on either great espresso or food - neither does Melbourne. A week may seem a year in politics, but 4 years post-forum on the cafe scene...? If this thread is to be re-invigorated, it needs to go beyond the inital 2003 focus of ... well let's talk food, let's talk coffee, Sydney is THE focus! Sydney borne,bred,raised, yet Brissy based, Tony

chefrob

Please keep this sticky going. Good food with good coffee? Hell Yes!!! I'm head chef at a busy little cafe in Hervey Bay, whale watching capital of Australia - our new lunch menu includes delights such as: Hot Pumpkin and Sunflower Seed Cob Loaf with Semi-dried Tomato Butter Won Ton Soup with Soy Chicken Broth and Chinese BBQ Pork Herb and 3 Cheese Souffle on a Cucumber & Avocado Salad with our Lime and Sesame Dressing Chicken Satay Noodle Salad with Honey Roasted Cashews (this will become your favourite Salad!) Massaman Curried Lamb Shanks with Jasmine Rice and Hot Pumpkin Bread for mopping up the juices Turkish Delight Burger - Roasted Chicken in Pesto Mayo, Bacon, Salad in our Toasted Crunchy Turkish Bread Steak Burger - Scotch Fillet Steak with Melting Cheese, Tomato, Lettuce, Sweet Fried Onions, our Special Mayo and BBQ Sauce Grilled Barramundi with Curried Coconut Prawns and Banana Salsa Simply Double Pleasure Coconut and Passionfruit Creme Brulee with Passionfruit Semi-freddo The World's Best Sticky Date Pudding with Brandy Butterscotch Sauce and Melting Icecream Creme Caramel with Premium Macadamia Icecream and Strawberries In our cake cabinet I also make The Best Carrot Cake That You Will Ever Have, Paris Cake (so named because it is a very rich Tart), Lemon and Honey Baked Cheesecake with a Caramel Top, Honey Caramel Slice with Peppermint Chocolate on a Coconut Biscuit Base,

nzroaster

Hi Rob, where are you in Hervey Bay? I used to get up there alot as I had a customer at the ferry building. Got to say, such a nice part of the world but struggled to get a good cup there.

psaigh

I must say, you've catered perfectly to my food pyramid; .

askthecoffeeguy

I'm getting hungry and I've already had dinner!

chefrob

Hi Nzroaster. I'm at Simply Wok, 417 Esplanade, Hervey Bay. Near the Torquay Pub on the corner of Bideford Street. I'm the chef here, but I don't own the business - the owners have 4 other cafes in the Bay and Maryborough. We are currently in discussions about a joint venture for their next cafe, something that definately interests me.

nzroaster

Rob, On a side note I have to say that the worst dining experience I have ever had in my entire life was at the Aegean Waters restuarant. I have no idea how they are still open with the level of service and quality of food they have there. Hey, how about Pioneer Coffee for the new cafe

chefrob

Mate, don't get me started on the quality of food in Hervey Bay. Actually, let's start. Just say that if you have low expectations, you won't be disappointed. As for the restaurant that you mentioned, I agree. This is a French restaurant, and when I dined there I went away thinking that I have better (and cheaper) French food on my menu, and I work at a Chinese cafe! We used to have Grinders "coffee". When that became unpalatable, the owners asked me if I had any suggestions, knowing that I'm a bit of a caffiene nut. Naturally I suggested using a well regarded local roaster. I suggested Pioneer Coffee, having sampled a few blends at home and being impressed. But they had already made up their minds to use Piazzo D'oro, as they are very good friends with the local distributor. Fortunately, the coffee tastes nice if you pack it really tightly. Sometimes the mouses tail turns to slight constipation, but that's the best way to get the most from this brand. If you're in Hervey Bay again, stop in to Simply Wok for breakfast or lunch and say g'day.