Salvage Speciality Coffee

5 Wilkes Ave, Artarmon

Ordered:

Wayne: Long Black / Beef Burger

Charlene: Long Black / Haloumi Burger

Wayne:

Last time I was here, we were celebrating Charlene’s last birthday, so it was nice to head back now we are reviewing cafes and more importantly, coffee. This place is always popular, and it’s not hard to see why. The service is always super friendly and our waiter was lovely, and super, super eager. The coffee is lovely, the kind of drop that is easy to drink fast. It is strong and the bean is clearly of quality. It also had a nice aftertaste for this long black drinker. Not the best drop out there, but certainly a great cup of coffee. Last time I tried the fairy floss blend and enjoyed it. The food was nice, though my beef burger seemed to have more bacon than beef. This is a great place to sit outside, drink some nice coffee and spend time with friends. It’s certainly the nicest coffee in this part of Sydney.

Coffee: 4/5

Café: 4/5

Service: 4.5/5

Charlene:

On an unusually (at the moment), not too hot, not too cold, not too dry, not too wet, just right sunny Sydney day, my darling Wayne and I lunched at Salvage Coffee in Artarmon. And here we found coffee that, for me, was just right. I know Salvage pride themselves on their coffee and justifiably so. I found this a smooth easy to drink blend with just enough kick and bite to be exciting! The service also hit “the just right” button being friendly and warm but not overbearing. The halloumi burger was also a delightful balance of salty haloumi, crunchy fresh salad, smooth creamy aioli and buttery avocado. Perfect. The side of chips - crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I feel I found Baby Bear’s hangout. And I like it!

Coffee: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Cafe: 4/5

New reviews released every Monday

Suzie Q Coffee and Records

1/18 Hutchinson St, Surry Hills, NSW

Ordered:
Wayne: Long Black / Sweet Surrender
Charlene: Long Black / Spring Awakening

Wayne:

My friend Amy and I met at this great café a few weeks back and I knew I needed to take Charlene here. It is a cozy little place with a great feel and cool décor. In the back of the café sits second hand records that you can buy; riffling through, there were some classics. The staff here are great, they are friendly, and it was lovely the waiter remembered me from last time and again complimented me on my Madonna t-shirt, who doesn’t like to be given compliments? The food is delicious here, last time I had the wonderfully spicy Fried Chicken Burger, this time I had the Sweet Surrender, walnut loaf with the most amazing kombucha macerated strawberries. It was beautifully unusual, at any given moment I was tasting sweet and sour. The coffee is divine and wonderfully made. It is smooth, strong and the right level of bitter. It left a great after taste that made this long black drinker savour every last drop. This is the kind of café I would love to return to with my laptop, drink coffee, write and take in the great atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Coffee: 4.5/5

Café: 4.5/5

Service: 5/5

Charlene:

Anyone who read last week’s review regarding mermaid pancakes and rose gold cappuccinos would understand I just might have a penchant for the novel and the quirky! So when we reach Suzy Q’s Coffee and Records and the menu is handed to us in a faux record cover my gleeful smile is burgeoning! Now this under other hands could be a little naff, but this has exquisite pencilled artwork and is just lovely! Our waiter is warm and affable and recognises Wayne from his last visit. A person who pays attention to people - my favourite kind! Our coffee also feels like it is made with tenderness and attention. A smooth mouth feel, with lots of subtle flavours. A great tasting blend made by a barista who clearly know her/his stuff. For lunch I order a “Spring Awakening” (who wouldn’t?) charcoal bread with broccolini pesto, buffalo mozzarella, broad bean and air dried tomatoes. My taste buds hummed with happiness as they were pleasurably assaulted from every angle! Another place I would definitely recommend!

Coffee: 4/5

Cafe: 4.5/5

Service: 5/5

New reviews released every Monday

Two Sis & Co

TWO SIS & CO

306 Harris St, Pyrmont, NSW

Ordered:

Wayne: Long Black / Scrambled Eggs with Spanish Chorizo

Charlene: Rose Gold Cappuccino / Mermaid Pancakes

Wayne:

On a rainy and miserable Sydney morning, this café was the perfect escape. (And what a morning, while we were in the café, a branch fell and crushed the car in front of the cafe). This little café almost feels like you are being transported to Japan. This little hole in the wall eatery is compact and cute, with some beautiful greenery lining the walls. The menu is intriguing, with the usual to the extraordinary, lots of fun little kitsch dishes that were being heavily Instagrammed by people around us. I went for the boring usual, and really enjoyed my scrambled eggs with chorizo. The eggs were tasty, though a little oily and the chorizo was beautifully spicy. It was a genuinely nice cup of coffee, smooth with a nice mouth feel and pleasant after taste. The coffee would definitely be a crowd pleaser, though I like mine a bit stronger, it was a good and rewarding cup. The service was super friendly and fast, the food got to us very quickly. This is a hidden gem with a lot to offer.

Coffee: 4/5

Café: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Charlene:

Cute and Fun!! This one was pure colour and fun. The menu had me in a happy state of giddy confusion. Should I choose the Mermaid Pancakes or the French Toast with chocolate pearls, salted caramel and Persian pashmak. It was like Alice in Wonderland meets Willy Wonka!! I picked the Mermaid Pancakes, which are fluffy sweet pancakes sandwiched between soft layers of mascarpone, surrounded by aqua Persian fairy floss. But wait, I'm not finished, it is sprinkled with chocolate rocks, a deluge of Nutella and a sparkly, sugary, pastel mermaid tail. Everything shimmers. I don’t want to touch it. I drool guiltily, thinking how envious my kids would be right now. It is delicious, but next time I would share as I began to fear I was about to slip into a sugar coma! Now importantly, the coffee, the lure of the rose gold cappuccino, overtook my regular more serious long black. A gorgeous rose scented, pink frothed, gold sparkling concoction, sprinkled with rose petals. I think in this case my love of the novel didn’t quite work for me, as stunning as it was. I found the rose a little overpowering and particularly with my sweet, sweet breakfast, I craved the bitterness of my usual long black. This cafe was sweet in every sense of the word, the food, the staff, the presentation. It brought a little sparkly magic to my day and made me grin like a toddler! 

Coffee: 3.5/5

Cafe: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

New reviews released every Monday

Wild Pear Cafe

WILD PEAR CAFE

658 Old Northern Rd, Dural, NSW

Ordered:

Wayne: Long Black / Banana Bread with Bacon (?) / Rosewater Milkshake

Charlene: Long Black / Shakshuka / Rosewater Milkshake

Wayne:

Dural is such a beautiful and picturesque area, so it makes sense that this café, which sits above a nursery, is a wonderfully cosy escape from city life. There’s a lovely inside area, but it is clear to see why everyone was pretty much choosing to sit on the spacious deck. The coffee was lovely. With a sweet aroma and a beautiful mouth feel, it was easy to drink. It wasn’t bitter and was made perfectly. While I usually like my coffee a little stronger, I had no complaints on this wonderful cup of coffee. The menu made it clear that they mean business, with an ambitious menu that they pull off to perfection. The rosewater milkshake was divine and not as sweet as I was worried it would be. Plus, it looks like a piece of art, pop art to be exact. I loved my banana bread with ricotta, pear and ordered the bacon to go with it. The salty and sweet taste was weirdly divine. Service was great, though the kitchen were a tad slow (but not overly). It's the kind of cafe where you can just chill with friends and have an amazing time with great food. Highly recommended.

Café: 4.5/5

Coffee: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Charlene:

This one was fun! I always love heading out to Dural, as I feel I am miles from home with only a short drive. And this café certainly did not let me down. Set in a nursery, it was a peaceful haven, with warm and welcoming staff and a chic but rustic décor. Our coffee came first, and it was delicious; smooth and easy, which is not always the case for the beloved long black. And the food ….. the food!!! First of all, I had heard they were famous for their rosewater milkshake, and being a massive fan of all things rosewater, I was excited, if not a little concerned of the thought of it in a milkshake, but ooohhh myyy! Served with Persian fairy floss on top, it was as scrumptious as it was pretty. My love affair with all things rosewater hit a new level. I ordered the Shakshuka, which I love to make at home (and okay, I admit I make for dinner and not breakfast), but this version took it to a height mine has never reached. The rich tomato rendezvousing with dates and lemon infused yoghurt made it heaven. My super ravenous sons, aged 8 and 10, who were in tow this time, enjoyed their Lime and Mango French Toast (yum) and their super generous Bacon and Avocado stack with Halloumi. I highly recommend the little trip to Dural to this little café with gorgeous food and a bonus little gift shop to browse with a full tummy.

Café: 4/5

Coffee: 4.5/5

Service: 5/5

New reviews will be posted every Monday