Cafe Elixir

Scores:
Coffee: 10/20
Whole experience (cafe + coffee): 20/40

Ever wonder which of the Strand's coffee shops was better of the two? Well, for this nerd, it is a question that I have wondered for a while. So this morning I intended to find out.

I don't need to tell you how wonderful the Strand Arcade is, it really is a stunning bit of architecture and more so around Christmas where gold, silver and reds add to the wonderful colour pallet of the arcade.

Elixir Espresso is one if two coffee shops that are very well located on the main floor of the Strand. Elixir is the one close to George Street.

Having made the active choice to tackle a Strand Arcade coffee shop the next challenge presented itself, could I get a table? I was damn lucky that just as I was walking past a table opened up for me. Nabbing the table was a little harder however, as these was a bit of a rush for it. Some skilful weaving on my behalf later and I was set.

Having scored the table the next challenge presented itself - where was the service? Now this should have been a rather odd question to ask, as I could see 3 staff members milling about right in front of me. About 5 mins later, with me just chilling on my iPad, one staff member picked up I was yet to be served and on approach was quite apologetic.

The coffee was brought over at more of a speed than the service. However, on its arrival, I was a little underwhelmed by it, looks wise. No art attempt had been made, layering-wise it was a little milk heavy and heat wise it as just at that little too hot to hold or drink level. It reminded me of my coffee at Rickies, in that this was clearly a take away coffee in a glass. Super disappointing as, unlike Rickies who was pumping out the take-aways, there were zero take away coffees being made.

The aroma of Elixir's coffee was reasonably rich, with a roasted, fruity and perhaps a little spicy smell to it. It came across as quiet a sweet drink, which was a good sign for an overheated milk based coffee as most other combos of flavours do not benefit from overly heated milk.

Taste wise, I found the coffee to be quite fruity indeed. It had a bit of a caramelised thing going on, which I assume was both the result of the milk being heated to such high a level and the bean. My initial flavour fears, given my fears on the heat, were unfounded and it was not that unpleasant at all! The aftertaste of the drink lent itself to roast rather than the bean, but it too was pleasantly sweet (again I think compliments to the bean).

I thought the biggest favour that I could do to this coffee was letting it steep, however, my assumption was very wrong. As this drink cooled I found its initial sweet fruitiness fade away, as the cost of overheating the milk finally took its toll on the flavour. While initially it had this wonderfully sweet, fruity, roasted flavour, the near immediate aftertaste took hold, leaving it with more of a powdery, disappointing, coffee roast meets milk flavour.

Overall, for me it’s an easy choice between the two Strand Arcade cafes, Strand Espresso is a bit of a better choice. Elixir, while having a better bean, let me down on service, coffee presentation, taste and looks when compared to the Strand Espresso. Elixir by itself is an ok choice and likely a fine choice for a take-away, however the service was super disappointing and the heat of the coffee just too high to work as a solid sit in option.

Scores:
1. Coffee score
Style (look and feel): 5/10
Experience (taste and smell): 5/10
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Coffee total: 10/20
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2. Cafe score
Style (what’s it feel like): Feels like it would be a good option at a Westfield
Cool?: 6/10
Service: 4/10
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Cafe: 10/20
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Whole experience (coffee + cafe): 20/40



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Random - Milk Bar Cafe

Long black @ 12:31pm, Sunday 11th of November.

The Milk Bar cafe on King is just finding its feet. Still quite a limited menu. Festival day has hit the place hard and service is erratic and slow. However, a solid super fruity and juicy long black, with beans from Alchemy give me some hope when I come back here to check it out with my nerd hat on.

D'Ough Espresso - Newtown

Scores:
Coffee: 14/20
Whole experience (cafe + coffee): 26/40

I'm not sure about you, but I'm a bit of a sceptic when it comes to chain cafes. In Newtown, we've all seen a few chains come and go, and when D'Ough Espresso arrived, I have to be forgiven for avoiding the place like the plague.

A Saturday afternoon, some time around half 3, finds me at that awkward time when many cafe's are closing up. Yes, I could have gone a good one I knew would be open and happening, but just for you I put my body in the firing line and walked into D'Ough Espresso.

While I'm in the mood to be honest, I have to tell you, I had already thought of a witty line for this cafe's failure - "d'oh try again". Luckily, as it's a terrible headline, I did not have to use it.

Walking in you may have to do a double take in connecting this cafe to its underwhelming sister in the city near town hall, which looks cheap and depressing.

D'Ough, in Newtown has a bit of a cool hole in the wall thing going for it, wedging itself in between Elizabeth's and the IGA. It uses the space well though, with the bakery at the front and, kitchen and seating area at the back.

I am not sure if there was table service and so I went right to the counter and made a latte order and took a seat at the first table closest to the action.

The first feeling you'll get from this cafe is 'wow this is a tight space', the second is, 'am I in someone's kitchen?' Sitting in such a small place brings everyone together - customers, diners and staff alike. The place seems to be run by a family (no idea if it is) and it seems easy to become involved in their daily activities.

My coffee was brought over to me with a genuine smile and my waitress asked me if I'm in any need of sugar, "I'm right" I reply.

The coffee looks pretty swish, it's served in a clean glass sitting on a black saucer. There is a rough, but elegant fern upon it, it is layered well and has a good heat to it.

The aroma of the coffee, to my nose, was reasonably driven by a bit of a sharp but sweet fruitiness, that was rather unexpected on a milk espresso drink.

Taste wise fruity flavours typically don’t make it through to the tasting stage, and D'Ough's espresso was no exception. I found it to be a rather sweet drink, but instead of the sharp fruitiness I found more of a dull caramel (maybe a slight milk chocolate) milk flavour base - think if Campos’s House Blend blended into Rickies' AllPress blend. Not an instant winner or a loser for that matter.

While I was letting it cool, I had two older guys come and start leaning on my table, one grabbed the newspaper off it and then proceeded to start talking about horse racing between each other. The lady who served me soon joined in on their conversation as both took a seat beside me. I felt there was plenty of opportunity for me to join in if I wanted, but a little bit of my personal space had been stolen.

Letting a drink cool and steep typically has an effect on the flavour of a coffee. In D'Ough's case it did not - its initial flavour pallet is quite consistent following through with perhaps the caramel mixing a little better with the milk.

Overall, D'Ough Espresso Newtown is very viable option in this cafe-saturated area. It was a cafe I went into expecting it to be crap, but came off as a reasonably good experience. While the coffee was not outstanding, it does present very well. Staff, I think would go above and beyond if you wanted, although may be a little too personal for some, and food looks far better then any standard chain I can remember. However, taste is king, well 1/4 king on my scale, and this is where D'Ough on this occasion let me down. Otherwise a great little find.

Scores:
1. Coffee score
Style (look and feel): 8/10
Experience (taste and smell): 6/10
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Coffee total: 14/20
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2. Cafe score
Style (what’s it feel like): A super suave Michel’s Patisserie
Cool?: 5/10
Service: 7/10
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Cafe: 12/20
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Whole experience (coffee + cafe): 26/40


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