Sunscreen, Tears and Halloween....

As the weather warms  up,  or at least tries to, I realise there is a bit of pressure now to  finish the list of coffee places that I set out to do at the start of the year.. I have 27 places to go to... it seems like quite a challenge with everything happening in my life at the moment when there is only bout 10 weeks to do it in.. ouch that is nearly 3 places a week! Well I will keep persevering as always , I am certainly not one to give up in the face of adversity, so here goes!

So my updates on coffee places for the week goes a little something like this: 

Thursday: Job Interview (Urrghhh these are not fun, but I better get used to them!) ... then a much needed coffee at Milkwood in Brunswick East.. just the name left me all nostalgic  reminding  me of my Year 10 English Literature crush on Dylan and Peter whilst studying Under Milkwood.. nothing better than a high school love triangle.. Back to the coffee, it snapped me out of my trip down memory lane and was a lovely surprise, creamy and strong using quality Coffee Supreme beans. I would love to come back here for a sweet treat too.. The Caramel Slice looked like it was on steroids! 

Thursday also brought about a trip to Coles, not to buy bread or milk, but to buy Halloween masks! Darby is obsessed with Halloween and these $4 masks are great although a tad creepy!! I am the Tassie Devil and Darbs alternates between the Happy Witch and the Scary pumpkin... We plan to do a bit of trick or treating on Monday night.... although not sure how many people will be ready for that with lollies in hand! 

Friday: Always happy when Friday rolls around and the day always needs to begin with coffee ... Fridays coffee of the day was at Cafenatics in the Docklands.  The coffee tends to be hit or miss for me and no where near as consistent as Elevenses was. (How I miss them!)  The coffee though that day was so impressive that I returned in the afternoon to get another  hot chocolate. (I can't do 2 coffees in a day anymore!! damn!) 

Saturday: 

So the day started with a bit of exercise and then lunch with Darby at Le Chien for some coffee and eggs.. my favourite combination. Although I have given up meat, there is no way I am ready to give up Eggs.. I know I probably should give them up, but they are my vice along with my addiction to coffee! Anyway, the coffee as always was great and thats really all there is to say! 

Sunday: 

On Sunday Darby and I were talked into doing the JDRF walk for Diabetes around Albert Park Lake... I knew this was going to be a long day... so  I started the it with a takeaway coffee from Truman  a new place in Albert Park... Its worth checking out and the coffee was tasty.. It was the highlight of the day.. I didn't know the pain that lay ahead.. The walk was way too long for Darby's little legs (and mine too!).  There were plenty of stops and disagreements about sunscreen, Darby has a real affliction for it now so it was hard work to even get a drop on his skin.. I also had to carry his little bike for half of the walk...It was 30 degrees and the worst part was getting back to the car, a 20 minute walk took an hour and a half, and it was the most painful of walks, filled with plenty of tears, whining and tantrums (some of those were mine). A lot of negotiating finally got us to our car, the most painful walk I have ever done with Darby.. He was exhausted, I was exhausted ... so no more long walks on the agenda for quite awhile!
Almost makes me feel like a coffee again now just thinking about it.....

Until next time

Life is too short to drink crappy coffee

Baby its cold outside!

 To get started on a very very cold  Friday morning a girl needs her coffee!! This is also helpful to get the brain ticking and start thinking about the work day ahead.. although procrastinating about the weekend is not too far out of the question!

Janine and I decided to head local today, it was too cold to go very far from the office and the chance of rain without umbrella was quite high. (forgot my Buzz Light year!)  We headed to Cafenatics http://www.cafenatics.com.au/ which is only a short work from our Docklands office! Before my "coffee blog obsession/ New Year resolution" began, this was the cafe I went to every working day!

Busy Cafenatics!! Love the funky design

The frenetic pace of this cafe is unbelievable often with a line out the door, generally a sign good coffee is made here!!  Its  not a very relaxing cafe to have a chit chat over your mid morning latte... unless you don't mind yelling, but it does have a very funky vibe to it ! Its better once it calms down although the pace quickly picks up again around lunch time and they do a roaring trade! The Ham & Swiss Cheese flat bread is a staple for me when lunch is forgotten (or often left at home on the bench!!).Its simple yet delicious, its hard for me to order anything else! A creature of habit I call it!

My coffee today however was not showing the usual richness that it normally does. My expectations have also gone up a notch of late, so I'm not sure if this played a factor as well! I will be back.... hoping for a better coffee next time.

For lunch I wanted to go far far away from work ! Well to the other end of the city,  which feels so far away. I have been talking about my desire to go  65 degrees http://www.65degreescafe.blogspot.com/ for a long time.. so today being the coldest day, and  still battling a cold it wasn't the most sensible thing to do! These days I would do anything for coffee! How sad!

Janine and I met Laura there for some lunch and another hit of caffeine! I was hoping for a great coffee after this mornings disappointment! I have been reading great things about award winning  65 degrees... When I looked into why name a cafe 65 degrees I found out that this is the  perfect temperature milk should be in a coffee (hope that's right, someone please correct me if I'm wrong!!!) See I am learning something about coffee making every day!


Gorgeous red coffee machine!



 I asked an obviously new waitress for a Piccolo latte, I had heard about them but had always been reluctant to  try.... I had in my mind that it was a half espresso half milk, a mini latte so to speak, she told me it was a long black, so to chicken I didn't order... I now know it is a mini latte! Ah next time I will order it! I'm moving more and more out of my comfort zone everyday.

My coffee, however did not disappoint, it had very strong nutty flavour, enhanced by the soy milk.  They use Gridlock coffee here  and I can see why they have won many coffee making  championships! They  have so much pride in their coffee and their cafe.   Another one to add to my faves! (Pity its up the wrong end of town!)

Nice and Strong Soy Cappuccino

Until next time xx

PS - As part of my Blog journey, I have started to collect the business cards from these cafes so I can make myself a framed picture of my journey for 2011! Hopefully it doesn't get too big, I have no wall space in my place left!

New Years Resolution!

Like most people I always make New Years Resolutions, most of the time they are to Lose Weight , Get fitter, spend less money , save more money, plan a trip etc etc etc etc
But after a tumultuous year.... one of the hardest of my life, I have decided to be kind to myself.. Yes I will try and lose weight and et al but this year I want to do something I can actually achieve, feel proud of and learn more about myself as I go.  This New Years Resolution sounds silly, but I think it has lots of  potential to be great and its already giving me some purpose (The buzz word for Resilient people) ... so here we go!
I took some inspiration from the a cute little movie 'Julie and Julia', but making my way through an exquisite cook book was a) going to be expensive, b) probably would not help with losing weight c) I wouldn't really be leaving my house.....

So instead I am going to go to all the places (plus more) in the Melbourne 2011 Coffee Review http://www.melbournecoffeereview.com/ -  all 100 of them to try their coffee and if it gets too easy I will seek out more places to go! I have downloaded the application and have started already!
So in  trying to practice what I preach from a Health Promotion and Psychology point of view (what I do everyday at work) I thought a SMARTER goal was more achievable for me. 
 S  - Specific goal- drink coffee from the 100 best places in Melbourne 
 M - Measurable - I will become a coffee expert, go to new places and may meet some handsome barrista's or two
 A-  Achievable - Anything is achievable when you are buzzing on caffeine
 R-  Realistic - well I love coffee to start with, so it should be easy
 T - Time Based - 12 months should be easy - 11 months to go
 E - Exciting - what is NOT exciting about drinking great coffee most days of the year
 R - Recorded - That's what this blog is for! No cheating here!
As I go along I will give my own description of the experience and of course the most important part - the coffee. I plan to make some excursions from the West to the North, East and South all in the name of my resolution!
So here we go...........
Straight up I better clear up how I take my coffee - Soy Cappuccino (with 2 equal .. I know I'm trying to quit..), but I am open to trying lots of different beans, milks and styles... see its already liberating!


A month into 2011 and I have already been to 11 places (plus a couple of extras that I think should be on the list)
- Cafenatics (near my work so very easy!)
- Eclipse ( just discovered and also near work .. so I don't have to try too hard either)
- Brother Baba Budan - stopped on the way back from a meeting - understand why it gets 3 beans! It was amazing... will be making another trip back there before February is gone
- Di Bella Coffee Roasting - another yummy coffee experience... near my sisters and was feeling a little hungover so need to go back again! Food was delish too
- The Corner Shop - Home Territory ... love the way they use Real Choc on top....mmmmmm
- Le Chien - Well this has been my place for coffee for sooo long, six years I have been going here and probably for a long time to come, I love the familiarity, I know the staff and I love how the place makes me feel. Reminds me of good times (and some sad). It helped me get through last year with a smile on my face.
- Pope Joan - Need to come back here again, the coffee and food were gorgeous, but I had a grumpy and squealing Darby with me so the 'experience' could have been better, service was lovely, they wrapped up the uneaten fruit toast in foil so I could make a quick exit! Bless! Ill be back again, I wish it was here when I lived in Glenlyon Rd... would have been my place to go.
- Duchess of Spotswood. - A new find and very close to home... need to come back again to try the food.. Coffee was yummy, using Bonsoi milk makes a difference... just have to watch I don't get a thyroid problem! Will be back.
- I shouldnt Forget Seven Seeds... which took me on a wild goose chase to find, but was completely worth it. I have been looking forward to this experience for so long I hoped it didn't let me down as my expectations were very high. Thank goodness it didn't. The coffee was so delicate but intense and strong at the same time (now I sound like a coffee snob!) I will be back here no doubt... 3 beans from me as well
Until next time ......