Mail house blues....

A miserable, dreary and drizzling  Sunday morning calls for a relaxing, chilled out  coffee experience  to help liven  up the day and at least make it feel a tad bit sunny! I definitely succeeded in the good coffee stakes, but maybe not the best venue choice for a relaxing coffee on the day of rest. 

With  Darby still  away I thought I could  travel a distance for my cappuccino today.. The issue is always on the location,  I need to work on those decision making skills, (ill add that to my goal list for the year!) ... there are many places that are on the peripheral of the city,  that I would like to try.. today I just took a lucky dip and picked The Mailing Room in Canterbury... I have read great things about this cafe so I'm super excited..

 Canterbury is not the kind of suburb Id  visit very often, maybe once every couple of years.. I do like Mailing Rd, but I do feel very out of place and rather ... round peg in square hole, that kind of thing!  The Mailing Room is easy to find as it is on the corner of the street and in the old converted post office. It is a rather grand building and more elegant than the modern, exposed brick and industrial places that seem to be the flavour of the day at the moment.  I arrive and the place is in a state of chaos, with frenzied waitresses  running around, I manage to hail one and put my order in quick ... the high ceilings bounce  the loud Sunday noise around and I feel my heart beat start to quicken and my blood pressure start to rise (and not in a good way).I manage to get a table which is in the middle of the room and I feel very exposed sittng there on my own.  The place  is filled to the brim with families,young couples and sensible people just getting take away coffees and bolting! 

I realise once I'm seated that I have walked in just after  someone has spilled coffee all over the floor and the wait staff are  frantically mopping it up, so the service is a little bit slapstick (which I don't blame them) .

 I'm feeling very uncomfortable here, the hectic pace  and intense noise seem to be heightened by the big space the cafe occupies. Luckily my coffee arrives and I get some relief (Ahh) and I can see why it rates so highly, my cappuccino has a sweet honey flavour and is nice and hot , there is no bitterness at all and the rich coffee is a pleasure to drink. They use their own beans here from a mixture of different sources, I was tempted to get some, but decided against it as I just wanted to get out of the Sunday rush... I left quickly (Whats with the $4.10 price... just annoying, although not outrageous !Better start carrying 10 cent coins on me ) Next time I will venture here on a weekday and I imagine it  would be a lovely and relaxing place for coffee...

On the way home I'm still feeling unsatisfied , I haven't had the kind of  coffee experience I was looking for today(well the coffee was decent and the building was lovely) but just the amount of people and the blaring loudness of the Mailing Room has left me feeling stressed and anxious! I decide to drop by the Abbotsford Convent on the way home... big mistake....they had a monthly craft market and getting a park was like pulling teeth so I decided to go somewhere that could certainly not fail.. and I would get take away to enjoy in the serenity that is my Nissan Tiida!!!

 Seven Seeds http://www.sevenseeds.com.au/.... Ahhh just walking in I felt a whole lot better! I ordered my coffee and whilst waiting read the coffee beans menu! They all sounded amazing so I decided to buy 250g of  Costa Rican Monte Copey Honey, the description read: Rich body with notes of red cherries and a strong chocolate finish. Great for espresso and will match well with milk mmm, I cant wait to try it, now I just need to get a coffee filter so I can drink it!   It is busy here, but I don't feel that same sense of chaos, and the girl helping me chose the coffee was patient and knowledgable.

So not a complete waste of a child free morning!! The 2 coffees kept me going... I needed that caffeine through my veins as I took   Darby to his first (losing) footy match... he loveeddd it, so I think this will be a regular thing.. Lucky I live so close! Doesn't he look so cute in my old Lions hat.... its soo  Vintage!!!

Until next time xxxx.....

Isn't he adorable!! Waiting for the train to Etihad!

Coffee Machine Broken ?&*%#!

Day 2 of public transporting it and its still going well! No complaints yet! 

Darby and I trekked over to North Melbourne where we were meeting cousin Kate and Laura for a coffee. Kate has been a  tremendous supporter of my blog so far , so  as an out of towner she wanted to go to one of the coffee places I had written about. So after some research on Friday I decided upon a new place I had not heard of and  actually not on my MCR list that reportedly made very good coffee:  Maison Ama Lurra http://www.amalurra.com.au/ in Howard St, North Melbourne.

I should have been worried when we arrived. The owner had a very concerned look on his face and seemed reluctant to come and serve us. When we were greeted by the waitress we were told some VERY VERY bad news! I think she actually phrased it as interesting news not as devastating as I found it.  The coffee machine had broken down! OMG!!!

She obviously didn't have the same obsession for coffee as I did and I was greatly offended when she offered me the tea list.... As if!

The only coffee they  did have  available was filtered coffee called the Trifecta, Kate and I decided to give it a go! I don't think I have ever ordered a long black, so this would be an experience.  To be honest though it did not rock my world, nor did it have the effect I thought it would have- I always imagine after drinking long blacks you were left buzzing on a caffeine high! None of that buzzing felt here! 

The food was also interesting and certainly not for every ones taste and they may need to find their niche to get them off the ground, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and come back and try their coffee, lets hope next time their machine is in top form! I might just call ahead to check!

Seven Seeds - 10 out of 10



I couldn't let Kate think I was terrible at picking my places for coffee and we were still in desperate need for a good cup of Java.  So we wandered down a few blocks  to a new favorite of mine  Seven Seeds http://www.sevenseeds.com.au/, surely that couldn't fail us and I knew they had a plethora of coffee machines! One specially there to make Take Aways too! Perfect! ...

Of the two times I have been, I have found Seven Seeds hard to locate, it really is tucked away in a side street and my map reading skills need a little work!!!!!


Of those times there it is always filled to the brim with people. Word of Mouth Advertisement really speaks volumes here with no signs needed out the front! They even have a very handy indoor bike parking, which seems in vogue for all the cool cafes i have been to lately! Might have to get myself a bike so I fit the bill!!



Soy Cappuccino - Perfecto





Finally a picture of me Enjoying my coffee!

Seven Seeds - hustle and bustle of Saturday morning

 We ordered our coffees and a biscuit for Darby and managed to snatch some vacant seats so we could enjoy the coffee experience there. From a quick head count it looked like there were about 4 or 5 Barista's making coffees, pretty extraordinary really. This place takes their coffee making very seriously. And we all enjoyed our coffees, I think I have converted Laura and Kate to come back.. I certainly will be.....

Laura and Kate sipping Seven Seeds

And so after a rocky start to the morning my coffee obsession continues...... Still 80 or so more to go.. but who's counting!
Until Next time, enjoy your coffee  xxx



The Premises and Proud Mary

Now Sundays in my world always call for lots and lots of coffee!! Must be the imminent sign that Monday is around the corner and the only thing to get me through is some good old caffeine! Its definitely my kick start to the day anyway. 
When I woke the first thing I did was try my St Ali beans... they were fantastic, although its just not the same flavour or experience you get when its made at home.. it was good, but I wont be doing it everyday. 


After that I tried a couple of places, one on my MCR list and another that I think should be on the list!


The Premises in Kensington (the one not on the list of 100) is becoming almost a local for me and it is only a hop, skip and jump away. This morning I went there with Sarah for a kid free coffee which is very rare, especially for Sarah. The place was busy, but we managed to get a good table tucked away at the back.
The coffee here is very tasty, they use beans from Seven Seeds, so they can hardly go wrong! The food is also delish. I ordered Fruit toast with jam,  the bread had squillions of apricots and figs- just yummy and kept me going all day (although maybe that was the caffeine!)
Ill be back here again and again and wont be at all surprised if this one makes the list in 2012! It certainly gets my vote!
Next off I trekked to Collingwood. (The thought of not having a car for 4 weeks has struck fear into me - how am I going to go for a month not being able to try new coffee with out a car???)
So I picked a "3 beaner" relatively close and made the journey over to Smith St!
Proud Mary is tucked down a side st off the main Collingwood strip and as it said in its review would be "pumping" with people on the weekend. I think that's the longest I have waited  for a takeaway coffee so I couldn't wait to taste! It was worth it, the single origin coffee was so smooth, I could drink it all day long!  It was out of this world and if that happens when you have a takeaway you are onto a winner.  I will come back here on a day off as I loved the feel of the place  (and the look of the menu). I especially loved the shiny sky blue cups they use for coffee, they were gorgeous! I'm going to have to try and find me some!

Plus the raspberry slice Darby had was very tasty, even with fruit in its name I don't think it was at all healthy, oh well it  helped him feel contented waiting FOREVER and helped me soak up some of that coffee buzz.....


By the afternoon I was having serious heart palpitations so I think I will stick to my usual one coffee tomorrow and not go overboard... 
I think without a car,  February will be my month of trying places locally and in the city.. there are heaps to try there and it will get me out on my lunch breaks and do some serious coffee hunting
Until next time  xxx 

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 ......