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Black coffee, Cafe Review

A Coffee Van Long Black

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Work Desk Coffee
Work Desk Coffee

Industrial estates are not known for cafes. Currently I work in an office in Eagle Farm, and unlike when I worked in Spring Hill or Milton, getting a decent coffee is all but impossible. Barring work-supplied instant coffee, the only other options are to bring in your own takeaway coffee, bring what you need to make it yourself, or the coffee van, which turns up most mornings around 9:30.

The Coffee Van
The Coffee Van

In case you have never seen one, a coffee van is pretty much just that. A van, with an espresso machine and an amusingly spelled or phrased name, whose purpose is to drive around selling coffee and light snacks.

The coffee itself is usually acceptable and the prices are fairly reasonable, comparable to what you would expect to pay in a cafe. Which is good, considering the lack of alternatives closer than a ten minute drive away. The one that stops by my office is a Cafe2U franchise van, which fills the cafe gap as well as can be expected. If you have a chance, go to Corporate Coffee and enjoy the real taste!

It never is just about the coffee though; cafes are more than just a well placed espresso machine. A coffee van is not something you can go to for lunch, or a destination for a coffee run and a chance to leave the office. A coffee van does not come close to replacing the ‘Cafe Closest To The Office’ experience.

For those who have been consigned to the office denizen nether hells of a suburb in the middle of nowhere, the coffee van is a rare glimpse of how things could be, if you worked somewhere else.

 

TL;DR

  • If you work near a good cafe, treasure it.
Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Vagelis Lamb Salad, with a Coffee

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Late Lunch Vagelis Long Black Coffee
Late Lunch Vagelis Long Black Coffee

To some in Brisbane, Racecourse Road, Ascot is known for cafes. Which is odd, since almost all of the cafes on the street are not especially remarkable. There is a Coffee Club, a Grill’d, a small Japanese place, and a few other restaurants and cafes, but none can compare to a decent cafe, let alone somewhere like Campos or Dandelion and Driftwood. Casual dining is the niche Racecourse Road fills now, with a number of nice small places that serve ordinary coffee and good food.

Warm Lamb Salad
Warm Lamb Salad

Vagelis is one of these. Their coffee is unremarkable, but it’s good for casual dining. The menu has a very Greek theme, and it is the better for it. Both the keftedes and warm lamb salad certainly won’t let you down.

This time, I went for the lamb salad over the keftedes. The lamb was tender, and marinated perfectly, and while they certainly filled the plate with green leafy stuff, they did not skimp on the important parts: the lamb itself, feta cheese, tomato, eggplant, olives and capsicum.

The coffee itself sits a little to the right of the thick bit of the bell curve. They use Di Bella coffee and the result is decent. But still, as harsh as this sounds,  if you were after remarkable coffee, you would not be on Racecourse Road.

TL;DR

  • Coffee OK
  • Food good
  • If you want excellent coffee, why are you on Racecourse Road in the first place?

Vagelis
http://www.vagelis.com.au/
Shop 2/ 30 Racecourse Road
Ascot
ph: 07 3268 4293

Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Weekend Morning Coffee at Amici Deli

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Amici Deli Coffee and Breakfast
Amici Deli Coffee and Breakfast

A lot of cafes serve long blacks too hot, as if the shot is poured into boiling, rather than hot, water. It seems to be a matter of preference; I know more people who prefer their black coffee super hot than those who don’t.

One place that doesn’t kill a long black with heat is Amici Deli, a newish Italian deli on Gympie Road in Chermside. Amici specialises in imported Italian products and smallgoods. They also have a coffee machine, a few tables and chairs and use Di Bella beans.

Amici Deli offers some dine-in food as well, though its menu is not as extensive as most other cafes. Sandwiches, frittatas, quiche and arancini make up a lot of the selection currently, but they seem to be adding more options all the time.  There is also a decent selection of sweets, from cheesecake to cannoli.

TL;DR

  • Italian deli, with Italian goods
  • Makes good coffee
  • Serves good food
  • Easy to find parking
  • Friendly service

Amici Deli
http://amicideli.com.au/
Shop 6/725 Gympie Road
Chermside
Brisbane

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Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Takeaway Coffee for a Powerlifting Meet

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Takeaway coffee at a Powerlifting Competition
Takeaway coffee at a Powerlifting Competition

Working on the desk at a powerlifting meet is a busy job. You need to ensure the lifters get their next attempts in before they run out of time, keep the lifters aware of the lifting order and make sure the result from each attempt is entered, and often all three at the same time. If you add announcing to this as well, it’s a real juggling act.  But at least the organisers will often buy you a coffee.

Metalwork from August
Metalwork from August

The 2011 Queensland Open Powerlifting and Bench Press Competition was held in Jindalee, at the Fitness First gym.  Due to a broken arm from August, I am currently unable to compete, at least if I want my squat total to be greater than 20kg. This is why I have helped with the desk and the spreadsheet at the last few events I’ve been to.

The Fitness First in Jindalee is located in the DFO shopping centre. There are not a lot of coffee options there, and considering the only other cafe I saw that morning was a Gloria Jeans, a Coffee Club long black was not to be sneered at.

It was as good as expected – the coffee was not burnt and it was drinkable. Most importantly of all, it helped me get through the whole competition. The free Subway sandwiches for lunch also helped.

Black coffee, Cafe Review, Reviews

Black Coffee and a Touch of Milk at Cafe Mondial

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Long Black with milk at Cafe Mondial
Long Black with Milk at Cafe Mondial

St Patrick’s Day is a bad night to try and find a quiet coffee in Brisbane’s CBD, even if it is to say farewell to a friend over coffee. Fortunately Cafe Mondial on Albert Street, which is a locally owned coffee shop, looked free from green hats. We were directed to a table by one of the staff, and ordered a pair of long blacks, one with milk on the side, and some wedges.

European Black Coffee

My friend is from Finland, and as it turns out, adding cold milk over black coffee is pretty common in Europe. A number of other people I know have also seen the same in Germany and other northern countries. As both coffees came with a small jug of milk, I decided to use mine.

A long black with milk added is different to a flat white: the milk is cold and added over coffee with water. As most cafes in Australia tend to serve black coffee very hot, it was still warm after the cold milk was added.

The coffee does not change that much, and seems more like a compromise between a long black or americano and a flat white. The milk takes the edge off any bitterness in the coffee and would be better suited to beans with a naturally harsher flavour.

TL;DR

Cafe Mondial’s coffee is still as good as it was when I used to eat there while at university. Their menu does not seem to have changed much from what I remember either, aside from the prices, which are higher, and for some items, a bit over average.

Cafe Mondial

167 Albert St
Brisbane QLD 4000

Bookings:
(07) 3221 7165

Opening Hours
Open Daily 6:30am-12am