Canberra, Australia’s capital city, is often derided due to its relative blandness and public service sector dominance. However, in recent years, Canberra has been coming of age with urban precincts like Braddon, New Acton and…
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Seasoned Surry Hills operators Single Origin Roasters York Street cafe is aimed squarely at the city worker who demands more from their daily caffeine fix. The cafe is smartly designed by Lechetti Krelle and staffed by people who know their business. While this cafe is primarily orientated…
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Surry Hills, an inner-city precinct of Sydney, is one of the most attractive urban neighbourhoods in the world. It is an area where fashion, food and design mix in close proximity to the central business…
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Regular readers of The Better Living Index will be aware of my ongoing passion for great coffee. Over the past seven years, we have written about the best of Sydney’s highly competitive coffee scene and made a point…
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Fossix Coffee began life ass the CBD outpost from the team behind John Smith Specialty Coffee in Waterloo. Located in the foyer of a commercial building near Pitt Street mall, at first glance Fossix appears to be a…
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Paramount Coffee Project is a cooperative venture from two serious coffee operators Russell Beard (Reuben Hills) and Mark Dundon (Seven Seeds). Located in the beautifully renovated Paramount Pictures building, the stylish fit out is complemented by a…
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Larder Daylesford’s causal atmosphere, good coffee and tasty food continues to strike the right note. The interior fit out features the work of local Kyneton designer and sculptor Jason Waterhouse. The ethos here is ‘re-claimed, re-cycled and re-made’ with…
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The Grounds, rather unpromisingly located in the industrial suburbs of Sydney’s inner south when it opened, continues to impress as one of the most inspiring cafe openings in recent years. It has such an appealing presence with an industrial…
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The Coffee Academics is a series of focused coffee houses featuring Slayer espresso machines and a wide selection of filter brewing methods. Their Clever Coffee Dripper (see our guide to making the perfect CCD here), Aeropress and V60 pour…
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‘Tailoring Coffee Joyously’ is the tagline and ethos behind Haven Specialty Coffee situated directly opposite Central Station in Surry Hills. Coffee geekiness in all its glory is on show at Haven with well made—and presented—coffees available via practically…
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Tailor Espresso is Vedrana Grozdanic’s (Vee) charming cafe in an old tailors shop in Maroubra. Serving Single Origin Roasters coffee, pastries and toasted sandwiches, this cafe has a local feel, reflective of the area. The space has…
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Sydney is one of my favourite cities, being both a great place to live and visit. Good food, great coffee and an outdoor lifestyle are just the beginning. However, just like visiting Paris, Hong Kong…
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Barrio Coffee Collective is a fine addition to Canberra’s ever evolving coffee scene. Located in the new Lonsdale Street Traders building in the inner suburb of Braddon, Barrio serves up an impressive cup of the black…
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Switch Coffee in Tokyo’s Meguro neighbourhood is a charming, boutique coffee roaster with a small cafe attached. Like many of Tokyo’s cafes and boutiques, Switch Coffee makes the most of its diminutive space with an inviting…
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The Roastery by Nozy Coffee is located in the heart of fashionable Shibuya. The good looking industrial fit-out features a concrete floor, wooden bar and plethora of coffee making implements. Expect more Japanese hipster than…
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One of the most under appreciated, yet consistently used, methods of brewing coffee is the plunger or French Press. Practically every home has one of these simple inventions and yet how many of us know…
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Gumption by Coffee Alchemy is the Strand Arcade based cafe from the multi-award winning coffee roasters in Marrickville. As anticipated, the team in this ground floor cafe deliver a superb cup of espresso, filter or cold drip. The…
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The Cross Eatery is one of a handful of cafes reinvigorating the eating options in Sydney’s CBD (see our piece on the best coffees in the CBD here). Until recently, casual dining offerings of the…
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A day out of the city is just what was needed after a week of tight deadlines and too much time in front of the computer. The Blue Mountains, 75 km west of Sydney, is a…
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As a coffee enthusiast, I am willing to travel for an impressive cup, and often plan my days around the best the city has to offer. Coffee Alchemy in Marrickville is justifiably praised for its commitment to…
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