309 Exhibition St CBD. 9662 1080
If you blindfolded me, flew me to a random café in the world, then took of the blindfold and then asked me where I was, if it was a café in New York City chances are I would guess it. And it won’t be because of the accent or the bad coffee. There are some qualities that so many of the small cafes in NYC share: Cracking walls, beautiful old tiles, uneven ground, customers lining up out the door, big city suits striking up deals on every table, spaces so small that you have to make friends with the person sitting next to you… the list goes on. And It’s all these things that makes the city feel so special.
However, had I not yet been to 65 Degrees and you did the blindfold test on me and dropped me off there on a Friday morning, I would have guessed incorrectly. If you asked me which city we were in, I would have said NYC (the only other time I have experienced this was at Mamacita, but for different reasons).
65 Degrees has been on my list of places to visit for a while now, but for some reason it has been always pushed to side, probably because of it’s city fringe location and my laziness to try and find parking. Well on all the days of the week to find parking this had to be good old April Fools. And anyone who has been reading my blog knows my sense of humour so … (the rest of this little ordeal was well documented on twitter, albeit 3 days later).
Well I don’t know if it was a special Friday, maybe due to the flower and garden show, but 65 Degrees was pumping. And I mean NYC style.
Once I stepped inside, the similarities to New York were the first thing that hit me, I actually felt like I was there. It was a special moment for me. This feeling was doubled when I asked the waitress for a double ristretto and she looked at me like I was speaking in Pig Latin. Her “You mean an espresso?” question was promptly cut off by the barista at the back who left his post on the machine to correct her and assure me that I would be getting a Ristretto. Phew!
So I took my seat right next to the beautifully retro looking burgundy and gold Has Garanti in the back. I like sitting next to the roaster. The roaster is my friend. Although I felt somewhat better about the coffee after the first little hurdle, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to get in my little coffee cup that I could see snaking its way through the monstrous crowd.
I read somewhere that it had been awarded the god shot, and I guess that is a big name to live up to. Well, after my first shot, I can kind of see why it was awarded that title.
I know that Con Haralambopoulos was the world latte art champion, and I probably should have got around to having a latte. But the line was too big and I was already late. But I’m guessing that they are nothing short of amazing. I would have loved to have a chat with them about what beans I was drinking and all the rest, but once again, it was too busy to annoy them.
Coffee: Gridlock
Machine: La Marzocco
If you blindfolded me, flew me to a random café in the world, then took of the blindfold and then asked me where I was, if it was a café in New York City chances are I would guess it. And it won’t be because of the accent or the bad coffee. There are some qualities that so many of the small cafes in NYC share: Cracking walls, beautiful old tiles, uneven ground, customers lining up out the door, big city suits striking up deals on every table, spaces so small that you have to make friends with the person sitting next to you… the list goes on. And It’s all these things that makes the city feel so special.
However, had I not yet been to 65 Degrees and you did the blindfold test on me and dropped me off there on a Friday morning, I would have guessed incorrectly. If you asked me which city we were in, I would have said NYC (the only other time I have experienced this was at Mamacita, but for different reasons).
65 Degrees has been on my list of places to visit for a while now, but for some reason it has been always pushed to side, probably because of it’s city fringe location and my laziness to try and find parking. Well on all the days of the week to find parking this had to be good old April Fools. And anyone who has been reading my blog knows my sense of humour so … (the rest of this little ordeal was well documented on twitter, albeit 3 days later).
Well I don’t know if it was a special Friday, maybe due to the flower and garden show, but 65 Degrees was pumping. And I mean NYC style.
The line was out the door, the sound of grinders was taking over the street and the scent of coffee was filling my lungs.
Once I stepped inside, the similarities to New York were the first thing that hit me, I actually felt like I was there. It was a special moment for me. This feeling was doubled when I asked the waitress for a double ristretto and she looked at me like I was speaking in Pig Latin. Her “You mean an espresso?” question was promptly cut off by the barista at the back who left his post on the machine to correct her and assure me that I would be getting a Ristretto. Phew!
So I took my seat right next to the beautifully retro looking burgundy and gold Has Garanti in the back. I like sitting next to the roaster. The roaster is my friend. Although I felt somewhat better about the coffee after the first little hurdle, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to get in my little coffee cup that I could see snaking its way through the monstrous crowd.
It arrived looking like a ristretto should. Or at least how I think it should. It had a dark caramel crema on top of rich and oily looking shot.
I read somewhere that it had been awarded the god shot, and I guess that is a big name to live up to. Well, after my first shot, I can kind of see why it was awarded that title.
The ristretto was excellent. Superbly extracted. I ordered another just for fun, and was greeted with the same exceptional shot.
I know that Con Haralambopoulos was the world latte art champion, and I probably should have got around to having a latte. But the line was too big and I was already late. But I’m guessing that they are nothing short of amazing. I would have loved to have a chat with them about what beans I was drinking and all the rest, but once again, it was too busy to annoy them.
I know there is quite a bit of competition in the city, but on the fringe, I don’t think you are going to find a better coffee just yet!