11 March: Coffee and Cake
The Postcards team take a look at Melbourne’s most popular cultural pastime. Not footy – coffee! Bridget enlightens us on the Mediterranean influence of our coffee culture. Glen and Brodie enrol in Barista School. Giaan takes her dog, Lester, out for a morning coffee at her local My Dog Café. New Postcards recruit Nicole Livingstone gets taught a lesson in tea making and Loz visits some of Melbourne’s famous establishments whilst discovering the new hot spots that are popping up in the ever-changing landscape that is coffee in Melbourne.
Coffee Culture
Whether it's a flat white, latte, long black, short black, espresso, double espresso, cappuccino or macchiato, Australians consume almost two billion cups of coffee each year and most of us polish off at least three or four cups a day. Historically we were a nation of tea drinkers but with the European influence of the 1950s and the current boom in café culture, Australians have over the years chosen the irresistible rich blends and aromatic flavours of coffee as their preferred brew.
Barista School
The Coffee Academy at William Angliss Institute of TAFE in Melbourne offers a range of coffee making courses. And the first step in the quest to becoming a barista is as easy as ABC. Firstly the beans need to be ground to the right particle size. The correct dose then needs to be packed into the portafilter. Next, lock it into the machine, activate the brew cycle and then just let it flow. The milk texturing is the tricky part, which is another story all together. So for advice with that technique, you will have to come and check out the course for yourself.
www.angliss.vic.edu.au
Mediterranean Wholesalers
Sydney Road in Brunswick is coffee mecca and not only can you feel, hear and smell the Mediterranean, but you also can experience it. Mediterranean Wholesalers first came to Brunswick more than 40 years ago and if you're into Italian food, this is like stepping through the gates of paradise! Primarily an Italian supermarket, Mediterranean Wholesalers has aisles laden with pastas, canned and jarred delicacies, olive oil, cheeses and cured and smoked meats.
482 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Ph 03 9380 4777
Balha's Pastry
Brothers Sam and Tarak have been supplying Melbourne with Lebanese treats for more than 20 years at Balha's Pastry in Brunswick. They are renowned for producing exquisite looking pastries and great coffee.
761-763 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Ph 03 9383 3944
Switchboard, Mirka at Tolarno Hotel and Pellegrini's
There's always a new fad in the ever-changing landscape that is coffee in Melbourne and the latest craze to hit is the Italian style hole-in-the-wall café. Tucked away out the back next to the switchboards of the Manchester Unity Building is one of those tiny holes in the wall Switchboard. Tolarno, one of acclaimed artist and restaurateur Mirka Moras first ventures recently closed its doors to undergo renovations. It has since reopened as Mirka at Tolarno Hotel, proudly named after its original founder.
Arguably Melbourne's most iconic café and bar is Pellegrini's. A Melbourne institution, this place has been serving its faithful customers great coffee and authentic Italian food for generations.
Switchboard
Shop 11/12, Manchester Unity Arcade
220 Collins Street, Melbourne
Mirka at Tolarno Hotel
42 Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda
Ph 03 9537 0200
Pellegrini's
66 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Ph 03 9662 1885
Lupicia Tea House
Located in the QV building on the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale streets in Melbourne, Lupicia Fresh Tea is a great tea drinking experience. Tea is the world's second favourite drink and the Chinese and Japanese have been enjoying its aromatic flavours for centuries. Let's not forget the health benefits of tea as well. While others are off getting wired or zapped on coffee, you can get a dose of antioxidants and relax with a cup of tea.
QV Building
Shop 14-16 Artemis Lane, Melbourne
Ph 03 9662 9988
My Dog Café
Now it wasn't that long ago that our canine friends were quite happy with a juicy bone and a fresh bowl of water. How things have changed. There is a fast growing number of four legged patrons embracing Melbourne's rich café scene and, judging by the way these canines are licking their lips and wagging their tails, My Dog Café at Station Pier is proving to be top dog around Port Melbourne.
Station Pier, Port Melbourne
Ph 03 9821 0669
