Workshop Espresso, Sydney CBD

Maybe its my optimistic nature that helps me believe that a great coffee and a hit of carbs can turn the most awful of days around. Okay, I do skate the thin border between caffiene afficionado and full blown coffee bean fiend..but there is no doubt that sitting down and enjoying a good brew can bring even the most dazed and confused zombies back to normal.

Workshop Espresso is the at the halfway point between my office and Demos' building. Sure is convenient! Located within the Galleries Victoria complex on George Street, right across QVB is this small hole in the wall with a super strong following. In the short time I've been working in the city, there has never been a time where I have been the only one waiting for a coffee alone and without a line.

You could easily walk past this unnasuming nook in the heart of town without noticing is, that is, if it wasn't for the faithful following queued up for a caffeine fix. Before work, at Lunch or to help combat the standard 3:30 pm mush - Workshop Espresso saves CBD zombies one espresso at a time.

Turkey and Crispy Pancetta toasted roll, $9.50 Picollo Latte, $3.50

Now I did briefly mention earlier that carbs, just like caffeine can turn a day around. This Turkey Roll is perfectly built with Sonoma bread which is stocked on hand. This roll can satisfy the biggest of lunchtime carb cravings with the salty crunch of the pancetta and lean turkey slices. But if your feeling a little precious at the start of the day, I'd say that this would cure a mean hangover too.

I know we Empty Fridgers need to change it up a bit with out coffee selection but I have no doubt in my mind that I will always be a picollo drinker. Full Fat/Leaded milk because I CBF asking for skim! After numerous visits, I realise that I am so at one with the Workshop Espresso following. The flavour is rich and bold hitting you with gusto and leaving a faint flavour to linger, putting an end to those caffiene cravings.

I do enjoy escaping to this little cafe when there is an opportunity to get out of the office. Light fills up the long and narrow space and reflects all throughout the warehouse inspired interior, reflected in the corrugated steel walls. This actually gives the cafe a sense of warmth, especially as you perch up on the bar stools and watch city life buzz by.

Luxe Bakery, Newtown

I love coffee. I love breakfast. I love Luxe Bakery. / End Post

Okay fine, I know I need to elaborate a bit more but to be perfectly honest - I'm just about ready to run back to Luxe Bakery at Newtown as I write this post. Why you ask? I'm an absolute sucker for the smell of warm and freshly baked treats and a bang on cup of coffee.

Ham & Cheese Croissant $6

Come on, who can say no to a deliciously crunch toasted ham and cheese croissant? Not that I come to Luxe just to have this to start my day. And you know.. years of seriously researched studies show that the best start to any day is with a toasted ham&cheese croissants but coffee here is the main drawcard!

Picollo's ($3.50) are predictably ordered by us (I followed it up with a takeaway strong small latte too..) The Single Origin Roasters beans are roasted to absolute perfection, giving a creamy but strong dark lingering flavour that has you loved up with coffee all morning.

Luxe Bakery is a one stop shop. You can get your superb coffee fix, A sweet or savoury breakfast treat or a sandwich for lunch - and you can take some of their freshly baked bread loaves home too. Convinient!

Yes, nothing like sweet sweet carbs to start your day. Demos and I share a Blueberry Danish and an Almond Tart ($4.50 each) on top of the Toasted Croissant. The sweet pastry flakes away and are so light and sweet - a perfect companion to the strong flavoured coffees we ordered. Am I the only one getting excited about food and coffee pairings here?

Brother Baba Budan, Melbourne

Coffee. We all know it and we all love it. With so many different types and combinations everyone has a favourite. Everyone loves coffee just ask them. If they don't... shoot them, they are clearly zombies and have lost all cognitive ability.  Drinking coffee is one of the more pleasant life experiences one can partake in as we  did at Brother Baba Budan in the beautiful city of Melbourne, synonymous with all things good. Especially coffee. 

There is nothing better than having the time to sit back and enjoy a cup of freshly made hot coffee, maybe even a bit of a sweet pastry. I'm a firm believer that coffee time should never be rushed. With nothing but time on our hands whilst on holiday mode and meandering through  Melbourne town we thought that a visit to Brother Baba Budan was warranted to get off to a good start to the day. Having been told that it was the place to have the best coffee in Melbourne we thought that it would be a crime not to visit. Didn't really need to twist my arm really but it had a cool name. 

Located in what can be described as adventure wear alley (because of the large amount of mountain climbing/trekking clothing stores around), Brother Baba Budan is quietly tucked away next to a lane way with walls covered in awesome graffiti. Blink and you will miss it. A small and cosy space with jars of cookies on display and where chairs adorn the ceiling. Pretty cool is what I say. Being a work day we were able to get a space and order our coffee staple, the piccolo latte. I owe this coffee selection to a close friend of mine who introduced me to it back in the days of university and have been drinking it since. Small enough to be served nice and hot and with enough milk to still deliver that caffeine punch. One of the favourites to drink when wanting to take in the surroundings. No cappuccinos here at the Empty Fridge, take your chocolate milk elsewhere. 

Brother Baba Budan is the sister cafe to Seven Seeds and is the name of the monk who smuggled the said 'Seven Seeds' to bring coffee to the world. Luckily he did because i'm sure the majority of the world would barely be able to function without. The coffee we had admittedly was very very good, one of my all time favourites. I don't profess to be a coffee snob but it was hard to find any fault. Not overly bitter, strong and flavoursome and made by a barista that clearly knows how to make coffee. With the team behind Seven Seeds running a cafe, roasting, research and tasting centre it's no surprise that the coffee at Brother Baba Budan is so good. 

Taste Baguette, Westfield Sydney CBD

The young professionals powerlunch.

Thats how you'd describe the couple next to us..tapping away on their blackberry's, syncing their calendars and skulling their short blacks in all black corporate wear. Totally not us...

Its been a whirlwind couple of weeks and Im sure I have mentioned this in a previous post - I have recently started working right in the heart of Sydney CBD. Yes, I know what you are all thinking..so much food to conquer - every lunch break, every day. Its a very different lunch scene from my Paddington days (where I really frequented that one place) for sure! So friends of the fridgers, expect more CBD express lunch posts on this blog - might make it an ongoing series as im sure we all want to to spend our lunch-money and time wisely!

The second best thing about my move into the CBD is that I can have a cheeky lunch date with Demos since we are both in the vicinity! Im still getting used to being able to catch up with my lovely other half in the middle of my workday but i'm sure the novelty will wear off! So what is the first best thing then? Well the award goes to Taste Baguette of course! While the power couple next to use was busy solving America's debt issues, we were content in falling into a baguette coma.

This particular branch of Taste Baguette is Located in Level 2 of the new Westfield Sydney, close to the basement entrance to the David Jones food hall. This cafe tends to be overlooked in favour of the gazillion options on the Level 5 food playground, and although it still is busy during the lunch hour you can still score a seat or wait a short while to take away a freshly baked baguette from their tempting counter. They serve a mean cup of Campo's coffee here but out eye was on the prize this time - we are here for the legendary baguettes!

Roast Pork Belly and Brie Baguette..and yes that is crackling peeking through that distracting lettuce.

How could you not say no to this bad boy? The pork on this roll is perfectly cooked with the kind of crackling that has you craving for more. I am a fien for this crispy crackling..salty and crunchy, rubbed with fennel seeds which is a perfect contrast to the creamy brie cheese. Each baguette is made fresh on the premises and oui oui they are good - the bread is baked every 15 minutes too!

As much as Demos wanted a pork belly baguette of his own, rules of food blogging dictate that we cannot order the same thing, duh! He has the 'baguette du jour' (fancy way of saying sandwich roll of the day) Today it was a wagyu roast beef, slice of Jarlsberg cheese, tomato and more of that distracting green stuff called lettuce.

Both baguettes were $9.50 and from what I am starting to gather, its quite a challenge to get a meal under $10 for lunch anywhere in the CBD. This seems that this is the going rate for CBD sandwiches - but i'd rather this than having a subway footlong or another hastily prepared roll elsewhere. Taste Baguette has quality fillings and damn that freshly baked bread is good!! They did ask us if we wanted a white or wholemeal baguette - but I figured since we were going all out with the pork crackling and brie, would I really worry about complex carbohydrates?

As our meal came to an end we were curious to see what the young professionals decided to order. There is a bigger selection of baguetter available and some sweet pastries and a pretty colourful selection of Macarons.

Unfortunately for them, the young professional power couple left after their small blacks..moral of the story? Don't be like them on your lunchbreak. Sit down, put the blackberry away and enjoy an awesome lunch with someone who will gladly order some crackling, creamy cheese and carbs! 

Taste Baguette, you definitely live up to your name!

Taste Baguette - http://www.tastebaguette.com (check out their other locations)



Also in Westfield Sydney:
Charlie and Co -CLICK for full post
Cloudy Bay Fish Co & Via del Corso - CLICK for full post

Robo Cog Cafe, Surry Hills

Robots, Bikes and Brunchtime Burrito's - Oh My! These are a certain Empty Fridger's favourite things, in the one convenient location - Robo Cog in Surry Hills. The other Empty Fridger happily waddles along with the promise of Burrito's. Can you guess who that one that was? But that's it; shut the gates, the promise of toys and good food was enough to make any either of us happy so we decided that a visit was much needed to this super cool cafe on one of our weekend dates.

Chill Frappe - Mint, Rockmelon and Pear

Piccolo latte

Robo Cog is not your run of the mill cafe - for starters it is an unassuming white converted cottage. Hungry patrons spilling onto the sidewalk was the only indication we had found the cafe. We talk about toys we had as kids over a first and second piccolo latte. The coffee here is fantastic, with the Green Bean Coffee roasted on site. Inside there are pieces of cool art and robot motifs that adorn the walls. Littered about on shelves and invading almost all the spaces, the variety is amazing. They are just the coolest thing ever, and this made someone feel particularly regretful for neglecting Megazord all those years ago. 

The robot theme runs supreme and does the name of the cafe justice. The other part though involves that of the bicycle. The cog component of the cafe is in reference to the owners love of all things bicycle. On our visit the brick wall bicycle display was that of a yellow Cinelli fixie. A certain Empty Fridger is quite the bike enthusiast and tends to wax lyrical about frames, wheels and italian bike brands that sound like pastry names ("What are you eating?" "Oh this..it's a custard filled Cinelli..you should try the chocolate Pinarello"). Whist thinking about bike pastries, a certain opportunist also manages to swindle a fruit frappe whilst the other remained distracted by the colourful objects.

RoboCORN BACON BACON Brekkie