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Lunch @ The Cupping Room (Canberra, Australia)

February 19, 2020 in European (cafe)

My last review from my Canberra trip! So in my (short) 4 days trip to Canberra in October ’19, the cafe that I visited (numerous times) was The Cupping Room. The Cupping Room was a friend’s recommendation. And it fitted perfectly into my iterinary as it was a 10 to 12 minutes walk from my accommodation.

My friend also shared he didn’t manage to dine at the cafe during his last trip to Canberra because the queue was too long. So with that tip in mind, I decided to pop by The Cupping Room on my first day to Canberra which was a weekday (Friday). You know… Since weekday should be less busy? Hee. And I was indeed lucky. I got myself an alfresco seat.

I was equally lucky for my subsequent 2 visits (which were over the weekend) too. I was seated almost immediately despite the snaking queue. But that’s because I was dining solo. And I didn’t mind counter seat.

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4), I ordered:-

  

1) Bacon & egg roll, AUD15 (above) – Fried egg, bacon, guacamole, spicy BBQ sauce, bun.


2) Fritters, AUD22 (above) – Ham hock, corn, pecorino & potato fritters, poached eggs, szechuan mayo, pickles & leaves.


3) French toast, AUD18 (above) – Oreo crumb, berries, banana, milk icing, mascapone. This was seriously so good!

4) Latte (above) – The coffee menu at The Cupping Room was extensive with many types of beans to choose from. There were even different flavours of milk to choose from! Unfortunately for me, I ordered my first cup of coffee at The Cupping Room without studying reading the coffee menu. So yah, I still ain’t too sure what coffee bean was used for my latte. Although I think I heard the staff briefly mentioned “Black Betty”. I guess that must be the default choice of milk for customers like me who didn’t read the coffee menu. Keke.


5) Filter coffee, AUD7 (above) – So when I returned to The Cupping Room, I was smarter. I took time to read the coffee menu. Haha. And for my filter coffee, I went with ‘Colombia finca jerico’ coffee beans.

6) Raspberry & lychee shake, AUD9.90 (above)

I’m going to be really frank. I didn’t do much research on the cafe scene in Canberra. And the fact that I only visited only 1 cafe, I am definitely not in the position to say if The Cupping Room is the number 1 cafe in Canberra although a few friends had since told me The Cupping Room is.

However, I certainly enjoyed the food and drinks at The Cupping Room. That french toast! But if one is planning to come by on the weekends, be prepared to wait. The queue could get really long. And with a busy cafe, don’t expect much from the service. Not that it was bad, but there was nothing exceptional which was also understandable since they were really busy.

THE CUPPING ROOM
1/1-13 University Ave, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Website
Overall: 6.5
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Fri : 07:00 – 16:00
Ambience: 6
Sat – Sun : 08:00 – 15:00
Value: 7
Service: 6

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Breakfast @ Bourke Street Bakery (Sydney, Australia)

July 6, 2017 in European (cafe)

My colleague, who has been to Sydney a few times, raved about the pies in Australia. “You must try the pies,” she said. Unfortunately, the good ones she had were beef. I can’t eat beef due to religious reason. Thus, the hunt for good (non-beef) pie began.

While researching on-the-go, we got to learn about Bourke Street Bakery. With a few outlets in Sydney, my colleague and I decided on Surry Hill’s because it was within walking distance from our AirBNB apartment. Just perfect for us to drop by for breakfast before we went on with our travel itinerary. And because we had a long day planned ahead of us, my colleague and I reached the cafe at 8.35am. We initially planned to reach at 8am. Gasp.

However, the staff informed the pies were only ready at 9am. Since it was another 25 minutes, my colleague and I decided to wait it out. In fact, after our first visit and a more detailed research on Bourke Street Bakery, I went back again for breakfast on the last day of my trip to try the other items which they were famous for. Keke.

And from the menu and display shelf, we ordered:-

1) Ginger brulee tart, AUD5.50 (above) – So good! It’s interesting how they infused the ginger into the caramelised layer.

2) Lemon curd tart, AUD5.50 (above) – My favourite of the tarts! Be careful when one bite into the thick but crispy buttery crust as the curd within was flowy. I loved how tangy it was too. Just perfect.

3) Passionfruit curd Italian meringue tart, AUD5.50 (above) – And if I didn’t taste wrongly, there was coconut in the meringue. Pretty good!


  

4) Chocolate almond croissant, AUD5 (above)


5) Chicken, sweet potato, pea & lime pickle pie, $6 (above)


6) Pork & fennel sausage roll, AUD5.50 (above) – We made the mistake of not ordering the tomato sauce (AUD0.20) to go with it. I wouldn’t say the fillings within was dry. Rather, it lacked that bouncy texture because the filling was minced. And because it was a little bland, the tomato sauce would have brought out the taste better. As though I’m using their tomato sauce as seasoning instead of salt. Ha.


7) Carrot & walnut cake, AUD5 (above) – This was a such delight! It’s no wonder why this was a favourite among customers too.


8) Bacon & egg frittata sandwich, $6.50 (above) – Frittata, bacon, caramelised onion and homemade BBQ sauce.

9) Latte, $4.50 (regular) (above)

I definitely recommend Bourke Street Bakery! Must tries include the carrot & walnut cake and the tarts. Having tried 3 of their 4 tarts, I probably should have ordered the chocolate ganache tart too then. Keke. I didn’t expect all the 3 tarts to be so good. And I liked that the curd used for the 3 tarts won’t the same.

And if it wasn’t because I was on a short trip to Sydney, I probably would have returned for the other yummy goodies which include the lemon-vanilla ricotta cake, flourless Belgian chocolate cake, croissant, wholemeal sourdough bread… Oh wait, I can go on and on and on. Keke.

BOURKE STREET BAKERY
633 Bourke Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia
+61 2 9699 1011, Website, Facebook
Overall: 6.5
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Fri : 07:00 – 18:00
Ambience: 6
Sat – Sun : 07:00 – 17:00
Value: 7
Service: 6

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Brunch @ Wheeler’s Yard

July 7, 2014 in European (cafe)

Wheeler’s Yard definitely sets itself apart from other cafes by being located within an industrial park and is a bicycle cafe. Oh yes, one can buy cycling products and bicycles here. I took a peak at the price tag of the bikes and they are not cheap with price ranging from $1000 to $3000! Although I also have to add that the bicycles are really nice.

Heading down to Wheeler’s Yard can be a little tricky by car or public transport. It’s not really in the North although the nearest MRT station is Toa Poyah. In fact, I got ‘scolded’ by my friend when I told him to drive to Yishun first while looking up the exact location cause Wheeler’s Yard is really located in Balestier. Haha. And yes, parking can be an issue because parking lots are very limited. Very. One most likely have to park along the service road.

Upon entering the premise, we had to make our way to the right as the blue door is non-accessible. (Saw a couple trying to force open the blue shutter, which of course did not barge no matter how hard they tried)


And once we entered, the alfresco seating area was on our right with the indoors seats on the left. We chose to sit indoors for our mains before moving out (to the alfresco area) for desserts and coffee. And I felt it’s an ingenious idea to use bicycles as divider on the long and wide communal tables!

And from the menu, we ordered:-

1) Smoked salmon salad, $14.90 (above) – Mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, smoked salmon slices served with Wheeler’s Yard house dressing. Although most of the ingredients were probably bought off-the-shelf and thrown together, they were very generous with the salmon slices.

2) Spaghetti prawn aglio olio, $20.90 (above) – Succulent sea tiger prawn, garlic, chilli flakes, cherry tomatoes & parsley. My friend really liked this, although the dish was normal for me.

3) Fish & chips, $18.90 (above) – Battered haddock fish fillet served with fries and homemade tartar sauce. I did not really like this dish. The batter was uneven and did not wrap around the fish meat tightly. You know like how there’s (big) air space between the batter and meat? And the meat breaks apart easily when I tried to pick it up with my fork.

4) Apple crumble, $6 (above) – Unfortunately, this was bad too. The crust was too thick and the apple pieces used were small and soft.

5) Hot chocolate, $6 (above, left)

6) Latte, $5 (above, right)

Everything is self serviced. Once orders were placed, we were given the small gadget which beeps when orders are ready to be collected. However, our dishes are not consolidated to allow us to collect everything one time and for all. We had to make many trips. So yes, for 3 mains and 2 cups of drinks, we made 4 trips to the self-collection point. I imagine it can be quite a hassle especially if one is sitting outside, at the alfresco area.

Wheeler’s Yard is definitely a nice place to chill at. I liked the vibe. It’s especially nice to be sitting at the alfresco area with a cup of latte when the weather is cool.

With its large seating capacity, finding an empty table should not be a problem. Bicycle lovers can also easily access Wheeler’s Yard via the park connector.

WHEELER’S YARD
28 Lorong Ampas, Singapore
6254 9128, Facebook
Overall: 6
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 6
Tues – Thur : 10:30 – 22:00
Ambience: 6
Fri – Sat : 10:30 – 23:00
Value: 6
Sun : 10:30 – 22:00
Service: 6
* Closed on Mon
  

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