Sylvia's Cafe, Hindmarsh Square. Dangerously close to the Citi Centre (McDonalds) arcade, it's a homey, hot-dogging hideaway. There are plastic tablecloths. There are plastic-looking donuts in a display case. There is a ridiculous amount of Lavazza signage, and somehow, Lavazza's apparent faith gives MMC faith. The Order: one small skinny latte, have here, and one medium latte, takeaway. The Prices: a rounded $3.00 for small, $3.50 for medium, and you guessed it, large'd be $4.00.
The poster-cafe for all things old-school, trad hospitality and a wi-fi hotspot are a deliciously incongruous combination. Thanks to easy-peasy Internode, baby boomer cafe owners are putting wi-fi in the e-trolley right after facebook profiles.
Wi-fi, thankfully, chafes less with their gen-Y offspring. After the order, MMC settles into a clanky al fresco chair for some opportunistic podcasting.
Wi-fi, thankfully, chafes less with their gen-Y offspring. After the order, MMC settles into a clanky al fresco chair for some opportunistic podcasting.
Pop quiz. Apart from hearty restaurants with blue-and-white-decor, what is the Greek nation internationally renowned for? Correct, Athens, Greece was the birthplace of the Olympics. For bonus points, Athens was also the birthplace of the 'tragedy'. The Greeks developed the suffering-based art form that has paradoxically, perversely entertained for 2500 years. A true Greek tragedy is simple. The protagonist will suffer a rapid and detrimental change of fortune. The suffering will largely be caused by his/her own flaw or error of judgment. Readers or viewers will be moved to fear and pity, and then skip away having experienced catharsis, or emotional cleansing.
How did tragedy touch the MMC story this week? The curtain opens on the placing of an order with shy young barista of distant Mediterranean descent. In Act l, we see a snap-happy MMC gloating over an attractive latte. 'The Pour', MMC soliloquizes, 'it's a leaf!' So many Lavazza photo competitions to enter, and ecstatic texts to send. Mid Act II, MMC dips into the coffee with a tentative spoon. The sips are slow, and repetitive. The tastebuds will not respond. What foul play is this? A tastebud trismus? It's a flavour-free freak!
Audience, where did did MMC go wrong? In the quest for coffee art grail, have we lost sight of what coffee truly art? The very night before, we'd uncovered the 'golden rule' of extraction. When Friend of MMC lines up for takeaway, out comes the stopwatch. There should be 30 seconds between the barista's button press and your fully extracted espresso shot. Alas, there's thirty seconds there, but thirty seconds between the button push and the complete delivery of a poured latte. Friend of MMC is furious - so cost-effective, so shot-defective. This is supposed to be Lavazza - love-AHTS-ah - Italian, full-bodied. Instead, we're unwrapping an empty present. No flavour, no crema. Weak is the word.
The Lesson: Lavazza umbrellas do not good coffee make. You cannot build a city on leaf art alone. By all reports, this is no fluke - the milky bar kid regularly pours with a sure hand. Kid's got talent, but no training. How tragic.
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