Day 30: Baretto Corte Caffe, 302A King William St

On our last manic Monday, all the cool kids have cashed their AL for an Australia Day weekender. To ease the pain, a leisurely have-here is planned for Vic Square. It's MMC's second attempt to visit Dragonfly's neighbour Brunch on the Square. Will there be brunch on the square today? Not so much. We make the disgruntled diagonal to Baretto Corte Caffe on King William. The Orders: to have here, a small skim flat white, and to take away, medium skim and medium soy lattes. The Prices: $3.20, $4.50, $5.30. (!)

In its former unglory as the Court Cafe, BCC was known for purveying Adelaide's worst cafe coffee. Now Italian both in name and reputation, rumour has it that the spouse of an Adelaide legal eagle took over in 2009. Cashing in on ridiculous proximity to the SA Courts, it is reasonably foreseeable that barista meets barrister on a regular and profitable basis.
The Shopspace: entrance is into a narrow counterfront clearway, and bingo! MMC almost collides with a dreamy suit clutching takeaway. Mmm, coffee...

After order-placing with a ribbon-haired waitress slash law student (?), we have a hung jury on BCC. The Greeting: icy and frosted, with a suffocating lack of small talk. Our lactose intolerant guest drinker declares she was so mean it was attractive. But after more bigtime blank stares from barista boy, friend of MMC is in an early a.m. über-huff. We impose only long enough to place orders at the awkward end of a handsome wooden counter, and settle outside for the bitching.

It's a truth previously acknowledged that bad service = nosy bloggers. The only dirt on BCC is direct from the Environment, Resources and Development (ERD) Court. In early '09, the city council gave a thumbs down to their proposal to encase the al fresco in PVC blinds, a la La Trat. Later that year, the ERD court found on appeal that 'the alteration would not be consistent with what remains of the original street façade when the building is viewed in its totality'. Ouch. Maybe that explains the service - the sun was in Miss Muffet's eyes?

If gripe one was service, gripe two was pricing. MMC is happy enough with a small at $3.20. Friend of MMC is reeling after forking $4.50 for medium - at $1.30, the upsize is well above the standard 50c/$1.00 increase. Number three has made the mistake of ordering soy, and we've cracked $5. Even a lactose large goes for $5.20 - a massive price attack. We debate the ethics of charging more due to clientele, charging more for soy... The latter is perhaps fair - MMC has heard that soy has a nasty habit of curdling. Blech. But really, the best form of coffee for the lactose unlucky? Black, baby.

The Lesson: on the facts, BCC is still suffering from a lawyer-hangout hangover. It's un-Italian trendy for soft organic coffee, and hearty Italian for panini, ragu &c. Inside, it's warm, wooded and well-lit, but outside we perch uncomfortably on the original produce of Cane Corner. Perhaps chasing liquid-loving lawyers is plenty lucrative, but to broaden base camp, BCC will not be fully dressed without a smile.

The latte word: 3.5 beans out of 5. This is considerably classy coffee, if you like it organic. Smooth and well foamed milk, with a near-floral pour. It's a delicate flavour palate, but we walk away with a sour aftertaste souvenir. Classy brown takeaway cups, but not so much of that deliciously brown coffee breath. Keep reading for an Australia Day epic - we venture slightly outside of the CBD for My Morning Coffee.

Link: Vorrasi v Adelaide City Council