Australia Day on a Tuesday. Who woulda thunk it. To overcome the headfunk of the whole affair, MMC and friend decided to meet for coffee as if it were a workday. The differences? A luxurious 10.30am meeting, and North Adelaide instead of the scabby Sundayish CBD. The Orders: a small skinny latte and a medium cappuccino, have here. The prices: $3.30 and $3.80, respectably.
Melbourne Street almost has a vibe going on. Big guns like The Lion, Cibo and The Store are pulling posses weekdays and weekends. Further down the road, the boutiques - of clothing, cuisine and coffee - are thirsty for traffic. With some weekend buzz, Cikolatte has scattered bums on seats. We score a streetside setting between cyclists, and appropriate generous armfuls of news.
Entering Cikolatte is not exactly a dim dash into a Turkish coffee house, but the resemblance is not lost on MMC. The Shopspace: neutral is made nice with tea-lined walls, a handful of four-apiece tables, and a raised couchspace that's equal parts child-friendly and chic. Bright-lit, the spacial slip is a long shiny walk to the front-facing counter. Even with smiley service, it's a self-conscious slog.
At Melbourne Street's most recent, the Turkish coffee tradition is more than a trendy allusion. Online quoteth the famous 'black as hell, strong as death, sweet as love', and in store they serve and sell with prepared panache. As well as the grounds-settling Turkish service, we've the choice of handmade chocolates and what MMC will call the Melbourne coffee experience. Today, the Greeting: bubbly, earnest and blonde. The Service: by sitting outside we signal sleepy not snappy, and coffees come accordingly.
At Melbourne Street's most recent, the Turkish coffee tradition is more than a trendy allusion. Online quoteth the famous 'black as hell, strong as death, sweet as love', and in store they serve and sell with prepared panache. As well as the grounds-settling Turkish service, we've the choice of handmade chocolates and what MMC will call the Melbourne coffee experience. Today, the Greeting: bubbly, earnest and blonde. The Service: by sitting outside we signal sleepy not snappy, and coffees come accordingly.
MMC admits presentation ain't everything, but at Cikolatte, it sure is something. The Pour: with a rosetta here and handsome half-choc there, it's all round eye candy. Under the covers? It's a bright, breath-warming blend, perfectly tempered. We ahhh at upfront flavour, friendly and unchallenging. Friend of MMC, fan of organic offerings up the road, is a surprised convert. Our linger is languorous. The Turkish say 'A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship.' MMC says a good cup of coffee commits one to forty minutes of lazy gratitude.
The Lesson: in Turkey, all festive meals end with a cup of coffee. In the Adelaide CBD, all fetid day jobs begin thus. The antithesis of the tired takeaway, Cikolatte's few frills make coffee festive. If city cafes ever catch on to coffee culture, they can take some leaf art out of their book.
The latte word: a Turkish delight at 4 beans out of 5. Stay reading for more intended puns - Wednesday sees us say Ciao at an Adelaide Arcade icon.
Link: Turkish Coffee in Turkey
The Lesson: in Turkey, all festive meals end with a cup of coffee. In the Adelaide CBD, all fetid day jobs begin thus. The antithesis of the tired takeaway, Cikolatte's few frills make coffee festive. If city cafes ever catch on to coffee culture, they can take some leaf art out of their book.
The latte word: a Turkish delight at 4 beans out of 5. Stay reading for more intended puns - Wednesday sees us say Ciao at an Adelaide Arcade icon.Link: Turkish Coffee in Turkey
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