033, holborn grind, 211115

I had a bit of me-time today whilst waiting for someone at Holborn and remembered this little cafe round the corner from Holborn tube station. Considering today was one of the coldest days I've ever felt in my life (no exaggeration), I thought I would treat myself to something warm.

I was surprised to find myself with only a few others in this cafe on an otherwise busy street. Nonetheless I was greeted by a cheerful kiwi and ordered my long black. With only so much seating, I opted for a high top looking out onto the streets watching people covered from head to toe walk by and witnessing a skateboarder stack it (ouch) while trying out a move.

Love is the drug.

There's a small selection of pastries and baked goods on offer as well as salads and sandwiches (on a quiet Saturday, I can't imagine them cooking up a storm), enough to fill you up and keep you satisfied. Whilst quiet, the cafe was full of activity from the whirs of the coffee machine to general chit-chat amongst customers. I felt like I could just sit here all day and people-watch but there were things to do and people to see.

My coffee was strong enough but lacked crema and was slightly sour on my first sip. The milk took a bit of the edge off but otherwise I didn't mind it considering I was just trying to get the chill out of my bones (no, seriously, it was really cold).

I would come back if I was in the area and needed a little pick-me-up if I hadn't seen anything else along the way.

Mood: Cold (it's not a mood but that's about all I can think about right now...)
Candy Crush Soda level: 497

Living in London

So I may have started slacking already, my bad. Please bear with me as I try to find the right words to summarise the past 3 months...

• There's a lot to do and a lot to explore: Museums (for a rainy day), day-trips and parks (for sunny days) and markets (everyday!)
• We've already become a local. Big Ben? Pshh. Trafalgar Square? Been there. Tower Bridge? Done that. Red telephone booth and red double decker bus? Next!

Yawn!

• But I miss the sun and blue skies. At first I thought we brought Sydney over with us (the photo above was taken on our first day!), but I don't think we've had many other days like that in while. Boo.
• Things are expensive! The £ no longer freaks me out, but does (mostly) everything need to be so expensive?? Our first week was all "Oh that's not too bad! Hold on, multiply that by two... Ok, nevermind."
• Finding an apartment was a full-time job in itself. We arrived just as uni was starting so not only were we competing with other working professionals; we were also being bullied by them rich uni students. It took us approximately 4 weeks before finding a place that ticked the majority of our criteria and even then we weren't sure whether we were going to get it.
• Places like this exist:

  

  Yes, that is a slide. Yes, it says £3,500 per week. Yes, it is awesome!!!
  Can I just rent it until the novelty wears off?

• Coffee is everywhere but good coffee is hard to find. Ok, maybe I exaggerate cos the one down the road isn't that bad. Having said that, our tea cupboard at home is starting to grow.
• Funemployment isn't so much fun anymore :( More on that later...
• The markets are amazing. You've got your regular supermarkets but with a market open everyday right outside your door, you can't really go back.

Variety, freshness and colour!

• You get to disconnect on the tube. For those that like to catch up with friends or read the news online on their way to work, bahahaha jokes on you - there's no reception. I can't even tell people I'm running late cos they'll just receive it when I get there. Late for a date? Oh well, blame it on the toob! (Positives: I've memorised the entire Central line.)

I'm really enjoying my time here. We've made new friends and caught up with old, seen some amazing architecture (hello, Cambridge!), discovered so much from museums (yay free entry) and walking tours (yay also free), and learnt much more about myself than I would have otherwise. It's also great to be doing all of this with my partner in crime.

You beaut: Cambridge 2015 - King's College.

Next post will be sooner rather than later (I hope!), over and out.

intermission

Hey there,

How's it going?

I won't be the first nor last to tell you that having a blog is an easy task. Which is why it has been a total of 3 years for my intermission without actually thinking I would get back into it. So why return?

Just as I thought I was getting into the swing of things here in Sydney; great office job, spending Saturdays being a barista and enjoying all the coffees Sydney had to offer. In a few months' time I will packing up and moving to London with the bf.

There, I said it. It's the internet, it's practically set in stone.

Without trying to sound dramatic, I figured this is a pretty big, scary, risky and bold move considering the luxuries I've grown accustomed to here in Sydney. But I'm a big believer in taking opportunities when they arise, because they might not come around as often as you'd like. Sometimes you just have to see where things take you no matter how nervous and unstable you feel because the more confident that you are, the less willing you are to step out of that comfort zone.

Which is how we come full circle back to why I've also decided to start posting again. I don't want to remember these moments eating, drinking and travelling as distant memories - I want to write them down and relive them through my words and photographs. I may not be a novelist or professional photographer but I'll do my best and hope that you'll join us on our exciting exploration into this new chapter. :)

Onwards we go!

*032, circa espresso, 030312

***A special edition for a special friend.***

company: You

conversation: Everything, pretty much.

We could hear the coffee machine before reaching the cafe raising my interest. What I saw was a bustling cafe, filled with people inside and out despite the rain, and overall a place I didn't mind spending a Saturday morning for breakfast.

Circa Espresso is not your ordinary cafe. In fact, it is built between two buildings in a narrow laneway with simple yet rustic decor to add to it's charm. Lum originally worked close by on one of his rotations and frequented this cafe for his morning coffee and thought I'd like to see the place too. And I did. Some of the walls were covered in graffiti whilst others had bicycles and flowers peeking out of window frames. I certainly enjoyed scanning the area and finding minute details others might not have noticed.

Seating is intimate with smaller than usual tables (one wrong move and I probably would have knocked over a glass or two), but could fit approximately 30-35 people. I guess you could say it felt a little like Melbourne with it's brown tones and mellow music; bringing me back to my previous trip where I walked through a street filled with numerous choices of cafes and restaurants, it was daunting to choose just one.

It was hard to imagine this little boutique cafe catering to the corporate world working nearby in the offices, but one distinguishing feature that I hadn't heard of before was the innovative queuing system: Beat the Q. Lum told me that there was usually a line of people getting take away coffees during the weekday mornings. I was about to find out why.


The menu was predominantly breakfast foods with handwritten daily specials at the entrance priced at approximately $14. Coffees ranged between $3.5, their specialty coffee (unsure as to why I didn't write down what kind of specialty coffee this would be) to $6, your good ol' cold drip coffee showcased at the entrance doing what it does best. My eyes kept wandering around as there was so much to take in. Worried that the dimness of the cafe would affect my pictures, I tried to take as many whilst the sun shyly peeked out from the rain clouds before hiding away.

I had a flat white, $3.5 and a, potato and dillcakes with scrambled egg and salmon gravalax, $14. Lum had a flat white, $3.5 and a, portobello mushroom, stuffed with ricotta, parmesean, walnut, basil, with sourdough and rocket, $10.

Whilst waiting for our coffee and food, I observed the barista in his own environment. It is obvious he enjoys what he does; he was careful and focused with each shot he pulled whilst managing to stay on top of the influx of orders coming left and right. Having recently landing a new job as a barista (oh what, I didn't tell you?), I can understand the pressure and stress that stems from people staring at you as they wait anxiously for their take away coffee fix, all the while trying to push out respectable coffees for those that decided to dine in (not that the take away coffees were not respectable, but you know what I mean).

The flat whites came in a timely manner at a good temperature that wasn't scalding but still hot. I unfortunately still try to wait for my food before finishing my coffee that ended up cold and bitter by the time I got to it after I had eaten. I am sorry to say that the pictures of our food weren't good enough (or clear enough) to be shown, so you will just have to believe me when I say that I was very full and satisfied after my meal.

Circa Espresso, is a little kitsch in all the right ways. Friendly staff, a comfortable atmosphere, and good coffee and food goes a long way when it is dreary and cold outside. Otherwise, sit outside when the sun comes out and you don't have much to do. Although a little out of my way, I would return if not just for the look and feel of the place. I still can't get over how inventive it was to build a cafe between two buildings, think of all of the spaces we can utilise if everyone else thought the same way too.

Oh, just a reminder that they are cash only, so you don't want to be left as collateral like I was. :)

address: 21 Wentworth Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150

phone: 0410 757 757 or 0414 477 812 / website: Circa Espresso

These pictures were taken with a Konica C35 Automatic on 35mm Fujifilm film.

*#031, park bench, 240212

***A special edition for a special friend.***

company: JL

conversation: Cameras, iPhone, Hong Kong

We sat on a park bench, at Park Bench.

Having walked by Park Bench quite a few times as it was on the busiest street of the city, I was intrigued to see exactly what it was all about. It was the coffee machine at the front of the store that caught my attention. Finally, on a sunny Friday afternoon, I had my coffee adventure.

Probably not just a coffee shop, the store boasted a whole counter of gelato ice-cream, various flavours like taro, black sesame all the way to strawberry balsamic, honey nougat as well as your usual vanilla, chocolate and cookies&cream. Taking over from its previous gelato store: Passionflower, Park Bench seemed a little less normal... And who wants normal?

My eyes first landed on the wall of potted plants, then trailed all the way up to the ceiling covered in astro turf where an upside-down miniature park bench and table welcomed you.

Certainly something different from what one would usually expect from the city: it was loud and cheeky (tip jar = feeling tipsy?) without being too obnoxious.

Utilising the space well, its chairs were made from milk crates with a pillow attached and we found a park bench in the corner, it was spacious whilst being able to seat approximately 2o. Recently I headed back there and found that in the store front they added a few more tables and chairs, with a picket fence surrounding them. Cute.

Not ridiculously expensive (considering we were in the city), a scoop of gelato was $4.90, coffees were $3.50 and several desserts ranged between $10 to $13. After returning for a visit, they've extended their menu to include sandwiches ($8) and other savoury dishes.

We both had an affogato, $6.50.

Considering this was a kind of special edition coffee adventure, I figured I would let myself have a different kind of coffee. An affogato is basically a shot of espresso either poured over some vanilla ice-cream (or whatever flavour you prefer) or served separately sometimes even with a shot of liqueur. It's kind of like a dessert and coffee together rather than ordering two separate dishes.

After trying this affogato, I've been trying affogatos all over the place. The coffee was from a company named two black sheep, it had a nice crema on top and the espresso was incredibly aromatic matching perfectly with the vanilla bean gelato we had to accompany it. Apparently the two black sheep coffee shop was just downstairs to the store, definitely checking that out soon!

While we were there, a group of businessmen came in to discuss something (wasn't really listening) sitting on the milk crates and drinking milkshakes; it was an interesting sight especially because they were in suits and carrying documents and stuff. Which just goes to show how casual this place seemed.

Park Bench, was perfect for the sunny day we were having. Cold gelato with espresso, mmm. It definitely felt like Sydney with a hint of Melbourne in the way it was so different from other places we'd been. People kept coming and going and each time I've walked by there, there are always people sitting around. The staff are friendly, never too busy to bring over a bottle of water and cups for you while you're sitting there, it's a small but nice gesture.

It seems as if I've been there many more times already, and I guess I have! I keep taking different people there and I'll tell you what, if you have a group of more than 2, go for the tasting platter: it's $13 and you get 5 scoops of gelato of your own choosing.

I hope Park Bench stays for a lot longer, if anything just for that affogato.

address: 580 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

phone: 0449 563 359

These pictures were taken with a Konica C35 Automatic on 35mm Fujifilm film.

#030, bondi cafe, 170112

company: Sh

conversation: The future, work, Australia

It was the name that caught my attention. After eating dinner nearby, I saw the poster for Bondi Cafe on my way back home, took a photo and made a mental note to check it out the next day with Sh. We kind of, maybe, sort of, got lost before finding the cafe on the second floor of a dingy industrial building thinking we had got the address wrong. I guess I wasn't really expecting a restaurant outlet somewhere like that.

Two large and heavy doors welcomed us with a strong aroma of coffee inviting us in. We had come at about 1.45pm, just as the lunch crowd were dissipating although there were quite a few tables free for us to choose from. Seating was vast (I counted 50 seats - impressive) and spread out to allow for a relaxing and comfortable place to wine and dine.

The decor was quite minimalist (I like!) with a few pictures of iconic Sydney destinations lining one wall and a shelf showcasing wine specially imported from Australia. Before entering, I noticed two cakes of ground coffee (not edible cakes, silly) on the floor beside the door which I thought was an interesting and unique touch. You can see it on the bottom right-hand corner of the first picture!

Sh and I had a cappuccino, $30, and shared a tiramisu, $30.

Feeling a little bit like I was back in Sydney, I noticed the range of types of coffee available from piccolos to flat whites and the presence of another Australian accent from Bondi's owner, Kenneth (hi!). He took the time to answer my questions regarding the type of coffee beans used (Single Origin) and gave us a good ol' Australian outlook on the type of businessman and barista he is.

Boasting lamb cutlets, grilled prawns, salmon and NZ ribeye on their lunch menu, the prices fared a bit high for me (ranging between $88 to $158) but with the amount of people there during lunch time, it seemed to be a success. The plates looked rather generous and were presented nicely as were the coffees.

Our cappuccinos arrived in cute coloured cups at a good temperature, creamy froth but seemed more like a latte (there was a bit too little froth on the surface). The flavour was bold and quite strong which I found surprising having had quite a few disappointing coffees in my time here. Sh marvelled at the "golden coffee sugar" sachets that were available that I had never seen before: they are coffee flavoured and are larger sugar crystals than brown sugar!

The tiramisu, on the other hand, left a bit more to be desired. Maybe we weren't that hungry but it was a bit soggy and underwhelming.

In a culture where service standard takes a backseat to profits and efficiency, it was refreshing to chat with Kenneth about his views on HKers and their take on food and coffee. It was interesting to find out that he also studied at UNSW and had once owned a coffee shop at Mascot.

Bondi Cafe, was a little bit of home away from home and made me realise how much I miss making coffee. Kenneth's easygoing, Australian attitude towards life (think: "Evs, man") and the industry was insightful and was reflected through the atmosphere of the cafe.

Having learnt that he had only opened in the last week (which explains the lack of reviews on OpenRice), with the use of pamphlets and posters here and there, business was surprisingly successful and going strong. I'm pretty sure those working in offices around will turn into loyal customers if not for the food then definitely for the coffee.

Just so you know, the above photo of Bondi beach displayed on one of the walls was actually taken by Kenneth himself! (There's my reference.) Despite Bondi Cafe being out of the way for some, I would recommend this cafe/restaurant if one was in the area, I hope to be back soon too!

address: Room 203, 2/F Elite Industrial Centre, 883 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok

phone: 3996 7806

sometimes i forget the little things

I realised the other day that I missed making coffee. I worry that when I return I would have lost my ability to steam milk, to make latte art, to serve something that I would be proud of despite a rush of coffees at the hotel. I just want to make myself my double shot, flat white with chocolate powder on top.

Trying new coffee shops in Hong Kong is great; I'm catching up with old friends, meeting new people, and generally enjoying the coffee that is being produced over here. But it might be due to recent events, a change of plans, that I find myself also missing Sydney. It's a Catch-22, I miss Hong Kong when I'm in Sydney but I miss Sydney when in Hong Kong. It's like I'll never be satisfied wherever I am. They're both home to me, with people I care about and miss all the same, there's no way I could choose one over the other.

And you're asking me to choose.