*#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.

#028, vella nero coffee couture, 080711

company: JL & MW

conversation: Free stuff, trains and dinner

**Thanks to JL for these pictures, of course I would forget my battery but bring my camera!**

Vella Nero was praised several times in reviews that I had read that I thought it would be a good place to visit. One street away from QVB, I was surprised to find so many coffee shops, bars and restaurants along the road as I had only walked there a couple of times to go to just one Japanese restaurant. After MW had left, JL and I had plenty of time to roam the streets waiting for a certain somebody to finish work. From there, we found pretty much all the other bars and coffee shops I wanted to visit on my list in that area. At least now I won't get lost hey!

It seemed like your average cafe, with a strange colour coordination: an aqua-blue on grey colour scheme did not seem very coffee-like. Although brown was a bit generic (after deep discussion), it at least brought together the look-and-feel of a coffee shop. To me, the place seemed more like a canteen rather than a coffee shop. I don't know, maybe I'm just too picky.

Coffee equipment such as grinders, coffee machines, starter kits, french pressers etc were displayed on shelves against the walls. My birthday is coming up in a few months... Maybe I should point my friends in that direction! A blackboard lined the opposite wall listing "Great gift ideas for coffee lovers" as well as an interesting cold-drip technique which was a slowly brewed coffee in cold water over 12 hours and served chilled with ice. Interesting, maybe I shall try that next time.

I had a cappuccino, AUD$3.5 and a turkey gourmet sandwich. JL had a macchiato, AUD$3 and a chicken schnitzel sandwich. MW had a chai latte, AUD$4 and a roast beef sandwich. All gourmet sandwiches were AUD$8.5.

There was an extensive food menu boasting breakfast (decided against it since I had just come from work), and quite a few salads and soups. Seating extended to a second floor with approximately 30+ seats in total. It was just nearing 12:30pm, so I was not surprised to have first choice seating before the lunch rush came through. I could imagine them getting quite busy during lunch times but they seemed relatively chill.

Our beverages arrived first, but we didn't have to wait much longer until the food came after that. I must say that I have seen quite a few rosetta patterns in my coffees, but never as big or even as this! Needless to say, I was very impressed with the latte art. I've been practicing over and over again at work (when I get the chance, ahem) and the baristas on youtube don't make it look any easier. Although the cappuccino was not as frothy and could be hotter, the rosetta left me taking picture after picture on my phone.

JL's macchiato was served with a glass of water on the side which I thought was a nice touch. Usually, though, short blacks are served with a jug of hot water on the side just incase the espresso shot might be a bit too strong. JL did say that themacchiato was "a lot better than uni", so that must count for something!

A few weeks ago, the coffee bean grinder at work broke. Luckily, we had a spare one that we used to use (but stopped for some reason?). Every day when I come into work, I make myself a double shot piccolo latte with chocolate powder on top (just because I like chocolate), but with this new grinder, everything just tasted wrong! The coffee was so bitter and sour no matter how much chocolate powder I had, it just wouldn't taste good. Don't really know how or why but I managed to scull it down after much hesitance. But that got me thinking about how the smallest change to any part of the coffee making process can drastically alter the taste, look and smell of the overall coffee. We've since returned back to our beloved grinder, but now I try my best not to let any ground coffee sit inside the grinder for too long (which we used to do, oops!).

Vella Nero Coffee Couture at first glance would have been a coffee shop I would've just walked past. Whether it be because of the narrow entrance or the colours shouting "canteen". I'm glad I tried it out or else I would have missed out on a very pretty rosetta and another place to buy coffee equipment. Although there were certain elements to the cappuccino I would have liked to change (temperature, froth), I may visit again even just to see if they have a milk thermometer (I would like to see exactly how hot my milk is!).

address: 259 Clarence Street, Sydney
website: Vella Nero / phone: 02 9268 0755