It did not take me long to catch onto the clicky coffee culture that we Melbournians are so proud of. And why shouldn’t we be? We have barista's that have gone as far as New York to teach the Yanks how to make a good coffee, and dare I say, nearly every Aussie I know goes looking for the infamous Australian run cafe when visiting. But what do you do if you don’t actually drink coffee but need to ween yourself away from the sweetness of Chocolate? Amalgamate the two, that’s what. Sounds simple right? Seemingly not for some cafe owners that want to over charge and hand out cups of warm milk. Not what I asked for!
During the recent lockdown when simple pleasures such as a trip to the local coffee shop took on a whole new meaning, I began my search for the perfect mocha making cafe. Should be easy in Melbourne, where if you throw a stone you hit a barista, but the reality is, they don’t all last and I can see why. Service mixed with quality is as special as a day out of the 5km radius.
Once organising my passport to cross the river and move from south side all the way over to the north, the search was on. The monotony of working from home gave me time and an excuse to explore the fresh new streets of the north. Each day a new cafe until eventually I found myself returning to the same two, over and over again. That was it, I had finally stumbled upon the family friendly cafes that did not throw stones and chase me down the street with a pitch fork for ordering the annoying soy mocha weak on coffee and strong on chocolate. I do recognise I am lucky they don’t charge by the word. Either way, Ample on Howard street and A Taste of France has by far surpassed the overpriced hipster hicks that think if they wear the right clothes with the right shoes, they will entice customers back again. Not quite. Or maybe I am just getting old.
Nevertheless, it seems good old fashion family businesses still adhere to the values of quality and service met with a smile, wins every day of the week. The move to north of Melbourne has been made all the more sweeter thanks to these mocha making magicians.
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