Jack of Hearts and Jude coffee. Shop 9/1067 Waratah Arcade, The Old Princes Highway, Engadine, NSW. When I read about this place in the Sydney Cafe Guide 2012, I was surprised to hear of a cafe in Engadine, and of one in the middle of an arcade. Make the trip, though, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
You can sit on the tall chairs and watch the baristas making the coffee, or just admire the display of cakes.
The interior of the cafe has a great retro 70’s vibe: everywhere you look there’s a different detail. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of the place – was it just a relic of a bygone age? But no, everything has been carefully chosen and combined.
Watching from behind the machine, you can see how carefully they prepare the coffee.
Separate grinder for decaf, and both the decaf and the house blend are roasted on the premises – beans are sourced from Byron Bay. They do great work with the coffee: the milk is well prepared, artfully presented, and the decaf is one of the better ones in Sydney.
The next time you’re heading to the south of Sydney, make sure you call in.