movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Ralph Fiennes turns in a great comic performance in this flight of fancy through a surreal story set in a colourful, fanciful, Wes Anderson pre-world-war-two world. There’s a lot of swearing (some would say an anachronistic amount), and some other grown-up content, but to see Anderson’s take on series of action movie tropes is worth …

short black panther, mortdale

Five Senses coffee. 34 Pitt St, Mortdale. For many years there has been a massive void on Sydney’s Blue railway line in terms of great coffee. There are plenty of places with espresso machines, and no shortage of places with good breakfast options around, but very few that hit the ball out of the park …

two chaps, marrickville

Blind Man Coffee. 122 Chapel St, Marrickville. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a cafe that was a converted garage. Last time was a mixed-bag (now closed down), but this time they’ve managed to make a blissful retreat from the densely packed street surrounds. The exclamation marks on the wall show the …

Barista Haus, Rockdale

Sensory Lab Coffee. 4/495 Princes Highway Rockdale. In a dark alley near the post office is a little taste of a Melbourne laneway-style cafe. Don’t let the milk crates fool you, there are proper chair and tables inside, and boards to eat off. White tiles, elegant typesetting: there’s a particular interior design that they’re shooting …

The Sconery, Chippendale

Gabriel Coffee. 71/65 Myrtle St, Chippendale. In the middle of the built-up part of Chippendale is a playground, and a large, paved area with some outdoor tables and chairs. A sign says “The Sconery”, an intriguing name. Step inside, and there’s a coffee machine, a windowed cabinet with salads, and a range of pastries, biscuits …

Gasolina kitchen and espresso, Ramsgate

  The Grounds coffee. 1/226 Rocky Point Rd, Ramsgate. Ramsgate’s latest cafe is beautifully fitted out, and already churning out great coffee and food. You’d like more detail than that? Sure. The menu is standard cafe breakfast items with an emphasis on high-quality breads – a brioche roll for the breakfast burger ($10), and a …