Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Kaffee in Berlin series: #5 Five Elephant Coffee & Cakes

FIVE ELEPHANT COFFEE & CAKES 

Off to explore a different area of Berlin, we found ourselves in the leafy street of Reichenbergerstrasse (Nr 101) in Kreuzberg, parallel to Görlitzer Park. Directions here.

Here a subtle but clearly popular cafe and roasting house has established itself well into the hipster and ex-pat demographic of Kreuzberg. Five elephant coffee has a very nice taste; strong enough without being bitter. A very melbourne like blend. 

(C) MJT
The cakes part of their title is equally important, and an array of homemade cakes is yours for the choosing. However I cannot recommend strongly enough the chocolate cookies. A mix of white and milk choc-chips, the cookies are just the right texture and consistency to enjoy on their own.

(C) MJT
Sitting outside is extremely pleasant since the street has little road traffic. Nevertheless the various rooms and interesting interior would also make it a pleasant place to enjoy a coffee inside during the cooler months.

(C) MJT
In summary, Five Elephants Coffee & Cakes comes in at a good recommendation, particularly for the cookies and the smooth coffee, however I was disappointed to be ignored by three staff at the counter when trying to order...:
Coffee: ★★★☆
Service: ★★
Atmosphere: ★★
Recommended Drink: Cappuccino
Price: €2,50
Best quality: The cookies, but the coffee was indeed good too.

(C) MJT

Monday, May 19, 2014

Kaffee in Berlin series: #2 The Barn

THE BARN (ORIGINAL)

Situated in the backstreets behind Hackescher Markt in the trendy streets of Koppenplatz and Auguststrasse is the original Barn.
(Directions here
Care of http://barn.bigcartel.com
I say the original Barn, because they opened a larger roasting plus tasting shop on Schönhauser Allee, however I deliberately recommend the original.

Care of http://barn.bigcartel.com - Photographer not legible
Only a very small shop, which unfortunately does not allow dogs or prams inside, the footpath accommodates a surprisingly decent number of customers on any given day - however if the sun is shining (a rarity as it is in Berlin), it makes for a very pleasant coffee stop. 

(C) Franklovesellen
A small selection of fresh cakes, biscuits and small lunches are available (at the newer Barn they even make Australian ANZAC Biscuits!!) and as for the coffee, it is very Melbourne style - full flavour but not too strong. 

(C) Franklovesellen
While there are tradition Espresso, Cappucino, etc - my recommendation is for the Cortado - similar to a Melbourne-style Caffee Latte but served in a different glass and slightly smaller. But for €2,20 is stronger than the cappuccino (less milk) and cheaper. 


(C) MJT

(C) MJT
In summary, the Barn comes in at a very high recommendation:
Coffee: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★
Recommended Drink: Cortado
Price: €2,20

(c) Franklovesellen