Coffee Emporium, Parramatta

In a recent visit to Sydney, I met a friend at Parramatta Westfield. We had tea/coffee at the Coffee Emporium - I despise having to pay $4 for tea, but did it anyway. Plus I had to wait 20 minutes for my tea leaves and boiling water. Not happy Jan.

First world problem.

fruity frappe and refreshing tea

I was thoroughly impressed by the food/drinks at the Kawa Cafe in Surry Hills last time so I visited the place again - this might become one of my 'must eats' when I visit Sydney.

This time around, I got the raspberry, mango and vanilla bean syrup frappe. On my first sip, I immediately thought that the cafe's famous poached pear frappe was better - pears have a mild taste so the vanilla bean taste comes through better. Nevertheless, the raspberry/mango frappe was still enjoyable. It was fresh and used real (prob frozen) fruit. It wasn't too sweet and was a great thirst quencher on this humid day. The raspberry was more evident than the mango (to my dismay) and this was also evident in the colour of the cool drink.

My friend got the Moroccan mint tea - it smelt very refreshing!

Kawa Cafe
348 Crown Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010

Madame Flavour tea

I love Madame Flavour teas - the tea leaves come in a little triangular bag, each bag having enough room for the leaves to float and infuse the hot water. Each packet/sample box has a letter from the owner of the organisation, as a way of 'personalising' the tea.

Chai - the flavours aren't too strong but have the right delicate sweetness from the cinnamon and tang from the cardamom.

Green, Jasmine & Pear (shown here) - I may have over boiled the tea as the tea was on the verge of bitterness. With green tea, the water is meant to be about 80 degrees, not at boiling point when it makes contact with the tea leaves. Water which is too hot will make the tea a bit bitter. I couldn't taste/smell the sweet pear but it was still good nevertheless.

Adore Tea cafe

Coming to Canberra through a grad program, I enjoy the ease of being able to pull up a group of friends at almost any time and trying out something new. I heard a lot about the Adore Tea Café as an oasis from the city and urban life. The café is situated in Gold Creek, a bit of a drive from where I live in the South. But the drive is worth it if you enjoy a tea/cake in a country-like relaxed environment.

I had the Dutch Profiteroles and some sort of Green Tea. When my dish came out, I freaked out how much was on the place and the challenge that lay ahead. However, the profiteroles were as light as marshmallows and had a subtle taste like water crackers – it wasn’t a problem to finish the whole plate.

One of my mates ordered a Crysthanamum tea (I think) – there was a beautiful Crysthanamum flower in the water. A ribbon-like red colour seeped from the flower as the fragrance of the tea was being released.

My friends also had a sticky date pudding and scones with jam infused with tea leaves. I had some of the pudding and icecream side and was impressed with the thoughtful and delicate balance of sweetness and stickiness. Simple elegance.

Adore Tea Cafe

Gold Creek retail store & tea house

Federation Square 1
O'Hanlon Place
NICHOLLS  ACT  2913

http://www.adoretea.com.au/