They do lunch. They do breakfast. They do Bonsoy. They do busy.
It's 12:30 on a Friday. There is a busy lunch crowd chowing and babbling about plans for the weekend. The staff are polite and attentive. Give them a look to get their attention and you can easily place your order. The large windows, summer sun and well used space give Manchester Press all the marks it needs to fit into that 'particular' Melbourne Cafe archetype.
I would love to try their food and juices on another day, however this time I only had a chance to enjoy the sights and coffee they had on offer.
Espresso. 8oz blend.
A solid ceramic cup hugged my warm and dark espresso. It had thick, tart caramels that had nice roasted tones rolling throughout.
Coffee blends, whether house blends or special blends, are hit or miss a lot of time for a coffee snob like me. If you compare the number of cafes that know what they are doing when it comes to preparing a good coffee against cafes that haven't the slightest idea, then I don't sound as arrogant. Out of the good half of cafes, half may offer single origins (beans that come from one country) while the other half only have custom blends (beans from various locations).
While custom blends are not my favourite, a well prepared blend does get my attention and usually makes other people (who actually have a life) to slap the table and make sure their friends know that 'This is a good coffee'. What am I saying? This blend got my attention, so for all of you tuning in to this from home or from the office, check this place out for good coffee.
