While travelling through NSW bound for Canberra, I found many credible cafes. For me it is worth seeking out superb coffee and treats, irrespective of location (see footnote). Authentic, ambitious and committed cafes not only serve excellent espresso but typically produce goods you won’t find anywhere else.
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With a background in art history I have long wanted to visit the NGA in Canberra: and thankfully I was able to travel there recently. In a complete surprise, not only was I overwhelmed by the NGA in every respect but I also fell in love with Canberra, the beautiful streets; unique culture and atmosphere. However, before getting to know Canberra, coffee beckoned.
As soon as I walked into eighty twenty ‘the cafe’ in Braddon, I knew immediately I was in the right place. With the buzz ignited, I also knew it would be the perfect start to a day of sightseeing at the NGA and Old Parliament house.
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The flat white and chocolate donut were a match made in heaven!
Card artwork by Karla Dickens, For Sale, 2022
I consider this morning experience as obligatory to the beginning of a fun and full day ahead; I see it as a necessary springboard for my psyche. eighty twenty ‘the cafe’ is not far from Tourist Drive 5 – the road circling Parliament House Canberra: take Tourist Drive 1 off TD5 over Lake Burley Griffin and it is not far off to the right in Lonsdale St, Braddon.
eighty twenty ‘the cafe’ Braddon, Canberra
Not only searching out the art and history of every place I visit when travelling, an important part of my ritual is the daily search for coffee and breaky: as I arrived at eighty twenty ‘the cafe’ in Braddon, I instantly knew it would be a great experience. Sightseeing at the NGA and Old Parliament House will be greatly enhanced by consuming the many delights on offer here.
Over-joyed to have found this cafe with its proximity to the above institutions, I take my time soaking up the slightly dishevelled atmosphere (another pre-requisite). However, the daily search for coffee and breaky does not mean ‘a cooked breakfast’ , when travelling, always cakes and pastries until the guilt solidly sets in – usually day three or four! But you can worry about the impact of all that sugar and butter after the holiday!
Ask anyone who knows me, and they will confirm my level of cafe fussiness! ‘What about this one?’, ‘No! Ambiance is terrible!’, ‘This one looks good?’, ‘No! Look at the food in the cabinet!’, ‘This one?’, ‘No, the flat white has wobbly froth on top!’ A sure sign of incompetence in the coffee making world of excellence.
The morning ritual is important to me, thus searching out the ‘best cafes’ as soon as I arrive in any city. If it seems busy, before going ahead, I ask how long the coffee will be and if they say +15 minutes, I leave because their system(s) is / are faulty, and they don’t get it. Too often cafes have a large machine with three or four buckets, a massive queue and only one person working it.
It is false economy to have a large machine (a large machine is expensive), a long queue and only one person making coffee – a wasted underutilised investment. There should be two people punching out coffees; one on the ‘milk’ (with several jugs for ‘milk’ options) and one on the coffees. The best cafes might be packed, but they have almost no queue because they know about the importance of getting coffee out quickly. Some people might be having morning tea breaks from work, their coffee has to be in front of them within 5 minutes. Another plus is that uncommonly good coffee means that when those people go back to work they will have ordered a take away also.
Moreover, so many good cafes are located in the suburbs of large cities and that means driving there and by definition that also means encountering large sections of the city you would not have otherwise discovered and experienced. Often times these cafes are located in enclaves full of interesting shops and businesses. For example, Lonsdale St, Braddon has fabulous vintage stores one block up on the opposite side of eighty twenty. They received lots of my money too!
It all clicked into place: the atmosphere, busy-ness, location, name (easy to remember), and singularity – the friendly staff effortlessly going about what they do best. The chocolate donut and flat white were beyond exceptional as was the toasted sour dough with salmon,chicken and vegetables, (oh, and almond croissant; might have been a cookie too), for later!
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Click on images to highlight them!
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Link: eighty-twenty ‘the cafe’ Braddon
Disclaimer: I have not visited any other eighty-twenty cafes so I cannot vouch for the quality experience at those locations.
