Coffee.
I thought I’d begin with the inevitable; the most obvious and hopefully useful campus review of all – coffee. Australians rack up more than one billion cups of coffee each year, and that’s just in café’s and restaurants. Whether you’re a cappuccino, a flat white or a skinny-soy-double-shot-caramel-macchiato-frappachino, the odds are you enjoy coffee in some form or the other from time to time. But where at UC can you find the best, and the worst, coffee of all?
Melt Café – Refectory
Buying coffee at the refectory is a little like your daytime weekday equivalent of buying a $6 kebab at 2am on a Sunday. It’s everything you need at the time – speed, value, sustenance, convenience, and friendly service from a patient middle-aged employee with plastic gloves. Taste is almost irrelevant; thankfully, as the coffee here somewhat resembles microwaved freeze-dried NesCafe, with a fun fluffy foam topping which seems to be the basis for all coffee denominations. It was not until after the friendly barista poured my coffee that he asked what I wanted, to which after replying ‘cappuccino’, dusted my libation with chocolate powder with a chirpy flourish. So after masking some bitterness with sugar and capping my cup (an innovative, time saving technique on Melt’s behalf), I walked away cringing, but knowing that tomorrow at 9am, I’d be back in line, loyalty card in hand, ready to start the day with a punch.
Regular coffee: $3.60
Quality: 2/5 Convenience: 5/5 Service 5/5
Self lidding: Yes
Café Mizzuna – The Hub
There seems to be an air of leisure at Mizzuna which Melt certainly lacks. A sanctuary for students and patrons alike, with money to spend and time to waste, slightly removed from the buzz of the concourse. From the outside it would appear to function as any café from the outside world would, until upon entering you encounter the mile-long line from the counter and white polystyrene cups all takeaway coffee is served in. When I finally, unexpectedly get to the front, the cashier stares at me blankly and I panic, stammering the phrase ‘flat white’ as I fumble for change. Despite the line, staff are quick, but due to the music playing and terrible acoustics, the girl misspells my name and quickly moves onto the next in line. About five minutes later, after hearing ‘Roshan’ shouted from the counter several times, I eventually assume they mean me (Rachel) and take my polystyrene cup from the hand of a trendy barista. The coffee is OK, it isn’t burnt or bitter and they didn’t amalgamate the concepts of flat white and latte as many coffee makers tend to do. But as I walk away drinking from the cup I so badly want to nibble the sides of, I can’t help feeling like I’m drinking coffee from the percolator at an AA meeting.
Regular coffee:
Quality: 4/5 Convenience: 4/5 Service: 3.5/5
Self lidding: Yes
Sizzle Café – The Hub
What strikes me first at Sizzle is the quiet, but after noticing that there appears to be one person both serving and making coffee, I realise why. There is a small crowd of people gathered near the counter, and although I am served quickly, the barista appears to be in no rush to make the coffee. When I eventually receive it, it is the perfect temperature, and the lid has been applied, which makes my day. The coffee is drinkable, and not poorly made, but the ratio of coffee to milk is definitely out, kind of like milk flavoured coffee. It goes down well, but certainly doesn’t satisfy my morning caffeine requirements.
Large coffee: $3.70
Quality: 3.5/5 Convenience: 3/5 Service 2.5/5
Self lidding: No
Café Globo – UC Ressies
Edibles at Café Globo are staples for UC ressies, perhaps not by choice, but the café certainly provides in the convenience, value and speed departments. For the rest of us, the experience isn’t quite as valuable. Globo, like Melt, is a denomination of UC Eat, making the two almost identical in terms of product, price, and unfortunately, coffee quality. Melt’s convenience is it’s primary saving grace, but the five minute walk to Globo from the concourse makes the coffee bitterer. But for those wanting a small escape from the buzz of campus, and a quiet, sunny place to unwind with a brew, Globo’s a goer. Friendly service, good music and pool tables.
Regular coffee: $3.60
Quality: 2/5 Convenience: 2/5 Service 4/5
Self lidding: No
Zierholz – The Hub
I’m the only person not behind the bar when I walk into Zierholz, probably because no one yet realises it exists. After being hyped by the university for the last year and a half as UC’s new microbrewery-pub-restaurant-café-venue-extraordinaire, due to open in February 2011, the place has remained a tradesman lined shell until a couple of weeks ago. Tucked away underneath the refectory and behind the hub, the elusive Zierholz remains a bit of an enigma. Nonetheless, the sign boasting “surprisingly good coffee!” lured me into the empty pub with low expectations. But the friendly barista whipped up a flat white faster than any of the other cafes, and the coffee was surprisingly good. Albeit, surprisingly good for a pub. The coffee was perfect drinking temperature, with just the right balance of milk and coffee. Quality: OK. Considering the speed of service, disregarding mysterious location, I’d certainly take Zierholz over Refectory.
Regular coffee: $3.50
Quality: 3.5/5 Convenience: 3/5 Service 4.5/5
Self lidding: Yes