Review

Around the Grounds

By Peter Zangari

Labor Council's Don Machiatto goes in search of the perfect cup of coffee.

	The Boys at Moors - that's 1.2 million free coffees!

When walking around the streets of Sydney one can be overwhelmed by the thought of how many cafes there are. I think that for every good cafe in Sydney there are about ten bad ones. Thats probably exaggerating a little bit, but how many times have you thought about it. Now that we are living in an international city, coffee has surpassed every other beverage to be the most favoured drink. This would seem to be at odds with Aussie beer loving culture but it is true.

The Expresso Revolution is nigh. In the city, instant coffee drinkers are being left behind in their office kitchens by those searching for real coffee. The proliferation of the coffee cart outside Sydney office buildings is a sign of more things to come. These portable providers of relief strike a chord with workers who refuse to drink the cheap instant coffee that their boss provides. For an average cost of $2.20 per cup, the line-up at these carts is growing. First, smokers were exluded from the workplace and became loiterers in the doorways of ground floor businesses. Now a second group to cluster around the foot of buildings consists of the astute expresso drinker. Expresso coffee is their ultimate fix and there is no cheaper substitute.

Undeniably, caffeine is a drug that is socially acceptable to us. We do not hear advertisements warning of the dangers of caffeine addictions or caffeine related overdoses, instead we see advertisements for instant coffee of the mediocre instant kind. Our politicians feel that they can call on drug summitts to discuss the issues surrounding the abuse of certain drugs but intentionally deny that they themselves are addicts of another drug. Talk about hypocrisy. The amount of bad quality coffee out there in the streets is a real worry for the future of our society. Those people caught dealing in trash coffee should face severe penalties and it's time we took a stand and cleaned our nation free of instant coffee.

Recently, some Kings Cross coffee establishments have come under fire for not selling the drug their licence authorised them to sell but were selling something quite different, leafy and green. For the record I'd like to name 10 of the joints which serve reasonable coffee (but not the coffee houses that sell joints) in and around town.

SYDNEY'S TOP TEN COFFEES

1. Moors Expresso Bar, Sussex Street - Directly opposite the political nerve centre of the Australian labour movement this is the place where all important deals are made over a couple of flat whites.

2. Bill n Toni's, Stanley Street, East Sydney - An affordable Sydney institution but no corners are cut in the quality of coffee churned out here.

3. Bar Italia, Norton Street Leichhardt - The latte trendies have taken over this infamous set from the Academy award winning political thriller Rats in the Ranks

4. La Deliziosa, Great North Road, Five Dock - Kim Beazley has visited this family business a number of times sampling the great coffee and Italian pastries on offer

5. Bar Colluzzi, Victoria Street, Darlinghurst - Another Sydney institution over run by the latte set and wannabe actors.

6. McCafe, George Street - Consumerism is rife and sometimes a $1 cappuccino cuts the mustard. A place to go when you don't want to put on appearances.

7. Bar Luca, Phillip Street - For those times you're down but not entirely out at the State Industrial Relations Commission

8. Cafe Pelayo, Liverpool Street - Quiet and cosy cafe in the Spanish quarter of town.

9. Bar Milazzo, Pitt Street- A newcomer on the scene, tiny but very popular

10. Pasticceria Papa, Ramsay Road, Haberfield - In house bakery which serves good coffee along with varieties of traditional pastries.

So there you have it in a cocoa shell, some of finest businesses selling coffee around town. Find out for your self.

Editor's note: a glaring ommision from this list is The Hole in the Wall in Macquarie Streets - easily Sydney's best coffee on the run!

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  Issue 22 contents

»	Workers' Rights Butchered
»	Unions Back Shaw Plan
»	Buddy�s Buddy Still Singing Blues
»	Labour Calls Labor to Account
»	Olympic Gear - Labor Standards Should Apply
»	Ship of Shame into Darling Harbour
»	Cardboard King Seeks Warehouse Showdown
»	Nurses Enter New Years Fray
»	University Under Fire For Union-Busting Tactics
»	Inquiry to Lift the Lid on Public Service Bargaining
»	Currawong Back on Agenda
»	APHEDA Seeks Campaign and Marketting Officer

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	Youth Wages Campaign a Must for the Union Movement
»	Cheers for Piers
»	Cheers from Geneva

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