It was an uncharacteristically grey and rainy Summer Monday afternoon. Having had a late night, my friend Silvia and I are feeling a little bit brain dead, and the dreary weather was certainly not helping our condition. So, we decide to go in search of some good old-fashioned caffeine love to stop ourselves from sleep walking through the day. Driving through the back streets of Paddington, the red-framed entrance to Cherubini Caffé catches our eye, and a murmured ‘that place looks cute’ combined with a perfect park outside sees us entering this corner perch just minutes later… And fall in Love we did.
The space is casual but cozy, exactly what we are feeling, and we order coffees immediately at the counter. The friendly barrista points out the chalkboard list of coffee options, and immediately I am distracted from my planned latte by something called a ‘Cubano’. ‘What’s a Cubano?’ I ask curiously, and the response was ‘Well, it’s complicated’ (typical that I choose this). Luckily, this barrista knows his stuff and he explains that it is a double shot coffee served latte style with a layer of raw sugar between each coffee layer – I’m sold. Silvia and I take a seat outside, and are not waiting long before our coffees arrive.
Soy Latte (back) and Cubano, both $3.80
After taking my first sip, I declare that this is my favorite coffee yet. I like strong coffee but prefer lattes to black coffee, and often find sweet style lattes to be too sweet and overpower the coffee flavor. The ‘Cubano’, (which I think just begs to be pronounced ‘Cubahno’) is a perfect balance of bold coffee, creamy, and subtly sweet, and is not too bitterly strong despite the fact that it is a double shot. All my criteria for coffee perfection, checked. Silvia’s soy latte (my usual order) is also very good, creamy and rich. We leave awakened, our caffeine cravings certainly fulfilled. Cherubini is a sparkly new gem in my go-to caffeine café collection.
Mm X
Cherubini Espresso Bar 85 Boundary Street, Darlinghurst T: (02) 9326 9388
