Le Pain Quotidien

The rain came out of nowhere, just when Elise and I were traveling along Bourke Street towards Ten Buck Alley (Gourmet Traveler rated it number one cafe in Sydney). Desperate and feeling rather pathetic (sharing a single umbrella), we went into nearest cafe we could find- Le Pain Quotidien, just next to the pizza restaurant.

The interior of the cafe managed to be both modern and country-style at the same time. It is probably because of the generous use of wooden elements in the tables, chairs and shelves. I particularly like the huge metal clockwork with roman numerals. I think it is romantic.

We ordered a cappuccino and a latte, about $3.60 each. Carefully observe the cups, you will realise there are no handles! Which was quite interesting, because I had to drink the coffee as if I were drinking from a bowl, like a soup. If only the coffee was better... The cafe does their own blend and roast, and uses organic coffee beans, which had me thinking: wow, their coffee must be good. But, the coffee, disappointingly, left a bitter aftertaste on my tongue, which in my opinion, no good coffee (after the addition of hot milk) should.

The chocolate tart was pretty good, $5.50. It looks abit dodgy though, with the neutral glaze (why do you even glaze a chocolate tart?) and neatly arranged almond flakes (strange presentation). First impression aside, the chocolate filling surprisingly pleasing. It was cold, rich and smooth, with a hint of coffee. The tart base is your normal short tart variety, average.

Apparently, Le Pain Quotidien is an international chain of cafe (available in over 20 cities) that has its roots in Brussels.

There are three in Sydney. The one that we visited:

Surry Hills

Cnr Fitzroy & Bourke Sts, NSW 2010

PH: 02 9360 8460