Seven Seeds – sister of BBB and DeClieu

Posted by Almost Always Ravenous on April 24, 2011 · 7 Comments 

114 Berkeley St
Carlton, 3053
03 9347 8664

Just a quick stop after dropping Ms JH off at Uni…

I seriously don’t understand this trend for café obscurity – what happened to big fluoro signage that was easy to spot? Thank God for iPhone GPS, for the front entrance is so hidden away you could easily walk past it 5 times before realising it. The overflow of coffee-sippers onto outdoor tables at the back entrance makes it a little easier to spot, but that’s after you stumble down an alleyway to actually find it.

Being another creation of Mark and Bridget alongside Brother Baba Budan and De Clieu – and previously St Ali – the simple aesthetics here are visible throughout. Set against the distressed-brick industrial-look which is fully equipped with bike racks, is a very popular Law student hangout. Carrying backpacks, mountains of notes spilling out of handbags, blended next to locals with groceries in their hands, some with their newspapers sprawled out in a leisurely manner – makes for a real diverse mish-mash of coffee goers or lovers for that matter.

Oh no, the art is all ruined…

Coffee – The coffee here is no doubt excellent. Latte is perfectly smooth and creamy with a nice touch of roast. The coffee art is almost as good as the roasted aromas that come through the silky froth in the cappuccino. BUT, I am afraid I prefer the latte at St Ali’s by just a tiny smidgen. Though having not yet tried the powerhouse BBB, I will have to wait and see before I make any further comparisons…

Canelés de Bordeaux (from the display counter) – are sinful little cakes with a sticky-sweet and chewy shell, with a moreishly eggy and creamy interior. Mmm

Brioche French toast – a lightly fried-egg aroma on 3 slices of soft, fluffy and indulgently buttery brioche, works in harmony with the small mound of mascarpone that is not too sweet, and has a lovely note of blueberry. The translucent syrup beneath is actually a little too much sweetness, and could do with less of it on the plate. Despite that, I couldn’t help digging for the sprinkles of toasty, crunchy hazelnut crumbs.

Rating: Yummy, verging on +1. Coffee is terrific and brioche decadent. Too bad no more daily travels to Melbourne University…

You may also like: Garden Tuscany, Noisette, Hardware Societe.

Filed under Breakfast, Carlton, Coffee, Dessert, Yummy · Tagged with brioche, brother baba budan, canele, carlton, coffee, declieu