Le Monde Cafe Surry Hills

As I walked up Foveaux st in Surry Hills looking for Le Monde the first thing that made me realize there was a cafe was the few tables outside overlooking the street. A grand looking tree shades the outdoor seating comfortably and would be a great spot to sit with a coffee if you are ever in the area.

I stepped into the cafe and the first thing that greets you eyes are 2 shelves behind the counter of coffee making and cafe memorabilia. That was a good thing as I did stand in line for a little while so I had something to keep me occupied. The first thing that caught my nose was the smell of cooking, not coffee, and whatever they were making smelled delicious. Standing in line I decided to look around and could not find any type of sign or coffee bag to say what type of coffee they used.

I finally got to next to order but did not receive any recognition from the 3 people behind the counter, yes they were making coffee and one taking orders, however I find a simple nod or hello goes a long way. I made my order of my customary 3/4 latte to the guy at the counter who simply didn't seem happy to be there. No matter I thought, I just hope my coffee is good.

Now with the ordering out of the way I could stand back and look around a little. There was a bench near the front door covered in magazines and reading material so people waiting for takeaway coffees could keep occupied and I really thought it a great idea. The rest of the cafe was filled with wooden tables and chairs that looked comfy to sit in. The interior is mostly wood and seemed very warm, fashionable and trendy. Great for business meetings, sitting and chatting with a friend or sitting by yourself with your laptop.

"3/4 latte" the guy calls from behind the counter. Yes, my coffee is ready. I pick up the plain cup, no help with what brand of coffee it is, and walk out of the cafe. Walking down the street I pop the lid off and see no pattern. I always like to see a little effort put into the pour so I know the barista is a total coffee nut like me. I take my first sip and it is a touch warmer then I like however it was the right temperature. It was very smooth and had a nice taste but no real body to it and honestly left me a little disappointed.

The further I got into the coffee the easier it was to drink but I craved more flavour and more of a lingering aftertaste so you do not have to keep drinking to keep the flavour in your mouth. I think Le Monde was a great cafe and from what I could tell their food looked and smelled great. I will have to go back at some stage and stay to see if their sit in coffee (that after a little googling I finally found that Le Monde served Allpress coffee) is better then their takeaway.

*A further note on this blog post. Continuing to show the lack of signage and information also available on the internet about what brand of coffee used at Le Monde I have been advised they use 5 senses. I contacted 5 senses via twitter and they have confirmed.

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