I really didn’t get very far with these Melbourne posts did I ? Well now that things are settling down a little I’ll at least try and catch up with the photos I’ve already uploaded.
Liar, Liar in Hawthorn in the latest venture of former Perth coffee dignitary and 2007 WA barista champion Nolan Hirte. Nolan and his partners have set up an excellent space in Hawthorn, funky, relaxed, but focused on quality and totally befitting of the owners.
I can’t say I know Hawthorn very well as an area, but I’m led to believe it’s vaguely similar to Claremont in terms of style and clientele. An old and well established area with a fair amount of old money around the place, but not completely wrapped up in the establishment to realise the value of people trying to do something fresh and different.
Fresh and different would sum up Liar, Liar pretty well. From the decks on the bar where Nolan spins tunes when he isn’t pulling shots, to the very chic Clover Coffee brewing machine, and seriously tasty breakfast choices. It’s quite the compelling package.
We stopped by for breakfast on day 2 of the trip and a caught up with Nolan while talking coffee. This was first introduction to the Clover, which takes an innovative approach to single serve brewed coffee. From the Clover website:
After dosing it and grinding it to your specifications, you will add the coffee to the Clover brew chamber. You will choose the cup size and the steep time on the user interface, and then press the brew button. Clover delivers the exact dose of water at the temperature you’ve chosen. Stir and wait while the coffee steeps. At the end of the set time, Clover’s piston rises, creating a vacuum that draws the coffee through the grounds. The piston will then descend and deliver the coffee into your customer’s cup.
The flavours are very clean and there mouthfeel is entirely different to regular french press style coffee, which still retains a lot of sediment. We tried an Ethiopian and a Guatemalan through the clover and were pleasantly surprised by the delicate flavours and finish.
The regular coffee was of course fantastic. Nolan takes his espresso seriously even managed to swap records in amongst pulling some fantastic shots.
The food was on song too. My poached eggs (the test of any cafe) were perfectly presented, and Sharon’s coconut bread with fresh berries and yoghurt was more art piece than breakfast.
If I had to live in Melbourne, I think a trip out to Liar, Liar would be a weekly necessity.
Liar, Liar
90 Kinkora Road, Hawthorn
Phone (03) 9818 8864
Well now you’re just making me homesick. Not only did you go to my hometown but Hawthorn too, birthplace of a little Italian bistro I owned for a few years. You got the comparison between Hawthorn and Claremont spot-on. Beautiful clean pics, as always.
Hi Jennifer,
Glad I’ve got my suburb comparisons roughly on target. Although if this is making you homesick then please ignore the rest of my Melbourne posts, which make me homesick too (and I’ve never lived there) :)
Sounds delicious. Good coffee is a true joy and I bet the coconut bread went fabulously with it.
That is a perfectly poached egg. I received a badly poached egg this morning, and I’m very jealous :)
It did indeed Christie… though good coffee is a meal in itself in my book :) And frequently makes up my entire breakfast…
Tim… I hope you sent it back. There is no place in this world for badly cooked eggs, unless they’re in restaurants and cafes you tell people you hate to go to… but even then… it’s a stretch. I’ve got no hesitation in sending things back anymore.
I miss Nolan’s coffee at Lemon Cafe, Claremont WA! Luckily I’m off to Melbourne this week!