Blond Coffee - Angaston, South Australia

You'll find Blond Coffee situated at the corner of Murray Street and Sturt Street in Angaston, directly across the street from the Angaston Hotel.



Step inside to find plenty of space and seating.



Walk up to the counter to place your order. There's certainly no shortage of hot drinks to choose from, including coffees, T2 teas, chai lattes, and a variety of hot chocolates.



On our most recent visit, Darren went with his usual Cafe Latte (large - $4.90).



I went with the White Hot Chocolate ($4.40). I especially enjoyed the amazing froth with bubbles that continued to burst for a few minutes after arriving at the table. The flavour was impressive too, very smooth and creamy as a white hot chocolate should be.



The breakfasts at Blond are brilliant. Darren's favourite is the Blond Big Breakfast ($21.50). Seems a little pricey for breakfast but the quality and quantity is all there so it's money well spent. You get Rosie's free range eggs cooked the way you like, Mount Pleasant bacon, breakfast sausages, spinach, mushrooms, tomato & sourdough toast.



If you're looking for something smaller, go for the Scrambled Toastie ($10.50). It's filled with Rosie's free range scrambled eggs, Mount Pleasant bacon, tomato and cheddar cheese. I usually get strange looks if I ask for scrambled eggs in a breakfast sandwich, so I was delighted to find this sandwich on the menu. The cheese helped hold the egg in place so there were no problems with anything falling out.



On another visit, I was lucky enough to find this special on the menu - Blond Potato Hash, Chorizo, Cheddar Cheese & Spring Onion, topped w/a Poached Egg. The dish was delicious and refreshingly different from the usual standard bacon and egg breakfast. Specials change depending on the day so keep your eye on the specials board.



Before you leave, be sure to also check out the shop at the back of the cafe where you can buy gifts, T2 teas, and local produce such as Rosie's free range eggs and Mount Pleasant bacon.



Blond Coffee is definitely my pick for breakfast in the Barossa Valley.

L'Espresso - Ballarat, Victoria

L'Espresso in Ballarat is my absolute favourite breakfast spot in Australia. We stay in Ballarat every time on our way to Melbourne just so we can wake up and go straight to L'Espresso.



They're in one of Ballarat's cool heritage buildings on Sturt Street and there's always some smooth tunes playing from their wall of CDs. The chalkboard to the left of the entrance shows a list of new arrivals in their music collection.



This is a real cafe with all the good stuff including a coffee machine made by Faema, Italy’s number one professional espresso machine manufacturer.



The coffee, according to my cafe latte drinking hubby, is superb. Just like what you would find in some of Europe's best cafes. Smooth and delicious.



If you aren't a coffee drinker, I recommend the fresh squeezed orange juice. There's minimal pulp and the taste is absolutely perfect.



And here it is, my favourite breakfast in all of Australia! It's the Free Range Eggs (scrambled) with Bacon Tomato and Toast ($14.50). The eggs are silky smooth and perfectly cooked. The bacon is lean and tasty. The tomatoes are a deep red colour, not that pale supermarket crap, and nicely grilled with a beautiful pesto on top. The toast is fluffy turkish bread with a slight toasted crunch on the outside and soft in the middle. And oh the butter!



Or here's the Eggs Benedict ($16.50) with those grilled tomatoes, poached free range eggs, grilled ham and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin.



There are plenty of other options for breakfast too such as fritters, pancakes, lamb's fry, muesli, toast, croissants, etc. I'm sure you'll find plenty to love. L'Espresso is also open for lunch everyday, serving up traditional Italian fare like pastas and open focaccias. They're sometimes open on Friday and Saturday evenings for dinner as well. If you're in Ballarat, don't pass up the opportunity to visit L'Espresso!

Caffeteca - North Adelaide, South Australia

We've recently discovered a great little cafe hiding in Tynte Street, North Adelaide called Caffeteca. It's across the road from Perryman's Bakery.



Caffeteca feels more like a little cafe you might find in Melbourne or Sydney. Find a table and place your order at the counter.

I was keen to try the hot chocolate and it certainly didn't disappoint. I absolutely love the rich, dark, European style hot chocolate they serve up at Caffeteca. Under that milky froth is a whole lotta chocolate goodness.

Coffees are excellent quality and hard to fault. This is the Caffe Latte (large).



They also offer some great freshly squeezed juices - Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice ($5.50) or Orange Juice ($4.50). If you don't like pulp, you might want to stay away from the OJ because it's pretty chunky. I didn't mind the pulp as I felt I was getting all of the goodness of the orange without any of the work. Naturally delicious!



The serving sizes at Caffeteca are generally on the small side, but they're still great value for the price and still leave you feeling satisfied because they're so darn tasty. The Egg and Pancetta Brioche ($7.50) is probably the smallest choice but it's delicious.



If you want a slightly larger meal, go for the Breakfast Piadina ($9.90). It comes with free range scrambled eggs, fontina cheese, and crispy pancetta inside. It's divine!



The other breakfast options include piadinas, croissants, breads, fruit, muesli, porridge and they serve lunch as well. Caffeteca is open Mon-Sat 7am-4pm (closed Sundays).

UR Caffe - North Adelaide, South Australia

We ventured to a new cafe over the weekend. It's called UR Caffe and it's on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide.



UR Caffe is run by a young couple who recently moved to Adelaide from Sydney to start their very first cafe. It has been open for around 6 months now and business seems to be picking up. We really liked this idea of a whole wall painted black and used as a chalkboard menu. For those who prefer paper menus, they've got those too.



The guy behind the coffee machine is very serious about his coffee. He's the one who usually takes orders at the front counter as well, but those wanting to place orders while a coffee is in progress will simply have to wait. His coffee concentration pays off. Since I don't actually drink coffee myself, I got the low down from my hubby who says it's on par with the best we've had in Adelaide at Signature.


Cafe Latte (Large - $4)

Plus, they do a wickedly good White Hot Chocolate. It only comes in one size, big mug, at $4.40.



They also sell heaps of different fruit smoothies, milkshakes and teas. The owners' Thai influence comes through in quite a few areas such as: some of the drinks, the Moo Yhong (flossy pork and mild chilli jam on toast - $4.90) and the fresh fruit and salad that come with the egg breakfast meals. On our first visit the fruit and salad consisted of watermelon, lettuce, tomato and cucumber.


Bacon & Eggs ($8.90)

The Bacon & Eggs for $8.90 was a big and satisfying meal. The fresh salad and fruit also gave it a unique flair. I noticed that you can also get avocado paste spread on your toast for no extra charge. When ordering a second coffee, we also noticed a glass display case to the right of the cash register and I fell in love with the Raspberry Lamington ($4). Had to get one to go and it was divine. The sweets are all baked on site and I can definitely recommend them as a good investment.



We were impressed with the prices, the quality, and the freshness of this little cafe. We will definitely be back for more.

The Coffee Barun - Adelaide, South Australia

Our new favourite breakfast spot is The Coffee Barun on Main North Road at Sefton Park.



The car park behind The Coffee Barun is quite small and usually full so we usually park just across from it in the shopping centre car park instead. As you walk in the front door, you'll notice the large open plan kitchen/dining area and plenty of friendly staff. You can grab a bottle of cold water, the morning paper, and menus to the left of the entrance and have a seat at an empty table, or if you know what you want to order go straight up to the counter. They'll give you a white table number on a stand after you pay. You can then have a read of the newspaper and soak up the cafe atmosphere while you wait, and usually you won't have to wait long before your order arrives. There's even a small wooden train set for the kids to play with.



Coffee beans are freshly roasted on site weekly at the Coffee Barun and they're available for sale in the store along with a range of espresso machines, grinders, manual coffee makers and accessories. Coffee beans used in the cafe are rotated based on availability so you might get a slightly different flavour depending on the origin of the beans when you visit. Coffees here are consistently smooth with a good crema. Here's a Large Cafe Latte ($4).



I've had quite a few overly strong or overly sweet Chai Lattes in the past, but this one was just right. This is the Large ($4).



In addition to coffees and chai lattes, Coffee Barun also sells Belgian Hot Chocolates. This one's not as thick as the one at Bracegirdle's, but still has a nice strong Belgian chocolate flavour. It's $5 for a Large. Note: The normal hot chocolate is made with a very average chocolate powder. Definitely go for the Belgian if you want a hot chocolate here.



With a name like The Coffee Barun, you'd think the drinks would be the main attraction. However, the delicious food is what has kept me coming back. The classic breakfast of Bacon & Eggs is $11.50. Free range eggs and good quality bacon on sourdough toast. So satisfying!



Eggs Benedict fans will be pleased with the Barun Benedict ($15.50). The hollandaise sauce was slightly tangy, creamy and everything hollandaise sauce should be. The poached eggs were perfectly cooked as well.



If you're really hungry order the Barun Breakfast ($16.50). It comes with bacon, eggs, sourdough toast, sausage, tomato and mushrooms. Big and delicious!



The Coffee Barun is a great coffee shop with awesome food. The quality of ingredients and the care from staff really shines here. They're open Mon-Sat 8am-3pm and Sun 9am-1:30pm. They also serve lunch (burgers and sandwiches) from 11am to close.

Kenton Valley Cherries - Kenton Valley, South Australia

Cherries are synonymous with the holidays in South Australia. If you're in the Adelaide area in December or January, you should have no trouble tracking down some awesome local cherries nearby in the Adelaide Hills. Check out the Cherry Growers Association of South Australia website for the latest Cherry Map for all of the options.

One of our favourite stops is Kenton Valley Cherries (open in Dec & Jan), signposted off the Gumeracha-Lobethal Road. Not only can you purchase fresh cherries here, but you can also sit down for a cup of tea or coffee and some delicious homemade cherry desserts as well!



First things first - The cherries! On our latest visit, we selected a 1kg bag of Seconds Cherries ($6) and 1kg box of 26cm Cherries ($10). They also had 1kg boxes of First Grade 28cm Cherries for $14. The Seconds bag has a mixture of cherry sizes (including the gigantic 28cm ones), some of which have imperfections or are missing their stems. If you want pretty looking cherries, go for one of the boxes, but if you're on a budget and don't mind a few splits in your cherries, the Seconds bag is excellent value. Seconds also come in a 5kg box and First Grade Cherries also come in 2kg or 5kg boxes.



While the cherries are the main attraction, you can't come to Kenton Valley Cherries without getting at least one Cherry Slice ($4). In my experience, this is an absolute winner every time. It's served warm with delicious whipped cream and a cherry on top. Divine!!



Other options on the Menu include Cherry muffins, crepes, scones, pie, crumble, ice cream and milkshakes.



To go with your cherry dessert, you can choose from the drinks menu which includes a nice selection of tea and coffee choices.



Shed Doors are always fun to visit and Kenton Valley Cherries has made theirs even better by offering a cute cherry themed cafe as well.

Signature - Adelaide, South Australia

There's an awesome new coffee shop in Adelaide called Signature. It's located on Charles Street, which is the alleyway between David Jones and the DJ's carpark. The lady who owns it used to own the Blue Lemon baguette place on North Terrace, but sold that and started this new venture. Without any real advertising, Signature is already off to a great start.



As a fusion coffee shop, it's pretty clear that they're serious about their coffee here. It's smooth and rich with a fully developed crema. These people know what they're doing. They also sell all kinds of fancy coffee beans, machines and accessories for those who want to try to replicate greatness in coffee at home.


half latte

Since I don't actually drink coffee myself, I consulted the opinions of others regarding the actual coffee at Signature. I can safely say this is the place where you should buy your coffee in Adelaide. But if you're like me, it's where you should buy your hot chocolate...



This stuff is so good you will feel like you're drinking a bar of good quality chocolate. It's not overly thick, it's just delicious and blows most other hot chocolates out of the water. I've had way too many weak, powdery and sickly sweet hot chocolates in my time. Signature hot chocolates are everything I've been looking for. Plus, they're good value. $3.20 for the standard size or $3.90 for the large. To add further brownie points to their growing tally, they have loyalty cards which offer the 6th drink free. Just get 5 stamps on your card and you're a winner with a free drink waiting for you on your next visit. If you're after something different, I can also highly recommend their chai latte. They've got two choices for chai - spiced or vanilla. I found the vanilla to be quite plain but the spiced is awesome. Perfect mix of spices, sweetness, and milkyness.


spiced chai latte (large)

There's one more thing I have to tell you about this great little coffee shop. Not only do they make great drinks, but they serve up some pretty amazing food as well. The young chef is a genius who makes tarts, quiches, croissants and other magical creations fresh on site. Some of them are located in the display case to the right of the register calling your name. The chicken and leek pie ($9.50) is without a doubt the best chicken and leek pie I've ever had. It comes with a little fresh salad on the side.


chicken and leek pie

I predict that before too long, Signature is going to outgrow its current location. So get over there while you still can and make the most of it.