Category Archives: Encounter Bay
Paddy’s Lantern – Adelaide, SA
219 Gilbert Street, Adelaide, SA, 5000
In a quarter of the Adelaide City that many people may have never ventured through, sits this fresh new expression of the burgeoning South Australian speciality coffee scene. Opening in the first week of October 2011 Paddy’s Lantern is, according to owner, chef and barista Sam Carey – what he thinks would have happened if “Bar 9 and Coffee Branch had a baby”[1] and it finds itself nestled amongst a fairly standard Adelaideian mid 1980s row of shops – a child’s stone throw from the Dukes of Brunswick Hotel – however, make sure you are looking for it – blink and you’ll miss it.
Walking in – you just know this place is serious about the coffee – as the menu board is 90% about the beverage and 10% food – yet the food is superb! Serving single origin 5 Senses coffee, blended on site, through a gorgeous looking Synesso machine, a Sam made ristretto is heaven in a cup [see below.] The interior is minimalist - having stripped back what was once perhaps a computer shop, it is now part single story – part spacious warehouse – yet will probably only seat perhaps 20 people, and is my no means clinical. If you are cyclist, you are catered for – with three bike racks adorning the walls just inside the front door. Together with my brother from another mother, friend and colleague we consumed three ristrettos, three lattes, and 2 Barossa Ham & French gruyere on Mylor Bakery Sourdough – in our 90 minutes of bliss, with occasional dedicated attention from Sam – who understands that customer service produces loyalty. Parking is potentially a problem – but if you can find one nearby, they are free for 2 hours – just be persistent and the rewards of Paddy’s Lantern can be yours. Read the rest of this entry
Boulevard Café on the Lake – Encounter Bay, SA
41 Bartel Boulevard, Victor Harbor, SA, 5211
The unfortunate event of my wife and boys having a car accident (they are all Ok – Thank God!) turned into the fortunate event of me being able to relax lakeside, sip a latte and read a book doing sermon preparation, while waiting for them to pick me up (the crash repair place is within easy walking distance – not sure if this is a positive or a negative aspect in relation to the café itself – or whether I should include this stat as part of all future reviews…?? Let me know).
I have known about this place for quite a while, having driven past it on the way to other coffee places, church camps or just going to sit by the beach at Encounter Bay – and I can not really offer an excuse as to why I had never stopped before. Even at the most recent CoC State Camp held down the road, people were commenting on their nice coffee – and yet I still never went. But I am glad to say that I have rectified the situation.
While the Café itself is hardly “on the Lake” I assume they chose that name because the “Boulevard Cafe from which you can see the lake through some trees beyond the lawned area” doesn’t have the same ambience {see picture below} – but what it lacks in proximity to the man made fresh water lake, it more than makes up for in style and customer service. Offering a full service menu from Breakfast through Dinner, the food comes highly recommended – and there is plenty of seating both inside and out. Off street parking is available – which is a plus – and with a southerly wind blowing you can sometimes catch a whiff of the ocean.
If you are attending the Salvation Army ‘Encounters Conference Centre‘ then this place is across the road and away from the beach a bit….so to the review.
Yilki Store – Yilki, SA
60 Franklin Parade, Encounter Bay, SA, 5211
I rediscovered this series of three shops/cafés on the foreshore at Victor Harbor/Yilki/Encounter Bay last Sunday – when I attempted to go and worship with the Uniting Church congregation at Yilki, but was defeated by a change in their service start time, which meant I arrived as Rev. Steve was concluding…but I found these shops. During this week – aka. Christmas Preparation Retreat Week – I ventured one morning down to Franklin Parade, to discover that only one of the three café has a life in the daylight hours of the work-a-day week – which, if I was about 15 years younger would have led me to the conclusion that the other two places are hangouts for vampires…but anyway…
Latte Quality – Good – and it came with small biscotti.
Cost – $4.40 for a large mug.
Coffee Supplier – Vito Coffee – at least that is what all their umbrellas and hoarding said, although after a thorough (3 mins) Google search, I am unable to find anything about Vito Coffee
Fair Trade – No indication – so I would assume not.
Venue Suitable for:
- Quiet Chat/Deep and Meaningful – Definitely - for quite a while I was the only person sitting outside. There is plenty of seating – either under cover, or under the umbrellas.
- Study and Reflection – As long as you can work and not just stare at the bluff, or the ocean, or seal island, or granite island, or small yet un-named island (according to the font of all knowledge – Google Maps)
