In Short: Frankie’s Beans Specialty Coffee Roaster in Darlinghurst Sydney combines a passionate artisan, a single-minded focus on producing exceptional coffee, and letting the best ingredients shine through. Any serious coffee connoisseur has to put the F.A.B. extraction on their bucket list.
You know that feeling when you shake someone’s hand and you can just tell they’re the real deal, a genuine person that walks the walk. Shake Frank Andrew’s hand and there’s no doubt he’s as authentic as the exceptional coffee he crafts at Frankie’s Beans in Sydney’s Darlinghurst.
In Sydney we throw around adjectives about coffee like the latte-sipping-hipster-crowd tosses balls to their trendy puppers at the local dog park. Occasionally though, you come across a cup that is truly worthy of the words outstanding, brilliant, and innovative. That cup lives at Frankie’s Beans Specialty Coffee Roaster and that’s where we pull up a seat in front of Frankie’s customised Sanremo beauty.
Frankie wastes no time getting the show rolling with perhaps the most significant game changing brew we’ve had in a very long time. The F.A.B. or Fractional Atmospheric Brew process extracts a nectar from the El Salvador origin beans that is at once ethereal in its lightness and yet definitive in its origin’s notes.
The F.A.B. process reveals all the flavour nuances while imparting an amazing body and smoothness that seems to defy its raw chemistry. It has that creamy, buttery mouth-feel of a milk coffee and yet no milk…go figure! We sampled the 15g intensity and it’s just perfect on the tongue. While it’s stunning hot, I could sip this just as eagerly when chilled. Simply superb!
Next up in the caffeine onslaught is the smooth and creamy cappuccino with a single origin blend, called the 3 Columbians, at its core. According to Frank, it’s actually a single origin bean roasted three ways and results in a bold, yet silky finish with notes of dark chocolate and nuts leading the chorus. One of the very best we’ve had in Sydney.
Time to soak up some of the caffeine that is starting to go straight to the head. A bountiful Brekky Bowl bounds to the table and there’s no mistaking it’s healthy intent. This cornucopia of nutritious and delicious ingredients tempts the tongue with flavours of Japan as miso influences accent meaty mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, roast tomato and avocado, and a glorious poached egg. It’s that perfect balance of lightness and satisfaction in one bowl.
The 9 Spiced Chai sparkles with subtly sweet notes of creamy comfort as the Sydney winter chill winds its way though the streets of King Cross. Peeking out from Frankie’s Beans into the bustle and bluster, it’s calming to know that the only worry right now is making this warming chai last a few sips longer.
Forks at the ready, we tuck into another nourishing plate of goodness. The Healthy Benedict treats the humble chooky treasures with the respect they deserve. No gloopy, greasy mess smothering these gooey orbs, they are presented atop a throne of crunchy sourdough, sautéed spinach, roast tomato, and rocket. Simple is best when you’re working with quality.
The hits just keep on coming with another cup of the good stuff, and the long black again highlights the magic in every drop of Frankie’s Beans coffee. It is amazing how refined the flavours are in all his various preparations. There’s not hint of bitterness or harshness, even when Frankie pushes the extractions into robust and bold directions. Coffee mastery is a thing to behold.
As if we haven’t already been bowled over by the previous plates, another makes its entrance in the form of the café staple of Smashed Avo. Again, Frankie’s chef lets the quality ingredients do the talking with smooth avo covering a golden, crunchy sourdough, spiked with creamy feta and kissed with a tangy balsamic and oregano. Nicely done!
Frankie’s Beans Specialty Coffee Roaster is a text book example of what getting the basic elements of any café right can achieve. Combine a passionate artisan, a single minded focus on producing exceptional coffee, and letting the best ingredients shine through, and you’ve got that magical mix that stands out from the crowd. Bravo!
*Coco & Vine dined as guests of Frankie’s Beans Specialty Coffee Roaster.
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