Paper Cup

Six businesses in, Sydney café mogul Adriano Matteoni (of Glebe’s Clipper and Annandale’s Clover fame) has finally opened the shop he’s always dreamed about.

A two-minute stroll from Stanmore Station, walking into Paper Cup – with its bare concrete floor and exposed brick walls – feels strangely akin to entering a bomb bunker hidden beneath Camperdown Cellars. Boldly straddling the line between minimalist and bleak, the colour scheme would be completely monochrome if it wasn’t for a cluster of red pendant lights with exposed wiring hanging from the ceiling.

On ground level, a shiny new Synesso espresso machine – the Rolls Royce of coffee ware – sits staunchly on the counter, producing near perfect espresso shots and one-size-only takeaways with the help of a friendly Japanese barista-in-the-making. Under the guidance of an encouraging Matteoni, these shots are pulled using Paper Cup’s own ‘Natsu’ blend of Coffee Alchemy beans. There’s cold drip on offer too, which is left to stand for twenty-four hours to develop its rich caramel body before being served over ice.

The menu is as stripped back as the shop fit-out, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for with unique flavour pairings. Fried eggs come out beautifully runny in the pan, with Serrano ham, sage and dense toast. The Baharat beans with labne, maple syrup and toast offers a Middle Eastern take on the humble baked beans. Same goes for the Arabian Bircher with fruit and yoghurt – the star of the menu – despite traversing the dessert side of breakfast.

A couple of sandwich options see Paper Cup punching in the breakfast/lunch weight division, but only just. If Matteoni’s previous cafes were built on a tried-and-tested inner-west formula, then Paper Cup sees him venture off the safe and familiar path for the time being.

Paper Cup: 157/161 Cambridge St, Stanmore

Berry Sourdough Bakery and Cafe

In a town scattered with bakeries, hot bread shops, and a famous roadside doughnut van, it's a tough call deciding where to blow your carb intake for the day in Berry. But if you drive through the town centre and veer right off the main road, you'll find a likely candidate in the form of a regular whitewashed terrace house with a not-so-regular queue of customers winding halfway down the street.

Brother owners of Berry Sourdough Bakery & Cafe (or 'the Sourdough' as locals fondly refer to it) Joost and Jelle Hilkemeijer offer more than a mouthful of a name; their range of organic, hand-crafted baked goods and dine-in menu are a testament to the cafe's semi-rural location and ex city dwelling chefs ­– or as some might call it – the best of both worlds. An old school Alan Scott oven is used by a team of talented bakers to create such bready offerings as rye, corn, Levain Blanc, olive and brioche; each rested for a minimum of three hours and set to rise in willow baskets (the kind you can probably remember from your grandma's house).

For the pastry contingent, the brothers have hired a French-schooled-Japanese-hailing pastry chef who puts out croissants touted as some of the best in the country. But the buck doesn't stop at over the counter baked goods; the in-house breakfast and lunch menu is a high country affair – more manor than farmhouse – with a focus on fine local produce. From the homemade jams and preserves served with their house special sourdough, to the French toast with organic maple syrup, local smoked bacon and baked honey and pistachio ricotta, the menu dresses simple, high quality produce with some fancy modern trimmings. They also appear to be serious about their coffee, serving up speedy, boutique-roasted ristrettos and takeaway lattes to hordes of sleepy locals.

For a more substantial lunch plate, there's homemade chicken liver parfait with sourdough toast and papaya salad, spinach and ricotta ravioli with Mittagong tunnel mushrooms, and an abundance of local seafood options including local South Coast rock oysters, or zucchini and haloumi fritters with cured ocean trout, roe and cucumber. Told you this wasn't just a bakery.

Whether you're stopping off to pick up a fresh baguette and some pastries for a homemade afternoon tea on your Berry long-stay, or for a lazy brunch with the paper, Berry’s Sourdough Bakery is sure to please, as it has been since opening in 2003. It's the best thing to happen on this side of the Shoalhaven River, well, ever.

Berry Sourdough Bakery & Café - 23 Prince Alfred Street, Berry NSW