Sydney was my final stop on this year’s Australia trip and, in many ways, I’d saved the best until last. Good coffee abounds in Sydney and top of my list was one of the city’s pioneers, Single O, which celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year. And where better to start than Single O’s flagship café in Surry Hills, the place where it all began 20 years ago? Except, of course, my first introduction to Single O came five years earlier at its Tasting Bar in the Single O Roastery in Tokyo. Oh well…

The Surry Hills café is long and thin, split into separate sit-in and takeaway sections either side of the central counter. There’s also plenty of seating outside. Originally the back of the café was home to the roastery. This is long since gone, but Single O still roasts all its coffee, with two blends and a rotating single-origin on espresso, two single-origins on batch-brew filter (both on tap!), plus cold brew and two tasting flights, with all the beans available to buy in retail bags. There are also juices, beer and wine, while the large all-day brunch menu means you’re equally well catered for when it comes to food.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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Single O is split between Sydney (roastery, Surry Hills café and a Saturday Farmers’ Market stall) and Tokyo (café, plus the roastery, home to the Tasting Bar which I visited in 2018). The Surry Hills café is a few minutes’ (uphill) stroll from Sydney’s Central Station, where I’d arrived by train from Melbourne. Located on the corner of Reservoir Street and Hands Lane, Single-O is long and thin, the short side facing Reservoir Street, where there’s plenty of outside seating.

This is split between the pavement and the side of the road, where customers are protected from the passing traffic by a row of solid, waist-high barriers. In all, there are five two-person tables on the street with another six on the pavement, three in front of Single O and three more to the left. Single O offers full table service, so if you’re staying, present yourself at the door, which is on the corner at 45°. Here a polite notice asks you to wait to be seated, while a more jovial sign points around the corner for “takeaways & short stays”.

Taking this option leads to a separate takeaway counter at the back of Single O, facing onto Hands Lane, where there’s additional seating in the shape of stools and a bar on the opposite side of the street. The counter has its own three-group La Marzocco Linea espresso machine, along with batch-brew filter on tap, a full set of retail shelves and takeaway food options, including hot pies.

Inside, a central counter runs from the back wall to just short of the door. Everything to the right is for “takeaways & short stays”, including a narrow, three-person bar at the front. Meanwhile the seating to the left is reserved for longer stays. A row of three two-person tables lines the front window, while eight more run along the left-hand wall opposite the counter, ending at the kitchen at the back. Finally, you can sit at the counter itself on one of four tall bar chairs with views across to the Linea. However, if you’re sitting in, the chances are your coffee will be made on one of the two Modbar group heads at the front of the counter.

I visited twice, first for coffee, returning the following day for brunch. On arrival, you’ll be shown to a table, where you’ll find the extensive menu, which includes an introduction to Single O at the front and a two-page glossary at the back. On both occasions I was drawn to the flight options: the filter flight on my first visit and the Double-down (an espresso and flat white) on my return.

My filter flight consisted of the Shantawene, a washed coffee from Ethiopia, and the Finca La Julia, a double diamond processed coffee from Costa Rica, plus the cold brew (made using the Finca La Julia). Served on a tray, each coffee had its own information card. Both were really fine, with the Finca La Julia the sweeter, fruitier and more full-bodied of the two, while the Shantawene was cleaner, with a lighter mouthfeel. The cold brew, meanwhile, confirmed that cold brew still isn’t for me.

The following day, I was presented with the Manos Juntas, a naturally-processed coffee from Colombia. As an espresso, it was excellent, with a fruity, front of mouth taste and a touch of sharpness. It also made for a very fine flat white, the flavours of the coffee pairing well with the oat milk, which I’d found over the course of my three weeks in Australia to be much more to my taste than dairy.

However, the last word goes to my brunch, an excellent poached eggs on toast, with avocado and mushrooms.

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