Whole Bean Espresso, Marrickville

By Corridor Kitchen On August 10, 2012 · 7 Comments · In Cafés

You’ve gotta love a coffee place that bills itself as ‘the second best coffee in Marrickville’ (and the 11th best in Australia). Regardless of the quality of their coffee, its fair to assume they have a sense of humour. At least, that was my logic the first time I tried to go to Whole Bean, on a Saturday, but the joke was on me as at that point, they weren’t open Saturdays (they are now), so I added them to my list for sometime soon.

‘Sometime soon’ came sooner than I thought, as one gorgeous day last week I headed there with my partner in coffee and in life to try the second best coffee in Marrickville. Whole Bean is housed in a Marrickville Warehouse just off Victoria Road, and comprised of a coffee roaster, syphon bar and more edison light bulbs than you can poke a stick at, not to mention recycled coffee sacks and velvet curtains. It’s a cavernous space, and one you can rent out for functions, should you be so inclined. The space is large and there’s plenty of seating, another benefit of many cafes in this part of town.

Our coffee arrives and my macch looks suspiciously like a ristretto. I return it and they make me a macch at lightning speed. Maybe it’s because when I was a kid, my mum used to give me the foam off her cappucino after a morning’s grocery shopping, but I’m a fan of a macch with plenty of foam, and this one doesn’t deliver. However, it’s a good macch. My partner’s picollo impresses the pants off him, thankfully not literally, but it has a the deep, solid and well rounded flavour that stands up to the generous slosh of milk you get in a picollo.

It seems counter intuitive, but there’s more good coffee in Marrickville than there is in somewhere like Newtown. Maybe it has something to do with the abundance of warehouses (and thus coffee roasters), but then how would you explain Surry Hills? Either way, Whole Bean is a solid coffee choice in a solid coffee suburb. We’ll be back.

Whole Bean
38 Chapel Street
Marrickville NSW 2204
02 9565 4063
http://www.wholebean.com.au/
Monday to Friday: 7:00am – 3:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am – 3:00pm
Closed Sundays

7 Responses to Whole Bean Espresso, Marrickville

Prick With a Fork says:

August 10, 2012 at 5:59 pm

Without being pedantic, but shouldn’t a macchiato only have a marking of milk, not a lot of foam?

Anyway, de gustibus non est disputandum. I love macchiatos. The staff at a cafe near a former office used to call me “Mac Lovin'” in tribute to my penchant for the pour.
- Lau says:
  
  August 15, 2012 at 10:25 am
  
  You’re absolutely right, but I like mine with a lot of foam. When I said that ‘it doesn’t deliver’, I meant it doesn’t deliver what I would ideally like – foam. It was a perfectly fine example of a macch, although there wasn’t much of a mark on it tbh.
Gaby says:

August 10, 2012 at 6:28 pm

I’m curious to know what’s the best coffee in Marrickville…
Gaby recently posted…Holidays in Perú (20 – 21 July 2012, Santiago – Sydney)
Miss Piggy says:

August 10, 2012 at 7:03 pm

Can I make a confession…I have NO IDEA what a ristretto is…and I’m not actually sure that I really know what a maach is…I thought it was a little black coffee. Can you still be my friend…after my confession?
Miss Piggy recently posted…Double Roasters, Marrickivlle
Alana says:

August 13, 2012 at 6:19 pm

The coffee warehouse scene in Marrickville is off the chain the lately (no sarcasm, this is a good good thing). This place looks like a really bright and naturally lit space, super pleasant! Love the little Japanese flag hanging there too. Better add this to list of Victoria-Road-esque places to try!

I think Newtown is definitely “killing off” (for lack of a better term) any boutique eateries thanks to high rent and whatnot, Marrickville is totally the new cool of the Inner West.
Alana recently posted…Simple Chocolate Cake + Raspberries / A Photo Shoot
Steve at the Pub says:

August 15, 2012 at 10:20 am

I’m with the Prick. Words have meanings, a “Macchiato” is a “Marking”.
Besides, umpteen years of coffee making history would go west for a macchiato to be anything but a black coffee with a “mark” of milk in it.
Steve at the Pub recently posted…Credit…!!
Anna@ The Littlest Anchovy says:

August 16, 2012 at 12:19 pm

I have sent this post to my brother who is moving to Marrickville soon! I am with you, love a bit of froth on my Macch…
Anna@ The Littlest Anchovy recently posted…Date and Walnut Loaf