Hay St
Perth 6000
Phone: Ring Ring No Ring
Hours:
Mon-Fri 7am-3.30pm
I discovered the SRO café in one of my visits to the Piccadilly Cinemas. I was instantly attracted to it by its Italian concept, the vintage super-stylish look of the place, and its location in the lovely Piccadilly Arcade. Then, I saw their blackboard (see the photo), stating very seriously what they do and what they stand for - Infatuation in five seconds. I told myself, this is the sort of café who cares and caters for coffeeholics of the world. Yet, here I am, a bit disappointed.THE PLACE - I triple-love the place. It is the class of it, its vintage ambience and music, the coffee addict messages on the mirrors, the painted chalkboards, the wonderful flowers painted on the lamps, that awesome ice-dripping syphon for ice coffee and glass steamer that look so very artistic, the gorgeous coffee machines and coffee grinders... almost everything! I say almost, because the coffee cups are plain and look out of place here.
THE SERVICE - The young staff are not only gorgeous looking, but friendly and smiley, especially the girl, who really pops up because of her genuine friendliness. All of them are courteous and operate the machine with the precision of a surgeon operating on a dangerous ill patient, but my coffee deserves their concentration.
THE COFFEE - This should be the first thing to comment about a café, right? Especially this being a place that claims that steams the milk just once, roast beans to order and has very professional baristas who take very seriously anything coffee. Perhaps my expectations were too high after SRO's self-promotion and my fatal attraction towards style with capitals.
Their coffee is well prepared, but OK in flavour. Sometimes, my three-shot flat white is weak and bland (how can that be possible?!), others it is stronger and nice, always better without sugar or sweetener. Never wow in flavour. It might be the "Five Senses" beans, which are not that sensual to me, the roasting of the beans, the age of the beans, the grinding of the beans, the milk, or the barista operating the "machinery". Dunno. My royal tongue wants a more creamy flavoursome coffee that is consistently prepared and has always the same flavour disregarding the day I visit. I cannot explain why their coffee does not taste better, SRO having all the paraphernalia they have and the enthusiasm they put into preparing our coffee.
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I stand in the room only to tell you that I do want to love you more, honey, but you do not give me what I need. I hope you get fit for summer and wow me with your sexy syphon. MIND
The place does not have EPFTOS. I asked one of the guys if it is temporarily, and I was told that no, that the place and location is not set properly for using EFTPOS. I wonder how the other shops in Piccadilly do have it, then.
