I know that it is all the rage and everyone seems to be blogging about the best café’s, it’s a bit like stand up comics in the 90’s going on about ‘Spangles’ and ‘Ice Breaker chocolate bars’. But I do miss them, café’s (and Spangles too actually).
Sydney has got one or two fine café’s, not least the magnificent and wonderful Maisy’s on Military Road, Neutral Bay (a stumble down the street from The Oaks!). But that is for another day/another blog. So here are three to be getting on with…
ALFREDO’S
My favourite café was Alfredo’s on Islington Green, where I went for breakfast on my wedding day. Despite the obvious last meal of a condemned man scenario, I always loved the whole brilliant approach to how you got served. “Me Mum’s clocked ya”, were the words you longed to hear.
In all the times I went to Alfredo’s, I never once got short-changed, forgotten, the wrong order, offered an egg-plant on crusty ciabatta, was kept waiting for a seat longer than 10 minutes, could see out of the steamed up windows. It was the ideal place to hide away for mornings on end in a fog of toast and the sports pages.
MACARI’S
At the top of Terminus Road. Macari’s was the place to go before the beach and Macari’s was the place to go after the beach. Two fried egg, two slices, mushrooms, beans, fried bread and a cup of tea. Sit down on the orange seats either with friends or a copy of ‘Moonraker’ and prepare for the joys of sunbathing ahead. When the day was done we’d repair back to Macari’s for a cappuccino and maybe an ice cream or some more toast, the juke box would play ‘Theme from Mantrap’ by ABC and we’d plot and play the evening ahead.
Check out Macari’s at the excellent http://www.classiccafes.co.uk/eastbournespecial.htm
THE SPARTAN
Run by Tony & George. We lived in the Spartan Bar & Grill in the early 80's. Hunched over a coffee for hours on end or demolishing a plate of toast in double time (Giro day!). We spent so much time in their, sitting in the window seats, smoking for England, spilling sugar/coffee and tea all over the table, folding and refolding the serviette’s, bouncing on the brown vinyl seats or just watching the comings and goings at Chaterlands.
We became part of the family almost. A mate moved into the flat over the café, we had poker nights, strange trips, early mornings and lazy afternoons there. We even recorded an album of background music under the name ‘The Blue Curacao’ that they actually played over the tinny sound system. (Track names I can vaguely remember were; ‘Two Coffees please Tony’, ‘Can I pay you next time I’m in’, ‘Hey, get your feet off the seats’ and the epic cocktail jazz psych freak out ‘Spartan Special Grill’!
4 comments:
Chaterlands music had a really cool Staccato drumkit in the window for ages. I saw Piers Chater-Robinson in an episode of Bergerac on UK Gold the other day.
Macaris and the Spartan - quality dining. My brother loved it in the Spartan though I believe he was threatened by someone with a fork there one evening.
Having lived above Chaterlands for a while, I remember the drumkit.
Must admit I didn't realise that PCR had hit the big time in Bergerac!
As for 'only' being threatened with a fork in The Spartan, they obviously liked him then!
I think the Spartan was the only place you could eat after 9PM in Eastbourne ...probaly still the case.
Sad to say, Macaris is a gonner although I saw one in Worthing a couple of weeks ago. It was never the same after Lou left to play for Celtic.
Glad to see that the Winter Garden made your top 10 venues - actually a similar to list to my own. I liked the place at Angel (the Powerhouse?) too. The Stones once played Horsham btw - so anything's possible.
Sadly, I think the Spartan has long since changed hands. Tony & George the guys who ran it for ages must surely had enough of surly teenagers coming in and surviving five hours on a cup of tea!
As for the Stones playing in Horsham, who'd have thought! Actually given their career trajectory, you might be lucky enough to catch them there again in about five years time!
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