I’m a firm believer in magic. Truly honestly I am and it’s the kind of thinking that makes my very scientific and logical husband just despair and roll his eyes with a tight, tolerant smile (think the same smile one gives to a potentially violent mental patient). So when I see an item on the cafe menu that says “Magic $3.50″ I point at the item in question and say to him “Look! I told you there was magic!”
We’re sitting at Joe Black which is a place near where Mr NQN works. When I want Mr NQN to do something I go about it the wrong way. I do a version of a child tugging at their parent’s pants or skirt and repeat requests a lot. When Mr NQN wants to insist that we do something he simply mentions that “We really should go there” and he says it with such a serious tone that I know he means business. And several times he talked about the coffee at Joe Black and said “You really should go there” with that serious look replacing his usual impish countenance.
I have walked into Joe Black and have staked a place at the communal table while Mr NQN is parking the car. It’s a small cafe but with cosy service and they ask me if I would like a coffee while I am waiting. I’m uncertain and the barista holds up his palms and says “No pressure” while the girl behind the counter laughs and jokingly says “I’m just going to stare at you until you order” and pretends to stare avidly for a moment. I look around-there are walls full of memorabilia and just near the kitchen are four cookie jars suspended above the counter with cookies for $3 ranging from “chunky funky monkeys” to “giant rainbow cookies” and a rather amusing one called “Fresh Air” for $20-this of course being an empty cookie jar.
When Mr NQN arrives we take a seat at a table in a little further as its an unseasonably chilly Spring day. We face a wall of what look to be family school photos, along with a photo of what looks like someone’s first teenage car. Bags of moustache stamped coffee sit on the counter and a coffee siphon machine sits to one side. Mr NQN usually orders a long black but today he has the time to try a siphon coffee which takes time both to make and to drink as you usually let it sit for about 5 minutes. Both luxuries he can’t really afford on a busy work day.
They set down some enamel cups and brown beer bottles filled with water while we peruse the small, neat selection of menu items. There are five breakfast items available all day and four lunch items available after noon with a note that there is a “full menu coming soon (please be patient).” Items are described cheekily with items such as “granola with diced apple and berry compote (very fancy)” and “pikelet stack with stuff” and there’s a selection of sandwiches by John Daly randomly named after the notoriously unhealthy golfer. We ask the waitress for her recommendations and whether we should get the steak sandwich or one of the sandwiches and she says “The steak sandwich, I can’t lie, it’s awesome.”
Flat white $3.50
The coffee as to be expected is very good and very drinkable with very little bitterness to it.
Making the siphon coffee
We watch as the siphon coffee is prepared which prompts the table next to us do too. They’re unfamiliar with the concept and we all watch as the barista measures the temperature of the water and adds the grounds to make the siphon coffee. He then takes a sip from a small glass to try it and satisfied with it pours it into a clear glass and brings it over to our table along with a small cigar tin that houses a square of folded paper explaining where the coffee comes from and advises us to wait 5 minutes for the best results. There are three siphon coffees available and we went with their recommendation, a honey roasted coffee from Costa Rica.
Tasting notes on the siphon coffee-a Costa Rican bean
Siphon coffee $6
Siphon coffee is drunk without milk or sugar and is often described as a cross between the strength of tea and coffee and it is. If you want big, bold coffee this isn’t for you but Mr NQN loves long blacks and he contemplates it like a wine and really likes this although it’s more of a special treat for him.
Pikelet stack with stuff $11
The food arrives on green metal plates and I dig into the three tier pikelet stack which is topped with fresh fruit as well as a berry compote and whipped ricotta which has a texture and taste like lovely sweet yogurt. And between the first and second pikelets is a surprise layer with sweet berry jam and more whipped ricotta.
Chivi Steak sandwich with graviche (it’s French for yum) $13
I’m still none the wiser what a chivi steak or graviche is (I initially thought it was sauce gribiche but it tastes more aioli than gribiche) but this is a fat lightly toasted sandwich with lovely soft bread encasing a mix of bacon, steak (very tender and there’s no chewiness at all), caramelised onion, tomato, lettuce and garlickly aioli which is just how I like a steak sandwich. It’s quite filling though and a deceptively large serve. I’m not sure if the side salad, a small side number using iceberg lettuce, tomato and red onion is done with irony of the salads from the 70s or not and I mostly leave this. Come to think of it it probably is…
Just because an inside close up is necessary for research purposes… 
Magic (not real magic, just ask) $3.50
But I did mention magic didn’t I? Well we couldn’t leave without trying some magic so we order a magic which is a double ristretto flat white or cappucino in a three quarter size . “It’s a Melbourne thing” our friendly waitress says and nods her head at the barista who hails from Melbourne. I turn to watch Mr NQN who is drinking his little bit of magic for the day.
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried siphon coffee? And are you more of a tea or coffee drinker? And do you believe in magic? 
Anyone for Fresh Air? ;)
Joe Black
27 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills, NSW
No phone number yet (they’re in the process of getting one they say)
Open: Monday to Friday 7am-5pm, Saturday 7am-4pm and Sunday 7am-2pm
Cash only
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53 Comments | Add your own
Never tried siphon coffee, now I am curious. The cafe seems to have a great sense of humour. And its awesome that they sell ANZAC’s though $3 seems a bit steep for 1 cookie
Not only have I not tried siphon coffee, I’d never even heard about it until reading this post! Thanks for the enlightenment!
Interesting place.
This looks like a fun place! I drink tea at home as I can’t stand instant, but when I am out and there is proper coffee, I go for that.
I am yet to try siphon coffee! But I am intrigued!
I’m open to the idea of magic existing. My partner is all into science and facts!
I love tea and coffee the same I think. I haven’t tried siphon coffee but it sounds beautiful and smooth.
I like tea and I don’t believe in magic – not real magic anyway!
I prefer siphon coffee over any other types. But it’s really potent and may not suit everyone. Come to think of it, i love both tea and coffee.
I’m so going there, right now!
I’ve never seen siphon coffee but I’m not a coffee drinker anyway so probably wouldn’t notice. Green tea is my warming drink of choice.
Definitely a magic believer. Why not? To me it seems very closed-minded not to believe in things like magic.
Auwww… really want the pikelet badly… it looks sooo delish… Yes, everytime I read Melbourne Bloggers they always ordered magic, so now we have it here, will try it ASAP… thanks Lorraine
Ha, cute mo!
I have never tried siphon coffee – I like milk and sugar in mine. Definitely a flat white girl here.
Totally believe in magic, Mr HG does the same thing, I’ve even seen the awkward nod as he backs away from me. Lol! Never tried the coffee, I’m not really a coffee drinker, it sends me loopy. But, great review, looks lovely, my type of venue.
I do love my espresso coffee, having grown up in an Italian family, it’s second nature. I’ve never tried (or heard of-and I’m from Melbourne) siphon coffee. When I’m not drinking espresso (don’t ask me how many per day) I’m having a black tea, so siphon coffee could suit. Next time I see it in a cafe, I promise I will try it. (drinking a tea as I write). As for believing in magic, of course I do. I think I’m the biggest “Harry Potter” fan around at the age of 40
That place looks so Surry Hills – a little bit hipster, a little bit unusual and very unpretentious.
I’d be keen to try a siphon coffee for curiosity sakes. Is it worth the wait I wonder?
I think *you’re* Mr NQN’s magic of the day
Fun on a Monday morning
! Can’t remember having had siphon coffee – another thing to look out for!! Me: drink black coffee in the morning, wine during the day and loads of green tea at night. Magic: no, I don’t believe in what is usually termed ‘magic’, but see magical things happening around me all day, be it a gurgling baby, a butterfly settling next to me or a spring blossom opening. Oh, love is magic too, isn’t it 
!
I heard a comedian say that ‘science is boring magic’
ha ha
Quirky! I like it!
Siphon coffee is the new big thing in the States, too. The equipment is quite pricey, so that’s why the coffee is more expensive to purchase, too. But yes, worth it to try at least once for the experience.
awesome another interesting cafe for my next trip down in sydney!
Siphon coffee sounds really interesting…I am bringing in a product called Crio Bru which would be treated in the same way.It is made from roasted chocolate beans and you brew it like coffee,but it needs TLC for best results. Thanks for the info…good to know there are artisans out there for this sort of thing, and promoting it to educate us all! xx
I’ve never had siphon coffee… I have mine strong enough to take the enamel off your teeth and dark as pitch… bitter nearly burnt… then I put honey in it!!! I know call me crazy.
Also I’ve never heard pikelet before… is that a pancake?? You guys have some terms we don’t use up here!!
I would love to try the Siphon coffee, something new for me.
This place looks cooler than cool, what with the siphon coffee and stuff
And speaking of Melbourne, there’s also a Joe Black there, in Little Collins St, but I think it’s a menswear shop or something.
Totally a believer in magic (I am renowned for often trying to get things to hoover by firmly instructing “wingardium leviosa” at them)!
But good coffee is a much more tangible love, so Joe Black looks like it’s a place to try!
Give thanks to Mr NQN for the discovery!!
I’d kike to belive in magic, I’m just not sure… but I difinitely belive in whimsy and serendipity, which are just as exciting!
My littlej is a budding scientist and (decaf only!!!)coffee lover, and would be fascinated with the siphon coffee.
Fascinating–Siphon coffee hasn’t made it to my part of Mexico yet. I love the look of the machines. Love the look of the results!
I love that steak sandwich, especially when it’s got bacon in it as well! You’re probably right about the look of that 70s style salad
—Dear, Lorraine,
I shall have a cuppa the “Flat white” Pleeeease. Every. Single. Morning. xx
Steak sandwiches and proper, fantastic coffee. Quickest way I know I’m back in Sydney. Can’t wait to check it out.
Fun! I love the cafe name and their humour shown throughout
I’m a tea drinker, and I would love nothing more than for Harry Potter-style magic to exist, but alas, it doesn’t – not on that scale and power anyway
I beleive in magic too
and btw, this is the most gorgeous looking cuppa ….oh! how I wish I was there too….enjoy the spring there and look fwd to the winter…the summer has gone for us and we are now in autumn 
but then looking fwd to pumpkin days!
So good to now read blogs on breakfast / brunch / coffee places! Surry Hills is just around the corner too and even though I dont drink coffee, I appreciate a pretty looking one!
I love how that cafe has a serious sense of humor and fun! (Not to mention some really substantial sandwiches!)
i need to go on a fresh air diet..:)
ooo glad that you went to go finally! i really like their coffee and definitely will be back for a cup or two….
I want me some of that magic! Wasn’t Joe Black the character played by Brad Pitt who was actually the personification of death? Great name for a coffee shop!
Never tried siphon coffee, which is a shame because I LOVE coffee! I could also decimate an Earl Grey though. I don’t believe in magic, but I wish Harry Potter was real.
Unfortunately, I am not a coffee drinker, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy reading all about it.
I am always intrigued by the designs clever people make on coffee surfaces; I’d hate to take a sip and mess it up!
I’m too down to earth (how boring of me) to believe in magic, Lorraine, but I’m young at heart and that’s half the battle, right?
I’ve never had a siphon coffee, but I have had a magic one. It’s just right!
Siphon coffee sounds interesting and one we must try. It is great that the food world is always coming up with a new innovative ideas to try!
For all you Melbourne readers, you can get Siphon Coffee at David Jones in the city….
Take away coffee cup with moustache = totally just made my day =D
what a lovely looking little cafe! love the mustaches on the coffee cups hehe
Very nice review. I have often laughed out loud at your very cute reviews. Thanks.
I want the moustachioed coffee cup!
I’m a tea girl at home but I do love a good coffee.
i absolutely love your blog and you pics are amazing… please never stop lol
“It’s a Melbourne thing”? Ugh, that drives me mad. It’s a coffee. People order it all over, not just in Melbourne.
That said, thanks for showing me a great new coffee place, I went there the other day and it was pretty damn good.
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[...] don't drink coffee, so I'm good, but it seems to me they're doing okay on coffee: Joe Black, Surry Hills @Not Quite Nigella [...]
[...] Sweeten slugs it out to get his cafe Joe Black noticed. Let’s support that. Photo credit: Marco del [...]
[...] Sweeten slugs it out to get his cafe Joe Black noticed. Let’s support that. Photo credit: Marco del [...]
[...] A cup of coffee (siphon if I’m brave) at Joe Black. [...]
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