Velluto Nero
In spite of the fact that Velluto Nero struck gold with the Sydney Morning Herald Good Living crowd [April 08], we found it surprisingly empty when our reviewers first visited late last year.
First, the coffee. Our flat white came with a nice rosetta, but lacked body or any special character; hopefully the espresso would be better. It wasn’t, but luckily when we review a cafe we take it so seriously we go several times, and our reviewer’s piccolo latte on the third visit was quite good – maybe it was a different barista! However, from a coffee perspective it’s got nothing on Mecca, just around the corner.
Velluto Nero serve a range of sandwiches and other simple lunch items, but the menu was of surprisingly lacklustre quality, considering they pose as a potential lunch option for busy city workers. In fact, the Roasted Vegetable Focaccia I had was probably the worst ever – it was so tasteless, it could have won a blandness award in a Monty Python skit.
They have a roaster in the front, as if to emphasise their roasting credentials and proudly showcase their ‘coffee awards’. In fact, they’re great on the self-promotion, but there has to be a reason this place is not buzzing. The 1978 Brunello Rondi film of the same name got a 4.6 out of 10 in a film buff site we visited and in this reviewer’s mind, we would find it hard to rate the cafe much higher.
Velluto Nero
259 Clarence St, City
Tags: barista, cafes, cafes australia, coffee, espresso, espresso coffee, Sydney cafes, Sydney restaurants, Velluto Nero
May 27th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Pretty much concur entirely with this review.
I have been a long time fan of Mecca and first heard about Velluto Nero (now Vella Nero) via the abovementioned “Gold Medal” award.
So anticipating big things I went there in 2008 on at least five occassions (and again last week). The double espressos and ristrettos I ordered on these visits were essentially unremarkable, with no clearly discernible characteristics. Either their coffee roasting practices are poor, or their blend is, well, rubbish.
I find it exasperating is that a supposed authoritative and widely trusted reviewing body could miss the mark so badly. And for the reviewers themselves, it reveals an almost embarassing lack of ability.
This is perhaps a bit harsh, but I really cannot fathom how anyone serious and discerning about coffee could get excited about this place.
June 4th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Interesting feedback Spicelab – have to say your comments re-inforce what we at Crema have felt for a long time about the mainstream media – ie that they really have very little idea as to what makes a good coffee, and their cafe reviews for those who are serious about coffee, are essentially useless.