Foxy Reviews
Well... its been awhile between drinks but we're back in the Melbourne Coffee review's top 100 for 2012, and as well as the The Age Melbourne Magazine's top 100 cafes for 2012 (yet to be published) which, correct me if I'm wrong, forms the basis for The Age's hardback edition of their Melbourne Cafe Guide?
And this just in:
not a bad little wrap in beanhunter - I've been working pretty hard behind the scenes on our speciality coffee and alternate brewing methods - so its nice to get a little kudos!
We've done it again: FOxy Brown makes it into both the Melbourne Coffee review and the Melbourne Coffee Guide Top 100 cafes (hardback edition) for 2011 - well done team!
OFF THE CHARTS: Foxy Brown 2nd listed in The Age Epicure as one of Melbourne's Top Ten Family Friendly Cafe Environments!!!!! (09/11/10)
STOP PRESS: Foxy Brown scores a whopping 23 out of 25 coffee beans in The Melbourne Coffee Guide (2011) for our coffee, and a chart-topping 4.5 beans out of a possible 5 for the cafe overall:
http://www.thecoffeeguide.com.au/guides.php?cat=7
STOP PRESS: Foxy Brown is the featured cafe in today's (11/08/10) The Weekly Review - both in print media and online:
http://www.theweeklyreview.com.au/article-display/Foxy-Coffee/3096
NEWSFLASH: Guess which cafe is 2nd listed in Melbourne's ultimate breakfast destinations in the Sunday Herald Sun's "The Ultimate Guise to Melbourne" ( 22/08/10)
What was that you said? Foxy Brown is featured in Short Black? The pocket sized guide to Melbourne Speciality Coffee? And now also available online? http://www.shortblk.com.au/
NEWSFLASH: be sure to check out Patrick's feature article on cafe start-ups in the current edition of Crema Magazine! www.bestcafes.com.au
NEWSFLASH: Foxy Brown is rated as Northcote's premier coffee destination in the current Northcote leader! (02/03/10)
NEWSFLASH: Foxy Brown is listed in Melbourne's top ten family friendly cafe destinations in today's Herald Sun! (28/02/10)
Thanks to Ronnie Atlas and his comprehensive and informative guide to Melbourne cafe culture, for his rave review and favourable mention of Foxy Brown...
Foxy Brown
While the residents of Northcote have plenty of fabulous food choices in and around High St, many of which have popped up from nowhere over the past five years, special mention must be made of a recent addition, Foxy Brown*.
It’s a fantastic cafe with a long colourful history, most recently thanks to the eccentricity of the previous owner.
Taking over an existing corner milkbar site after some interesting shenanigans in its’ former incarnation, Pat Sloane and his partner Executive Chef Sun Hyland, have brought their own personal style to this cool, welcome spot for northern suburbs dwellers.
Foxy Brown ticks all the boxes when it comes to providing all things to all people.
It is quiet, has a north facing rear courtyard, ample parking, excellent food, sensational coffee and the owners enjoy an outstanding industry provenance.
Its’ also very child and family friendly, having been nominated as one of Melbourne’s top ten family friendly cafe destinations by the Herald Sun in February 2010
Decorated in 1970’s kitsch fashion, which fits in very neatly with the surrounding houses, it’s a lovely stopping off point that’s away from the more visible, busy and popular High St strip.
Coffee is made on a tricked up 4 group BFC Synchro espresso machine, designed locally but manufactured in Italy especially for the Melbourne coffee market. It uses a larger 20g basket (which is enough for 2 or even 3 standard coffees) but delivers only the standard usual sized cup.
A slight indulgence but it means that every cup is concentrated, with only the best part of the coffee process served and helps to ensure that they’re superb, with no aftertaste or bitterness, every time.
Read more here:
http://www.ronnies-spots.com/foxy-brown/
And this from The Sunday Age - check out the top right hand corner:
Here's one from Crema
(note I write for Crema mag and am the moderator of the Crema discussion forum):
www.bestcafes.com.au/foxy-brown
Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown is one of those rarest of things: a cosy corner cafe in a former house that actually still feels like someone’s living room. Original 70’s furniture pieces provide a cosy backdrop in this long and narrow space, as does mood lighting and front and rear courtyards – which are just the thing for the kids to muck around in!
In fact the space itself has a long history servicing the local community, dating back at least until the 1920’s when it traded as a general store and in its most recent successful incarnation, as an eclectic community-based cafe run by a brilliant if somewhat flawed musician, prior to being taken over by Patrick Sloane, aka Askthecoffeeguy, of the Crema Forum.
Patrick spent six months fine tuning the coffee blend with master roaster Joshua Bailey, who, interestingly flies somewhat beneath the radar in Melbourne – roasting as he does from his lounge room on Errol Street in North Melbourne – and the blend is a combination of high altitude shade grown ingredients which are also available individually as ‘Foxy Bean of the Day’ components. Patrick pulled over 2000 coffees through his coffee machine prior to be opening, to be certain that it was working properly and to thoroughly assess the coffee that he is using – such are his coffee credentials.
In fact one of the first things that you notice about the place is the massive coffee blackboard which dwarfs the kitchen’s daily specials board – which says something about the emphasis on coffee here, as does the two page coffee menu which sits on top of the all day breakfast menu.
Foxy prides itself on being mostly organic and FairTrade wherever possible and uses a unique DEMTER certified biodynamic un-homoginised milk – which is in such short supply that Patrick had to go on a two month waiting list and was interviewed vigorously for several hours before passing muster, and the cafe is still one of only a select few able to stock this product. The milk itself is not cheap but is an integral part of the coffee equation and the coffee itself needs to be experienced to do it justice!
Foxy Brown Espresso Bar & Cafe
31 South Crescent
Northcote VIC 3070
And here's another:
NOVEMBER 25, 2009...5:08 AM
Foxy Brown and the BFC Synchro
Spoke to owner Patrick Sloane about the BFC Synchro machine shown above, detailing the impressive specs of the machine. Designed by students from Monash University and made in Italy, according to Patrick the machine is capable of pulling 50 second double extractions without any blonding or burning (a pretty impressive feat). 20g baskets are used for every coffee and from personal experience I can vouch for the intense flavours this setup is producing. I made the mistake of not recording anything when we were speaking about the machine, but over the next few weeks I’m hoping to sit down with him and have a chat about the equipment as well as coffee in general.
And here's our ongoing discussion thread on Coffeesnobs
The Age – Melbourne
November 24, 2009
Foxy Gets a Wrap on Nine MSN:
Cosy café that feels like home
By Ashley Felderhof, Crema magazine
Foxy Brown is one of those rarest of things: a cosy corner café in a former house that actually still feels like someone's living room — in fact, original 70's furniture pieces provide a cosy backdrop in this long and narrow space, as does mood lighting in front and rear courtyards.
Such is the emphasis on coffee at Foxy, that one of the first things you notice about the place is the massive coffee blackboard on the wall, which dwarfs the kitchen's daily specials board.
Owner Patrick Sloane spent six months fine tuning the coffee blend with master roaster Joshua Bailey. The espresso blend they came up with is a combination of high altitude shade-grown ingredients, which are also available individually as 'Foxy Bean of the Day' components.
It's not only about the coffee, however, Foxy also specialises in organic food. With menu items like Harlem Hustle — poached eggs, free range bacon, baked mushrooms, NY potatoes with a roast tomato and chipotle salsa ($16), or the Byron Bustle — scrambled tofu with olives, baby spinach, fresh herbs and cashew dukka on pumpkin sourdough ($12), you'd wish you could eat here every day!
Foxy prides itself on being mostly organic and uses Fairtrade coffee wherever possible. And they're such coffee purists that they even use a special certified biodynamic un-homogenised milk to balance the perfect brew. We can handle coffee fanatics like that!
Foxy Brown Espresso Bar & Café
31 South Crescent
Northcote VIC 3070
Tel: 03 9481 4454
read more here:
http://recipefinder.ninemsn.com.au/reviews/985523/cosy-caf-233-that-feels-like-home
Nice to get a mention in Espressoism by AndreasM:
http://espressoism.blogspot.com/
Foxy Brown
31a South Crescent,
Northcote
Located in a residential back street, Pat's created a great coffee focussed cafe.
They offer their house blend and a range of single origins which are all fair trade certified.
I wont get into the whole fair trade thing, i'll just say that it's good to see someone put so much effort into developing a blend with their roaster (Josh Bailey), it's almost like blends have gone out of fashion with the great single origins available lately, yet since starting to roast i've come to appreciate the art/skill in creating a blend - might need to go into it in a separate post.
Worth trying is the 'flight of coffees' if you're up for 3 shots back to back, a ristretto, espresso and piccolo latte of your choice of blend/origin.
