Troy McNaughtonBald Men Know Chocolate: Max Brenner
June 15th 2006 18:00
What happens when your regular late night café haunt closes?
You reconvene, you brainstorm, you wrack your respective brains (because it’s not polite to wrack others’) for other locations for an already-organised coffee.
At 8pm last Sunday, Belaroma in Lindfield was closed. For no good reason I could see. After all, there’s not a lot to be seen in a darkened café.
What to do what to do what a to-do. This coffee convention (as in convening for coffee… I’m not THAT much of a coffee geek) had been planned for at least 3 weeks and on the eve of StuVac proper we were not about to let our varied travel investments be for naught. Nought. Apparently you can spell it either way.
So we tripped down the Pacific Highway, onto Mona Vale Road, past the “yoothz” loitering menacingly by the side of the road, past Mona Vale shopping centre, to the well-hidden but apparently well-known and well-patronised Max Brenner’s at Shop 1, Ground Floor, 235 Monavale Rd, St Ives. For other franchises click here.
Yes, it’s a chain. But not a coffee chain. A chocolate chain. Much like Death by Chocolate or that other one that was around before Max Brenner.
Here was the place to be on a Sunday evening – it was packed with kids too young to drink but too old to be accompanied by their parents. Apparently it’s a big favourite with the locals and it was open well into the night (I think we left about 10.30ish).
And yes, it serves coffee. It even serves it without the chocolate element. But really, what’s the point of that?
And we like weirdo mugs that are shaped more like a tear-drop when you look at it from the top – perfect for pouring straight into your mouth. And of course after your mocha, you might need a chocolate lick for dessert: the cheapest thing on the menu for only $2, a pot of melted chocolate and a paddle.
Simple pleasures my friends, simple pleasures.
But it’s not all fun and games. It was REALLY hard to find a table at 8pm. Easier as the night went on, and for the caffeine-sensitive among us, perhaps a hot chocolate makes more sense on a Sunday night.
So if you’re ever at a loss for late night venues or just can’t sate your chocolate craving with 7-11 overpriced Cadbury’s, check out the bald man, creating “chocolate culture”.
*NB: you have to like teenagers and women of all ages. These are the two main demographics of such an establishment. Mums at all hours, and teenagers after hours. No picking up boys – they’re only there with their mums and girlfriends, and you DON’T want to assume wrong with that distinction. Eww….
You reconvene, you brainstorm, you wrack your respective brains (because it’s not polite to wrack others’) for other locations for an already-organised coffee.
At 8pm last Sunday, Belaroma in Lindfield was closed. For no good reason I could see. After all, there’s not a lot to be seen in a darkened café.
What to do what to do what a to-do. This coffee convention (as in convening for coffee… I’m not THAT much of a coffee geek) had been planned for at least 3 weeks and on the eve of StuVac proper we were not about to let our varied travel investments be for naught. Nought. Apparently you can spell it either way.
Yes, it’s a chain. But not a coffee chain. A chocolate chain. Much like Death by Chocolate or that other one that was around before Max Brenner.
Here was the place to be on a Sunday evening – it was packed with kids too young to drink but too old to be accompanied by their parents. Apparently it’s a big favourite with the locals and it was open well into the night (I think we left about 10.30ish).
And yes, it serves coffee. It even serves it without the chocolate element. But really, what’s the point of that?
Simple pleasures my friends, simple pleasures.
But it’s not all fun and games. It was REALLY hard to find a table at 8pm. Easier as the night went on, and for the caffeine-sensitive among us, perhaps a hot chocolate makes more sense on a Sunday night.
So if you’re ever at a loss for late night venues or just can’t sate your chocolate craving with 7-11 overpriced Cadbury’s, check out the bald man, creating “chocolate culture”.
*NB: you have to like teenagers and women of all ages. These are the two main demographics of such an establishment. Mums at all hours, and teenagers after hours. No picking up boys – they’re only there with their mums and girlfriends, and you DON’T want to assume wrong with that distinction. Eww….
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Comment by Shani
http://www.food.org.au/max-brenner-chocolate-by-the-ugly-bald-man/
Comment by amy
Shani, meh, it served my purposes.
You seem to have adapted his slogan somewhat...!
Nice work, and always nice to have a conflicting review - do you want to be Margaret or David?