Troy McNaughtonLate Night Coffee: Industrie!
August 14th 2006 22:58
The mystery Miss E and I spent 10 minutes last night at about 7 o'clock wandering between St James and Wynyard station looking for a coffee.
Specifically, we wanted hot chocolate - we were tired and I had a train ride I was not interested in being gee-ed up for.
We had just finished a negotiation competition and needed to debrief (aka bitching about the other team and convincing ourselves that we won) - but I was getting sick, we were both feeling stingy, it was cold and we just wanted a quick, hot drink.
Our combined imaginations could not think of a single place to get a coffee. Even bars and pubs with coffee machines close them up around 7 (we suspected); the food court has only just ground to a halt; Verandah Bar on Phillip Street had no chocolate.
Finally, the ever friendly staff at what is apparently the Angel Hotel (commonly referred to as the Angel Place Bar, which by the way has really bad search engine hits - I'm only getting Bar Cupola in the first few listings) directed us down Pitt Street to Industrie: Something or Other About the South of France. (This is not its name, just a tribute. -Ed.)
I felt a traitor to my home town not having set foot in this non-Establishment establishment before. Lush, rich fabrics, subdued lighting and candles hit us as we walked in the door, but it took a trip to the bathroom to realise that it extends beyond its pokey opening back and upwards to themed rooms. While the front is neutrals and lounges, the back room is a red lit bar with red retro chairs and green couches, visually stimulating without being overwhelming. There are tables for dining in the middle, which a single party of suits was rattling around in.
But the very nice thing about Industrie (apart from the hot chocolates which we will come to) is that its Monday night emptiness is not fatal.
I'm not into posh, and yet I felt at ease here with my massive uni bag that was a result of the fact that I hadn't been home in a few days. We just wanted a quiet chat, and that's exactly what we got - no loud music, plenty of relaxed but classy atmosphere and exactly what the doctor ordered.
AND THEY DO HOT CHOCOLATES AND COFFEES LATE AT NIGHT!
Honestly, I know tea-totallers who often just want a coffee at a bar/pub. I also know that when I go out, sometimes I need a caffeine hit, and that V or Red Bull is not always what you're after. Combine the fact that it is winter and you start to realise that closing up the coffee machine at some arbitrary time of the evening is downright discriminatory.
And despite its uber-chic appearance, the hot chocolates were very very nice, very very satisfying, and perfectly made with good quality chocolate and NOT FIVE DOLLARS! In fact, they were $3.50, comparable to any cafe on the North Shore, in the Eastern Suburbs or anywhere nice you'd sit down to have a coffee in the CBD.
So we salute Industrie Bar for catering to our rather specific cravings last Monday night and we encourage them to keep their coffee machines running for the cold and the sick who would rather not sit in Maccas.
Industrie Bar is at 107 Pitt St, Sydney, and I imagine it would be a nice place for French fare also - bookings on (02) 9221 8001.
Incidentally as well, I hit my cyber head on this little find today, a list of Sydney bars with a very short comment on each - caveat: it might be a bit cash-for-comment, but helpful nonetheless.
Specifically, we wanted hot chocolate - we were tired and I had a train ride I was not interested in being gee-ed up for.
We had just finished a negotiation competition and needed to debrief (aka bitching about the other team and convincing ourselves that we won) - but I was getting sick, we were both feeling stingy, it was cold and we just wanted a quick, hot drink.
Our combined imaginations could not think of a single place to get a coffee. Even bars and pubs with coffee machines close them up around 7 (we suspected); the food court has only just ground to a halt; Verandah Bar on Phillip Street had no chocolate.
Finally, the ever friendly staff at what is apparently the Angel Hotel (commonly referred to as the Angel Place Bar, which by the way has really bad search engine hits - I'm only getting Bar Cupola in the first few listings) directed us down Pitt Street to Industrie: Something or Other About the South of France. (This is not its name, just a tribute. -Ed.)
I felt a traitor to my home town not having set foot in this non-Establishment establishment before. Lush, rich fabrics, subdued lighting and candles hit us as we walked in the door, but it took a trip to the bathroom to realise that it extends beyond its pokey opening back and upwards to themed rooms. While the front is neutrals and lounges, the back room is a red lit bar with red retro chairs and green couches, visually stimulating without being overwhelming. There are tables for dining in the middle, which a single party of suits was rattling around in.
But the very nice thing about Industrie (apart from the hot chocolates which we will come to) is that its Monday night emptiness is not fatal.
I'm not into posh, and yet I felt at ease here with my massive uni bag that was a result of the fact that I hadn't been home in a few days. We just wanted a quiet chat, and that's exactly what we got - no loud music, plenty of relaxed but classy atmosphere and exactly what the doctor ordered.
AND THEY DO HOT CHOCOLATES AND COFFEES LATE AT NIGHT!
Honestly, I know tea-totallers who often just want a coffee at a bar/pub. I also know that when I go out, sometimes I need a caffeine hit, and that V or Red Bull is not always what you're after. Combine the fact that it is winter and you start to realise that closing up the coffee machine at some arbitrary time of the evening is downright discriminatory.
And despite its uber-chic appearance, the hot chocolates were very very nice, very very satisfying, and perfectly made with good quality chocolate and NOT FIVE DOLLARS! In fact, they were $3.50, comparable to any cafe on the North Shore, in the Eastern Suburbs or anywhere nice you'd sit down to have a coffee in the CBD.
So we salute Industrie Bar for catering to our rather specific cravings last Monday night and we encourage them to keep their coffee machines running for the cold and the sick who would rather not sit in Maccas.
Industrie Bar is at 107 Pitt St, Sydney, and I imagine it would be a nice place for French fare also - bookings on (02) 9221 8001.
Incidentally as well, I hit my cyber head on this little find today, a list of Sydney bars with a very short comment on each - caveat: it might be a bit cash-for-comment, but helpful nonetheless.
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Comment by elana
from Miss Books on Bronte
Comment by amy
Thanks for the tipoffs! I will certainly be checking out those two bars for other viable options - it's just a nightmare when a) you have work to do; b) you don't want to spend much; or c) it's cold and you don't feel like yo-ho-hoing it with a bottle of rum!