We all know that Surry Hills is Sydney's
cafe central. But for those who don't, you need to add Surry Hills to your list
of places to visit when you plan to make a trip to Sydney. The number of
amazing cafes is growing rapidly and I just couldn't keep up with all the
awesomeness that goes on in this lovely suburb. The Littlest Anchovy and I
heard of a new joint that just opened on Commonwealth Street in Surry Hills
called Paramount Coffee Project. The only logical thing to do is to pay them a
visit because why should we let awesomeness wait right?
Paramount Coffee Project is a team up by
Russell Beard from Reuben Hills and Melbourne's Seven Seeds. The place
has a clean and spacious industrial look yet tranquil and inviting. For the
coffee aficionados out there, they have a filter coffee station. They use four
types of coffee beans (I could only remember one being from Reuben Hills and
another from Seven Seeds) sourced from different specialty roasters.
The dulce de leche milkshake ($8) certainly did not disappoint! It had a caramelised
milk taste and it wasn't overly sweet. We both agreed that this drink is a
winner.
I went with my usual piccolo latte. I chose the Brazil Santa
Barbara single origin roasted by Seven Seeds for my drink (there's also Seven
Seeds blend available for espresso drinks). It was strong but not bitter with a
bold nutty taste and notes of date.
Since this visit happened on a Friday
(or FRYday as I call it), it was fitting to order their double fried chicken with house slaw and creole relish ($16). This
glorious chicken fillet was cooked southern style with buttermilk. The batter
was crisped and laced with the usual southern spice blend, which includes
cumin, garlic powder, paprika etc. The fillet was also very tender and juicy
with a very evident cajun spice flavour. The relish is tomato based that has
some fruity taste and a light spicy kick
The star of this visit is the crab po boy ($18). It's deep fried soft
shell crab served in a fluffy and buttery milk bun (kinda like brioche) with
slaw and ranch dressing. It was both almighty in serving size and taste! The
batter was crispy and the crab wasn't too oily. It worked well with the slaw
and creamy ranch dressing.
The beverages and food were nothing
short of amazing. It was truly an awesome experience that I cannot wait to
return to.
Paramount Coffee Project
80 Commonwealth St,
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Facebook page link
Open daily 7am to 4pm