The Flying Nun Cafe
I was recently asked to quote on a coffee machine for an existing business that had found they needed to upgrade their kitchen to meet the growing demand from an ever expanding clientele. Having been chained to the computer for a very long time this request had the added advantage of a justifiable field trip out of the city and to a cafe, no less. Those of you who know me are aware that my idea of exercise is turning the pages on an extensive menu and for adventure I like to peruse an eclectic wine list. So away I went in the trusty Kia expecting no more than a brief jaunt into the near countryside and maybe a passable toasted sandwich and coffee. Don’t tell anyone, especially the Minister for War and Finance, but I blew the lunch budget that day when the toasted cheese sandwich was substituted by ‘barramundi fillet with smoked paprika & thyme crust, Greek spinach & ricotta filo with flamed cherry tomatoes’ washed down with a wonderful espresso shot crafted by David from beans from Zentveld’s. How did I manage to resist dipping into the cakes when there were so many, so close and not a sign of my guilty conscience? It may have had something to do with the fact that I had a little trouble trying to get out of my seat and that the last few holes in my belt seem to have disappeared in the last couple of months. Culinary endeavours aside, I met the delightful Linda and David the espresso master to find out that not only did they have strong, nay very strong ideas on exactly what the new coffee machine was going to be able to do but it also had to complement the experience that is the Flying Nun Cafe. About this time I broke into an embarrassed sweat as I realised I had just blithely committed to a hand-built, custom painted, royal- purple-with-silver-fleck coffee machine – the Minister for War and Finance was going to get a real kick out of this one!
So began a couple of weeks of sheer hell as I worked through the numerous issues associated with ensuring that the purple bean guzzler was appropriately souped up under the hood, covered in a royal robe of flecked purple and ready for the feted installation date.
The Ruggero Americana coffee machine.
Of course everything took longer, was more complicated and more expensive than my careful planning (or shoot from the hip guess-work) allowed but riding in to my defence came Melbourne Cup Day. We were to install the day before MC, and one of the hardest phone calls of my life was to David on the Thursday before to tell him I couldn’t meet the deadline to which he replied, “what are you completely nuts, the day before Melbourne Cup? It’ll have to be the following Monday”….and I was saved.
Don’t miss a great drive out of town, a great place to eat and unwind, Jasper the Macaw and a coffee experience provided by David and the Purple Ruggero.
Jasper loves to entertain.
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“toasted cheese sandwich was substituted” ??
I can’t actually believe that you even contemplated toasted cheese sandwich for lunch!