I have visited Haven many times, and I have returned not only satisfied, but impressed every single time. The secret is certainly out - on the weekend, you can expect to have to wait for a table, especially when it's lovely and sunny outside.
Your culinary journey will start with activated charcoal water from Japan (the charcoal, not the water). Apparently charcoal detoxifies the body and purifies the water. The water does have slightly less of a metallic taste compared to water straight from the tap, but that could have just been my imagination. It does, however, sets the tone for what kind of establishment Haven is: it walks the thin line between artisan and pretentious, but luckily the owner and the staff are so passionate about their specialty coffees and deliver coffees good enough to satisfy the snobbiest of coffee snobs that their attention to detail comes across extremely sincere.
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| Charcoal water, complimentary |
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| Geisha Cold Brew, $9 |
This is one expensive coffee, and the diamond in the crown at Haven. Served up in a re-purposed beer bottle over whisky rocks, this Colombian bean is fully washed, medium roasted with notes of cherry, raspberry, green grape and a Jasmine after-taste. Despite having a berry flavour profile, the Geisha is served with almond which is to be nibbled on between sips. This expensive coffee (costing a couple of hundred dollars per kilo, no biggie) may not be your go-to morning caffeine hit, but is certainly worth a try as a weekend treat.
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| Nutty Long Black, $5 |
My coffee-addict-cum-coffee-snob friend tells me he judges all cafes based on their long black. I think this makes a lot of sense: no tricks, just an honest presentation of coffee for the discernible drinker to judge on roasting and extraction. Haven passes the test.
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| Soy Flat White, $4 |
The house flat white has a fruity profile, so currents are served along with the flat white. Soy milk with coffee is definitely a compromise I would not have made unless I had to, as soy has such a distinctive and strong flavour itself that it is quite intrusive in a coffee. The soy flat white at Haven is hands down the best soy coffee I have ever had. The coffee itself is robust and smooth, and almost completely hides the soy flavour. While all the milk-based coffees are served with beautiful latte art, the soy coffees are not. I wonder whether this is simply for recognition purposes or whether they actually heat the soy milk differently. I must remember to ask the friendly and informative staff next time I visit!
Although coffee is the main name of the game at Haven, its food menu is no less impressive.
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| Fried Chicken, $18 |
I was super impressed with this dish. It is fusion at its best: the chicken are Japanese style, while everything else is modern Australian. There are two types of chicken served: 'katsu'-style chicken thigh pieces and soy-glazed chicken drumsticks to be dipped into a slightly spicy 'house devil' sauce. The chicken are succulent and not dry at all, and rest on a bed of quinoa and sweet potato salad with a fresh and surprising spinach and avocado puree. The preserved lemon pieces are add a slightly acidic, fruity flavour to the dish, and the crunch tiny corn chip pieces add yet another level to this dish.
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| Awesome Kimcheese Egg Waffle, $16.5 |
Egg Waffles are amazing. They're not really eggy, the 'egg' in the title refers to their distinctive shape, which is created by pouring batter into a special pan. They are a staple of Hong Kong street food, and Haven kicks these sweet, chewy Asian-waffles up a level. The Kimcheese flavour is very, very strange: the egg waffle already has kimchi and cheese cooked into them, and to that you add some sesames, vanilla ice-cream with more kimchi and parmesan cheese. Before you say 'ewwwww' (which, admittedly, was my first reaction when I read the menu) don't knock it before you try it. The salty and fermented taste of the kimchi actually really, really works with the ice-cream and the egg waffles. A surprising dish for the culinarily-adventurous.
Score: 5 / 5
The coffee is consistently amazing, and the food menu gets switched up quite often - but the quality is always top-notch.
Cost: worth every cent, especially considering the generous portion size.
Address: 30-34 Chalmers St, Surry Hills (if you're travelling by train, the closest exit is Central Station Exit 6)
Website: havenspecialtycoffee.com.au
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