Cafe Ancheto

Have you seen this wonderful map of the world at night?  It sparkles with little baubles of light created by urban metropolises, which contrast with swathes of peaceful, midnight blue.  Brightly-lit South Korea, of course actually on a peninsula, is rendered an island against North Korea's darkness, while the Himalayas provide a stark boundary between booming India and the peaceful Tibetan plain.

If you will indulge me, you could compare this to a map of great Melbourne coffee.  Sydney road and surrounds sparkle all the way to Coburg, and South Melbourne glows.  Heading west it's patchy, although Seddon and Yarraville glitter proudly, but once you hit Braybrook it's pretty much a Saharan desert for awesome coffee.  That is, until Ancheto.

Hidden away on the southern side of Sunshine, Ancheto is in the old Euro Masonic Hall.  It's run by the new owners of the Hall, Bob and Aneta, and is only open Saturday mornings.

Let's get this straight - this is not "pretty good", "satisfactory" or "acceptable".  This is seriously awesome coffee!  They use Sensory Lab beans and the owner Bob really knows how to work the espresso machine.  Just gorgeous - smooth and balanced, the foam silky and with body.

Eggs ($8), mushrooms ($2), homemade hash brown ($3)

The menu encompasses well-loved eggy breakfast classics with Eastern European touches, like ajvar relish and cevap skinless sausages.  Sunny yellow free-range scrambled eggs were perfect with well-buttered sourdough toast and juicy, fat mushrooms.  The homemade hash brown, made with grated potato, was crispy and delicious.

Step inside to check out the homemade cakes.  The old cloakroom has been turned into a tiny kitchen.  The owners are lovely.  They explained how they got sick of travelling to Seddon and Yarraville for a great cafe, so decided to start their own, focussing on awesome coffee as the base and letting it grow from there.

The main hall is full of retro chairs and tables, perfect for spreading out the Saturday papers.  They occasionally have theatre performances here too.

Ancheto has plans to open Sundays and possibly even Friday nights.  Bravo, and welcome to the neighbourhood!  Long may they glow as a much-needed beacon of great coffee in the wider west.

Thank you reader Jo for writing to me with this great tip!

Ancheto

93 Hampshire Road, Sunshine

Hours:  Saturdays 9am - 2pm



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