Bescetti

I watched with anticipation as this place was built, hoping for something new and interesting, like a good Indian restaurant, sadly lacking in Cammeray.
Regrettably it was these guys, who while enthusiastic seem to be a little clueless about how to attract customers, and especially return business. The décor is unusual but nice and grabs your attention, the position lovely on the edge of the lane.
We are both coffee snobs, so their bean was important — actually it wasn’t because the barrista burnt it. Never mind.
We have since tried the breakfast and lunch there, and I have to be honest — the ceasar salad was completely forgettable — a ceasar dressing would have been a good start instead of the dreadful mayonnaise they used instead.
Breakfast was OK, but to be honest with The Laneway and Maggio’s right next door they have to be better than this. Both of those cafes will be full and these guys will have 5 – 10 people there — easy to see why.
I give them an A for enthusiasm but a E for menu and food — sorry guys lift your game.

I’ve walked passed Bescetti on half a dozen occasions on a morning to see it open but empty whilst the two cafes within a jump of it are bustling with custom. This morning I was in a rush to get to an appointment so decided to give it a go with a take away coffee.
The first thing you notice about this place is that it’s orange and it’s clean… like sterile or perfect in the I’ve-just-opened kind of way as opposed to its neighbours who are a bit more scruffy but have more to look at, more history seeping from their walls.
The menu is pretty standard — toasted sandwiches, pasta and a good range of pizza. Breakfast specials looked good — Ricotta Pancakes with mango and Corn Fritters with salsa and bacon, both $ 9.50.
The owner has a friendly demeanor but is a bit gruffy, in a macho stiff kind of way. He made the effort albeit a bit awkward.
The coffee was good. Bitter on the first sip but pretty smooth after than. I like that they use Bonsoi soy.
They’ve buy in a good range of newspapers — Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and the Daily Telegraph.
Worth a try when the neighbor cafes are heaving.

Café Biscetti has recently changed their coffee beans and I am intrigued to taste the new and improved roast. So after a ride to the library to return some books with a friend in 32 degree heat we stop by Bescetti and he gets a Frappé and I a steaming hot cup of coffee. «Curse this caffeinated addiction of mine!»
The young man behind the counter makes my soy cappuccino and then gets to work on the Frappé, the sound of the blender whirring into my ears. As I wait, I read the front page of the Telegraph, «Susan Boyle coming to Oz.» Really Telegraph? Front page news? An Earthquake in Turkey, an appeal by the ex prime minister of ukraine against her 7 year jail sentence, bush fires in the blue mountains, and you ran with SuBo?
The frappé is ready, I pay for them and am on my way. The coffee is good, a marked improvement on the last time I had it. The frappé I am told is amazing as well, «It’s a hard combination to get perfect,» says my friend, «The right mix of ice, juice and berry’s. They’ve done well.»
The café is open from 8am till 3pm daily and for dinner on Thursdays through Saturdays. The day time menu is flavoured with traditional Australian café food, sandwiches, salads and the like; while the dinner menu is populated by Italian dishes, including pizza.
As I ride home with my friend I stop cursing my caffeine addiction and begin to curse all the pot holes in the road that make hot coffee fly out of the top of my cup and onto my arm on our lumpy, bumpy ride home.