At first glance this food court offering looks like any other greasy spoon carvery; you know the kind of place where you can get a burger with the lot and a dim sim for ‘entrée’, washed down with a chocolate milk. And it is all these things, but it also does some of the better coffee in the DFO complex. Forget the Gloria Jeans down the other end near the surf clothing outlets, these guys do a much better latte for a little cheaper than the exorbitant chain prices. The coffee and machine are both supplied by Vittoria and the lady who served me was quite a capable barista, getting a very evenly foamed milk from the compact machine(if you want to seek her out she has a Chinese character tattoo on the inner side of her left wrist. I’ve also tried their ‘Ham, cheese & tomato croissant’ which was about the most cultures breakfast option I could find. They warned me of a five minute wait which I think ran a little longer, but only by a few minutes. When it came out straight from the oven it was hot, crispy and satisfying(it’s pretty hard to stuff these up). The MSG-intolerant should be warned that these guys are in the habit of piling the chicken salt onto their hot chips. I don’t know if they include it as default by I saw a few people’s takeaway cups laden with the near fluorescent gleam of the yellow-green seasoning, so if that’s an issue you probably want to specify NOCHICKENSALT, thank you.
Benjamin W.
Place rating: 3 Australia
Taste Bar is in the middle of the DFO complex when you’re ready to take a break and refuel your power cells after the first leg of your shopping adventure. Taste bar caters for a variety of palettes and had a hot box with some fried goodies in it, fresh made sandwiches and rolls and a cabinet that has some muffins and deserts. I’ve ordered a chicken wrap from the menu before and it was quite good. The chicken did not taste processed and had a nice spicing to it and the salad was fresh and crisp. I also ordered a flat white that wasn’t made the way I requested and was a little burned and a too hot. However, when I requested for a replacement they obliged me. This place is one of the better places to eat from at DFO, so make sure you save a little cash for lunch.
