Single Origin Sideshow

Best coffee in Sydney hands down. That’s all.

Really nice coffee and I had a «special» customer service experience here. Thanks guys.

I recently attended 3squared, a collaboration between Single Origin Roasters/​Sideshow and the Crave Sydney International Food Festival (
). It was the best $ 10 I have spent this year (and I have spent lots of ten dollars).
The Single Origin Sideshow proves that there is life and beauty beyond the espresso (and no, it’s not found in a car of Nescafe). In their little bar, cut into the wall on Reservoir St, the baristas/​chemists are surrounded my implements I hadn’t seen since my days in year 10 science labs. Whilst I found no bunsen burners, there was everything but — test tubes, siphons, halogen lamps and a giant cold-​drip extractor. The baristas here know what they’re doing, easily qualifying as crafty scientists just short of lab coats.
The first course of 3squared was a pairing of a Limoncillo Estate cold-​drip extraction on ice with a tartare of salmon, yuzu and baby sorrel leaves. Designed to bring out the citrus flavours of the coffee, this beautifully displayed mouthful combined complex flavours into such a simple dish. Single Origin’s intention is to discern if, like wine, coffee too can compliment food, with different strains and styles highlighting the flavours of the food (and vice-​versa). Despite knowing their intentions, I was still surprised when the dish genuinely mirrored the flavours in the coffee.
Second course married a siphoned Liquidambar Estate coffee with a salad of morcilla (black pudding), heirloom beets and apple. This coffee, we were informed by Matt, 3squared chef, initiates the mouth watering sensations in the side of your mouth (much like a slice of fresh pineapple) and sweetens as it cools over the course of the coffee. This coffee really lived up to its namesake, sliding over the tongue with each sip. The ‘salad’ was a solid match as well, the malic acids conjured from the coffee closely resembling the mouth watering senses tweaked by the apple and beet in the dish. The morcilla stabilises this light and fruity dish and if you usually shy away from black pudding, try to give this a go anyway — it might be the game changer you need.
Single Origin say that the third pairing is the easiest, as the bitterness of the bean is commonly served to offset the sweetness of dessert. I’m glad to know that perfection comes easily for some. The La Chapparal ristretto held a beautifully thick and golden caramel crema that clung to the cup and the tip of your tongue and the 60% cacao chocolates (with a liquid red gum honey centre) were the only thing that could have possibly improved this already divine coffee.
The staff here seem to genuinely care about what they’re doing and this means that you give a damn too. This was a fantastic experience, and as I look around at the «I heart Liquidambar» doodles on my table, I know I’ll be back to sample the scientists’ new concoctions.