little white truths

This is another review that's been sitting in my draft posts far too long. I kept going to write it, seeing that I hadn't taken a photo of the coffee (and the coffee is why you go to Dukes), so I left it and moved on to something else.

But I've decided that I'll continue to forget to go to Dukes, order a coffee and photograph it while I've got baby brain, and the baby brain won't be shifting any time soon.

So you'll just have to take my word on the quality of the coffee (not that you can tell much from a photo anyway) and plenty of Dukes coffee photos exist online anyway if that's what you're after.


Anyhoo. Dukes. This little joint turned up while we were living in Berlin, and when I moved back into our house I did some re-conn on our area and this was one of the first new places I noticed.

What coffee addict wouldn't notice a coffee-roasting joint straight away? I was thrilled.

Thrilled as I was, I didn't go there daily because it's loud and doesn't have internet, so I would do my writing elsewhere (those were the glory days of my free writing time, before baby).

But if I needed a coffee on the go, Dukes is where I invariably landed. Because you can taste the difference when coffee is done well.

The only thing I'll say about the coffee is that it's very strong so I have to order it half strength, and I ask for a soy latte with a decent amount of honey but they never ever put enough in. Annoying. But yes, the coffee is good.


The food is done well here too. On this occasion, my partner in crime ordered a steak sanga, and as you can see it came with a juicy pickle and some crisps. He wolfed it down. Loved it. He's had it before.

Said friend loves his food and he eats here a lot - and he won't suffer bad food/coffee gladly - so it says something about a place if he likes it that much and goes there that often.

He tells me he's never had a bad meal here, and he's certainly loved everything he's eaten when we've gone here together.


I ordered the green breakfast, but asked for mushrooms instead of eggs because I can't stand eggs (they make me feel sick for the whole day if I eat one).

As you can see it's a healthy-looking, Middle Eastern-inspired plate involving kale, snow peas, broccoli, labneh, dukkah and almonds. It was great - super tasty and cooked well. It wasn't a big serve but it kept me going for a few hours and I enjoyed it.

Atmosphere & service

The atmosphere is loud and bustling, and I can never hear what my dining mate has to say when we go here. Indeed, he's opted to go elsewhere if we can't get an outdoor table (where it's quieter) because he can't hear me at all. So do be aware of that.

Go here with that annoying friend who talks over you all the time because you won't hear what they're saying anyway and they can rabbit on until the cows come home.

The service is fine, but not a stand-out. It's been busy every time I've been here and it's cramped inside, so no doubt that has something to do with it.

Verdict

I do like Dukes and it's worth trying for the coffee, if nothing else.

Don't ignore the food though - the menu is seasonal and interesting, and everything I've eaten here has been fresh and well-presented.

I recommend going here at a non-peak time (maybe some random hour on a weekday) so you can hear yourself think, or otherwise try to grab one of the few coveted outside tables.

Details

169 Chapel Street, Windsor

www.dukescoffee.com.au