Paper Cup

Adriano Matteoni has a reputation for creating some of the best cafes around. The last one he created before jetting off overseas is Paper Cup in Stanmore (and now in Lilyfield too) which topped off his long line of caffeinated business ventures that have previously included Clipper, Clover and Piccolo Padre.

It’s fashioned from the defunct storeroom of a back-street bottle shop, and Matteoni happily admits he’s proud he turned a storeroom into a much-loved cafe. It’s certainly the breath-of-cafe-life Stanmore needed. Paper Cup, as the transient name suggests, is all about catching people on the fly. There are comfortable perches at the bar as you wait for your latte to go; discrete seats by the arched windows for a relaxed breakfast before you hop on the train; and neat little tables scattered on the street for cozy tete-à-tetes.

Coffee is blended by the team at Coffee Alchemy and steamed out by Matteoni to his own exacting standards and there’s a spectacular cold-drip with resinous overtones on show.

But the compact and select menu is the cracker. Bircher muesli with labna is a spiced oasis in a cup, while simple sage fried eggs make you realise that it doesn’t need to be more complicated.