PARAMOUNT COFFEE PROJECT: SURRY HILLS

WHERE: 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

WEBSITE: https://www.facebook.com/theparamountcoffeeproject

Paramount Coffee Project cafe is a collaboration between the owner of Reuben Hills', Russell Beard and Melbourne's Seven Seeds, Mark Dundon. C definitely attained the same feel from Reuben Hills, simple and polished. 

Last Sunday, J and C drove to a quiet street in Surry Hills. Last time we were in this area, we had not realised we walked passed this place on our way to Chur burger. We were wondering why it was so busy, unaware of the name of this place. C has been well aware of the hype around Paramount Coffee Project due to the vast amount of food posts on Instagram and knew exactly what to order, the soft shell crab burger (Crob Po Boy).

The menu was pretty limited, which is quite standard for most cafes. However we were opened to choices and J had to decide between the baked eggs, sweet waffles or the Open Cuban, which  had the ingredient kim chi which sparked J's curiosity.

 Crab Po Boy $18 (Soft shell crab, house slaw, ranch dressing on a bun.) 

Open Cuban $19 (Pork, Kim Chi, Bacon, Kewpie mayo, Swiss cheese and Onion rings.)  

SERVICE
We were both greeted by two female staff at the same time coming from different directions. Following one of the service staff who guided us to choose to sit near the window or on a long commercial stone table top with high stools. We chose to sit on the long table as no one was sitting in that space at that time.
The attendant asked what we wanted to drink and we ordered our usual coffees, a latte and a mocha. The coffees were pretty decent and had a good taste of roasted beans made by Reuben Hills. We are always in search of good coffee. 
One of our water cups was dirty, so we asked for a replacement. 

Ratings 
J: 8/10
C: 8/10

Latte and Mocha

ATMOSPHERE
The vibe of this joint was very calming and the decor looked very clean, modern, polished and bright with open wide spaces, with the backdrop further looking like a movie set. 

Ratings
J: 8/10
C: 8/10

FOOD 
The taste of the food did not live up to all the fuss. Presentation is clear, you see what you get. The Crab Po Boy was tasted nothing spectacular. It was lacking in taste as the bun was rather dry. The ranch dressing did no justice to the burger and the soft shell crab was quite flavorless and soggy. There was just something missing. It did not have that "zing" flavor and lacked seasoning. The result of it was quite plain. 
However the Open Cuban had more flavours however was nothing special for the price of $19. 
When comparing our dishes with other visitors who have tried the same thing, it was evident that the quality varied in appearance. 

Ratings
J: 3/10
C: 5/10

Looks may be deceiving. The food did not deliver our expectations. Overall disappointed and over hyped. Would not visit again or recommend. 


Much love J and C