Coffee Trad3rs — Restaurant in Sydney

Was looking for a nice place for a lunch catch up and found the Coffee Traders online, which has very good reviews. Well, this place really does not disappoint! I was very surprised to find a lovely airy space tucked among the industrial area off Victoria Road. The light wooden tables and simple decorations give this space a very modern feel. We were attended to very quickly with a menu by a friendly female staff member, who apologised profusely that they were unable to make coffee as their supplier has not delivered the coffee beans since Friday. We were a tad disappointed as I've read their coffee is excellent. We ordered from the breakfast menu, which we're told is now available all day. I had the Mediterranean brekkie and my friend had the smashed avocado with poached eggs. We were both very impressed by the quality of the food. Alas, just as we're about to finish our lunch, we were told they found a bag of coffee beans and we can have our coffee! And it was very GOOD! The boss of the cafe also came by to have a quick chat, which was lovely. We can tell they are very serious about their customer service and making sure we are totally happy. In a nutshell, I will definitely be coming back with friends and this will be my go-to place for good food and coffee in Castle Hill. Please note - being in the industrial park area, parking can be challenging as only a certain number of lots are allocated to each business. If you're desperate for a park, go one block away and park at Spotlight. It will be well worth...

Not commenting on the food or service here, but wanted to share experience and advice to staffs still working there. Recently a few local suppliers and friends told me the shop owner had some serious issues with the ATO, and the company actually got wound up end of last year.

My daughter worked here a while back and not got her super or full pay. We ended up reported to Fair Work to solve the issue, the owner got penalty. But it sounds like she wasn’t the only one and the owner d’t change his behavior - there are other recent reviews below mentioning the same kind of matter happened. Seems like it’s a pattern of dodgy business practices and even tax evasion. If curious, try Googling “Coffee Traders Group” and you’ll find more facts. With all that, personally, it’s hard to understand how this shop can still operating?!

Honestly, I understand it’s hard time for small business, but rule is rule, people all work hard and deserve what’s theirs. With so many great local cafés around our community that do the right thing. I’d spend my money wisely and support the places that treat their staff fairly and run business by the rules. D’t waste it on greedy.

Update: Very interesting response from the "new" management team. But why do we still see you, James, in the shop? Never knew you had a twin brother! For whatever reason, the café may find a way to change its legal entity to a different one, but for what it's worth, I just hope the so-called "new" mgt team can run the...

Coffee: Batch (Six Ladies) Passion: 8/10 Crema: 8/10

Taking on the challenge of finding great coffee at the Top of Ryde, it seems like this cafe is the obvious choice. Half cafe, half restaurant and half bar (yes... I am great at math), this place seems to offer a relaxed and funky atmosphere. I can image on the weekends it gets packed.

As for coffee, you could look at this cafe as the flagship for Batch - Speciality Coffee Blenders, who I have only seen at a few cafes around Sydney, but where I did find it I was pleasantly surprised. It was a little unfortunate today as it seems that today their single origin was sold out and their cold drip was being saved for the weekend, so it was the house blend for me.

Today the house blend was their Six Ladies, a blend of brazilian, ethiopian and indian coffee, that as a macciato offered a smooth and a little nutty way to start the day. I ended up trying it twice and both times it was creamy and rich in flavour. Not a bad way to start the day.

It also helped that sitting inside the glorious smell of bacon kept wafting through... though I may have to run out of here before I cheat on my diet again...

N.B. I was unable to find any #powerwhoring here There is WiFi here, but I am unsure if it is...