By Charles Purcell

Copyright smh

Australia is something of a superpower when it comes to cafe culture. Pioneers like Australia’s “King of Breakfast”, the late Bill Granger, have brought laid-back Australian cafe culture to the world. This year Toby Estate’s flagship cafe and roastery in Chippendale was voted first place in The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, with nine Australian venues making the top 100 in total (sadly, none from Mosman).

Once upon a time Australia was a hard-drinking nation that felt like a Tooheys – now we feel more like smashed avocado toast of the type championed by Granger. Now the pubs that seemed to be on every corner have been replaced by chilled-out cafés.

Our alcohol consumption has been in a steep decline since the peak of the 1970s. Meanwhile, Australians consume some 2kg of coffee a year. As someone who would rather make a pilgrimage to Lune Croissanterie for their world-class croissants (praised by Nigella Lawson, no less) than watch the State of Origin at the pub, I can’t say I’m unhappy with our changing tastes.

You could call this article “a love letter to Sydney’s cafes”. And there is a lot to love. From either side of the bridge, from Surry Hills to Mosman and beyond, the daily cafe ritual begins anytime from 5am onwards. It’s a whole other world early in the morning: the tradies in shorts (even in winter) chasing bacon and eggs rolls, the bathers in their budgie smugglers, the cyclists in Lycra, the joggers and the early birds.