Coffee Max - (Melbourne)

  Coffee Max is by no means representative of the 3rd Wave coffee movement,  but it has managed to separate itself from the old school and more commercialised Crivelli brand which in fact both belongs to the same Crivelli family.    Coffee Max is still Italian in heritage but in a much more modernised fashion and lovers of Italian coffee will come to embrace here,  or Caffe Romeo just down the road.    If you enjoy this coffee style, Axil Coffee Roasters might also give you an equal satisfaction with its bolder coffee blending technique.

 

 

Run by the Son,
Aka Dino from the well known coffee supplier Crivelli …
Their Camberwell shop has been a favourite of mine for a while.

 

Entrance -
Doncaster Westfield Shopping Town does not lack quality cafes,
but apart from Coffee Hit and Jamaica Blue,  this is probably my overall favourite.

 

Cappuccino (House Blend) -
This began on the right note,  but taking away the chocolate powder was a little weak and beginning to have a sour note in the aftertaste.   Decent and enjoyable if taking away the small flaws in the cups!   ~  7/10

Croque Monsieur -
Note the evenly grilled cheesy and bechamel top,  as well as good quality ham off the bone and a half crunchy and half moist toast layer   -  this is as good as a Croque Monsieur as I remember,  in fact I’m quite surprised to find such high quality here as even shops in France can’t always get this so spot on.   Compared to the previous one at Brasserie Bread Café,  this to me was much more like a real Croque Monsieur.   ~   10/10

 

Pistachio Nougat -
Someone wanted nougat,  and who am I to argue against this idea?   I love nougat a lot but I try to save the quota for other things,  so when someone insists on ordering one anyway I have no excuses not to eat some    This was less sweeter than I’d imagined and came with roasty pistachios,  very good indeed.    Lovely  ~  9/10

 

Apricot Danish -
To me these all taste the same,  including the ones in breakfast or brunch buffets.   I like them when the fruit is not over-baked and the pastry layers are well defined.   Here it was definitely decent,  but not buttery I suppose?   Not the finest of judges on this aspect ~  8/10

 

 

 

Crostoli -
A typical Italian pastry which I order as a sweet snack,  in fact there is something similar in Chinese Cantonese cuisine too.   The Italian version is coated in sugar powder,  the Chinese version is coated in sugar syrup,  both carry similar textures   ~   8/10

 

Caffe Latte -
The above cappuccino was weak  and as a single shot caffe latte this was destined to be even weaker with the increased proportion of milk.   This has potential  but in hindsight we should have ordered this as a stronger drink instead  ~   6.5/10

 

 

Short Black  (Crema Blend) -  
Short black = Espresso,  it is such an Aussie term but instead of being served in a demitasse cup this was served in a short transpastent glass,  which was more common back in the past than nowadays.   The crema colour might look pale but this was highly aromatic and balanced,  in an Italian kind of way and well structured,  one of rare god shots I’ve encountered recently.   It’s funny how I so remembered this specific shot,  it was honestly really enjoyable and unique,  carrying no jagged edges.   ~  10/10

 

 

 

Nothing much extraordinary here on appearance -
Plus the local coffee guides don’t really rate here much either.
However my gorgeous espresso above was memorable  (though the milk coffees not so!),  and that croque monsieur was easily as good as it gets.   It is imperative to know what exactly to order here,   I suppose.   But the same applies to many cafes in town?  

 

 

 

Price: AUD $16 - $18  per person
Food:  ♕♕♕♕♕
Coffee: ♕♕♕♕ 1/2  (Espresso is great here)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed 8am-5.30pm
Thu-Fri 8am-9pm
Sat 8am-6pm
Sun 9am-5pm

Address:  Store # 1008,  Westfield Shopping Centre,  Doncaster,  Melbourne.
Ph: 03 9848 1114