Sly

Sly @ Surry Hills

Where: Sly, 212 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Coffee Bean: Roastworks Coffee Co. (apparently a special blend called Snow Queen)

We almost walked past Sly: a quiet, inconspicuous shop front on Devonshire Street. There are no shop signs announcing the café to passersby, though it is marked with the street number 212. 

Sly is easy to miss, but well worth seeking out.

Sly has a great atmosphere.

The décor of Sly is all dark, calm and shady browns, with rustic overtones: exposed brickworks and dark, unpolished wood paneling; jaunty country music in the background; wooden tables with low stools; cowboy hats hanging on the walls and decorative glass jars serving as makeshift lamps. It gives rise to a chillaxed atmosphere. It’s obviously a good place to study: there were a couple of people with laptops catching up on some work. There’s no air conditioning but the space doesn’t seem to let that much heat in anyway. A small fan was whirling at the back.

We were greeted by two friendly servers the moment we walked in. The café wasn’t busy and our orders were taken and served quite quickly—always a plus in our books.

Cappuccino

Julia went with a cappuccino ($3.50), which had everything you can expect from a nice cup of coffee. The first mouthful gives you a hit of that intense coffee-taste: that strong, slightly bitter, but somehow satisfying punch of good coffee—though if you aren’t a regular coffee-drinker, you might find it a little too strong. I added two teaspoons of sugar to it even though I usually don’t take sugar in my coffee, to soften the flavour a little. All in all, it was a pretty standard experience, the kind that makes you go, ‘Mm, nice coffee’, but nothing overly exciting otherwise.

Reverse Iced Coffee

Erin, on the other hand, decided to be adventurous and ordered the reverse iced coffee ($4.00). Which turned out to be, literally, iced coffee. The waiter brought out a tumbler holding two dark, icy chunks, accompanied by a glass bottle of cold milk. The chunks were cubes of frozen espresso. You’re supposed to pour the desired amount of milk into the tumbler (depending on how strong you like your coffee) and let the coffee-ice melt. What results is a cool and refreshing pick-me-up, perfect for a hot summer day.

Frozen Espresso Cubes!

This is definitely not your average iced coffee. It’s innovative and exciting to drink – no sickly sweet cream or ice cream. However, it isn’t faultless. The melting ice means that the drink eventually becomes more watery than milky. And if you don’t wait for the ice to melt sufficiently, the drink is just tasteless, slightly watery milk. $4.00 is pricey for frozen espresso and what is essentially milk poured straight out of the carton.

Final Result

But I wasn’t disappointed with this drink. It was refreshing, interesting and definitely not what I was expecting. You won’t get a really strong coffee kick out of Sly’s reverse iced coffee, so if you want something stronger ask for more coffee-cubes or go for hot coffee.

If you’re feeling hungry, Sly also offers jaffles, toasties and salads.

Sly is inconspicuous, though not unremarkable. They take the execution of their drinks really seriously and push the boundaries. We’re going back in winter to try the strawberry hot chocolate and peanut butter hot chocolate. It’s easy to miss if you’re in a hurry down Devonshire Street. But if you’re after some really interesting drinks and snacks, or if you just want a cool, quiet place to catch up on some uni work, Sly is the place to try.

Yays:

• Lovely atmosphere, perfect for studying.
• Quick and friendly service.
• Interesting drinks menu—the reverse iced coffee was quite something, and we’re eager to try the strawberry hot chocolate in a few months.

Nays:

• Not a great selection of food menu, which also seems somewhat pricey.
• For drinks, standard hot coffees are decently priced but if you want to try something different, the novelty will cost you.
• Locating the café can be tricky!

Overall Experience:

80% -- Distinction!