The other night at The Platia (http://www.theplatia.com/) on Magill road, I was treated to great food and great coffee. The premise for my experience was part of an anthropological study into dining alone at restaurants, but the results went far beyond a simple study into auto-eating habits. The staff were suitably attentive and sympathetic to my solo status (anyone seen the lonely guy) ... although to begin with, they were slightly suspicious of the motivation behind ordering such a lush spread, sensibly keeping one eye on me and the other on the door to make sure I didn't pull a runner!
The food was awesome, but that is for another story, so let's focus on the coffee. To kill two birds with one stone (or is that three pigs with one angry bird) I ordered affogato, laced with frangelico, which is really three birds - desert, coffee and liqueur.
The coffee came as a neat shot, with a nice dark crema, a little hotter than I expected, which I can put down to the attentive service, not ill-adjusted machinery - my waiter was stood poised at the bar in anticipation of the shot being drawn. It was exactly the coffee you want after a big meal. My shot smelt fresh and had just the right level of depth for a late night espresso, rich and full (of flavor), almost aggressive, yet without the taste of being burnt or over-extracted. It had a lingering, but not unpleasant aftertaste - both cleansing and invigorating. If The Platia were on Rundle Street there would be a line up at the window for short blacks. I'll be back to The Platia for dinner again (maybe with some friends aside from myself next time), and I will be sure to order another affogato, only next time with an extra shot!
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