Shortstop Coffee and Donuts Artisan Excellence
Shortstop Coffee and Donuts is an attractive cafe in a chic looking Sutherland St in the Melbourne CBD and delivers on two of the joys of life - coffee and donuts. The masterstroke behind it all is Anthony Ivey and business partner Sinye Ooi. Niche suppliers are emerging all over Melbourne and Shortstop is a donut specialist with a great range of bespoke donuts. The thing is - the donut variation means they cater for all tastes. The World Loves Melbourne popped in to see what all the fuss is about. On a fine summer's day Shortstop open the windows and it's a great place to imbibe (your short stop may evolve into a longer stop).
Simple, delicious and fresh is a perfect focus. The menu isn't complicated with a million variations. Samples of the donuts are housed in a glass display cabinet. Amusingly I felt it was like a display at the museum, and it was a unique way to showcase the products. (A coule of pinned butterflies wouldn't have been out of place).
Earl Grey and Rose? Red Ruby Grapefruit? Strawberry and Lime? Flavours that are alluring.
More display cases of delectable donuts. The key is natural ingredients, rather than bucket loads of sugar and artificial additives. Shortstop donuts are artisan and refined, as opposed to the sugar filled calorie beasts we enjoyed at the Carnivals and Fairs as kids.
Also appealing is the pastry chefs behind glass, cooking in full view of patrons. We've never taken to working in full view of anyone, due to weird personal habits. The chefs are busy as donuts are made fresh all through the day. There are specials and new releases to savour.
Seating is limited but the modern vibe, excellent coffee and tasty offerings make this a perfect place to catch up with friends.
What to choose? I needed help from the crisp looking staff. The Banana and Hazelnut Chocolate was an excellent choice, almost a heavy donut, bordering on a cake. The Chocolate and nuts on top were ricjh and rewarding, despite negotiating a nut allergy. Importantly the coffee was first class, using specialty roasters and organic milk.
Australian Honey and Sea Salt donut was unusual yet a triumph of melt in your mouth sweet donut. The World Loves Melbourne loves the combination of sweet and salty. The texture was completely different and much lighter compared to the Banana and Hazelnut Chocolate donut.
Together these donuts were filling and my craving was satisfied. The donuts were an artisan product so I expected to pay a little more. we left feeling satiated.
