Celebrity florist, comeback kiddo and Paddo sensation: The verdict on three new cafes

Chances are, you’re already familiar with Bryce Heyworth’s work. Search “Sydney florist” on Instagram, and he’s usually one of the first options to appear – moving in time to a trending rap song as he drops outlandishly beautiful bouquets into vases at September Studio in Darlinghurst.

Heyworth opened his debut cafe in April. It’s next door, in a small space hemmed by glass, well suited to waking up with a batch brew, a book, and a view of the morning flower delivery. The adjoining courtyard recalls memories of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel The Secret Garden, walled in and lush with foliage.

You have to admire Heyworth’s subtle, but persistent, commitment to the bit. The cafe is in literal bloom: floral shapes appearing on silver stools, stained-glass signage and patches of frayed material on the barista’s jacket. It could have been cringe. Here, it works.

The theme extends to a botanical matcha latte, pairing single-origin, stone-milled powder (Suro Matcha) with a delicate twist of lemon myrtle, from Ziggy’s Wildfoods. It has an earthy, creamy quality (with just a touch of tannin) that matcha purists will appreciate. Coffee is supplied by Sydney roasters Primary, and is predictably solid.

Heyworth said there are plans to introduce “slightly unexpected” breakfast dishes, though the menu won’t expand much. “I’m much more interested in doing a small number of things really well,” he said.

We visited Adelaide’s Kitchen before it became overwhelmed by its popularity and hit pause on most of the menu. It was mid-morning, mid-week and all 10 tables were full. A confused-looking crowd hovered by the red door of the little corner terrace. Inside, staff said there were no bookings, no waitlist, and no indication of wait time. Just grab a table when one became available, they said.

Owners Adelaide Darling and Tom Langdon want Adelaide’s Kitchen to have a relaxed, neighbourly feel. I get it, but in the absence of staff willing to organise the chaos, corralling falls to customers. Call it community building, I guess.

Darling, the resident chef-baker, said opening her first cafe with husband Langdon in July has required constant learning and adjustment. Following council approval for additional staff, brekkie and lunch dishes such as egg soldiers with sage buttered toast, and porridge with poached spiced pears are expected to return early October.

For all their growing pains, they’re clearly doing something very right.

The space is a dreamy, contemporary take on the French country interiors once made popular by the likes of Martha Stewart – deep red tones, timeless wood furniture, and vintage plates. It has a lot of heart, too – each coffee cup was handmade by Darling’s mum, emerging ceramicist Alexandra Darling; coffee comes from Langdon’s own Lay Day roastery; and matcha (delicately grassy, enough verdancy to leave a moustache) is sourced from Sad Girl, a single-origin Melbourne brand founded by friend Yukako Sunaba.

Cool kids never sleep. That’s the motto of Kiddo Coffee, a hole-in-the-wall Surry Hills cafe that opened in August.