Delicious, affordable food and great coffee makes this cosy, city cafe crema of the crop

For an inexpensive, tasty brunch or lunch option, that’s easily accessible, this pocket-sized Hobart cafe is well worth bookmarking, writes TasWeekend’s Alix Davis.

ALIX DAVIS

3 min read

July 14, 2024 - 11:45AM

Little Amsterdam’s soup of the day is a healthy, warming combo of chicken, coriander, ginger and chilli. Picture: Linda Higginson

Food and Wine

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The history of coffee traces its origins to ancient times in Ethiopia, where legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi discovered the energising effects of coffee beans after noticing his goats became lively upon eating them.

From Ethiopia, coffee spread to the Arabian Peninsula, where it became an integral part of Islamic culture. By the 15th century, coffee had reached Persia, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire, where it was consumed in coffeehouses known as “qahveh khaneh.”

The Dutch East India Company played a pivotal role in the spread of coffee cultivation beyond Arabia, bringing coffee plants from Yemen to Java in the late 17th century, a period known as the Dutch Golden Age. This marked the beginning of large-scale coffee cultivation outside of its native lands. In particular, Java became a significant coffee production centre under Dutch colonial rule. The Dutch not only cultivated coffee but also controlled its trade, exporting it throughout Europe and beyond, thus playing a crucial role in popularising coffee around the world.

Lucy and Ben Carpenter in their new cosy, pocket-sized cafe Little Amsterdam, in Battery Point. Picture: Chris Kidd

The Dutch influence in the coffee trade continued for centuries, shaping the development of coffee as a global commodity and contributing to its widespread consumption worldwide. And so we come to Little Amsterdam – a pocket-sized cafe in Battery Point that has coffee at its core and a nice sideline in toasties. These guys know their coffee – there’s a comprehensive offering of styles and barista Indy greets regular customers and knows their order as soon as they walk in the door. There are even brew times listed for the espresso (11g beans for 30sec).

Little Amsterdam cafe’s ‘Michael Scott toastie’ which features leg ham, burger cheese, American mustard and slices of pickle. Picture: Linda Higginson

I will confess that I am not a coffee lover – believe me, I’ve tried, but it just doesn’t agree with me. However, anyone who is partial to a brew will appreciate the care and expertise that goes into every cup. Little Amsterdam owners Ben and Lucy Carpenter source their beans from Zest Coffee Roasters in Melbourne and their house blend is Blackbird – which they’ve been serving for years from their coffee van – Davey Street Garage.

“It works well with a milk-based coffee,” says Lucy, a former teacher who has recently joined her husband in the hospitality trade. Beans for the pour-over coffees – “which is like theatre, you’re putting on a show for the customers” come from Amsterdam. Beans are weighed precisely before being freshly ground and the pour over presented. Prices may vary depending

Little Amsterdam’s soup of the day is a healthy, warming combo of chicken, coriander, ginger and chilli. Picture: Linda Higginson

on the bean selection – 22g (350ml, $8) and 30g (480ml, $10). “We have a group who come in every Saturday to share a pour over or two,” says Lucy of their signature drink.

On the food side of things, they’re keeping it simple while making it both affordable and delicious. Sandwiches are from the Davey Street Garage and I opt for the Adam’s Orchard ($8.50) which pulls together one of my favourite combinations – apple and cheese – and adds pickled onion and baby spinach. No hard-to-chew sourdough here – sandwich bread is well buttered, well toasted and the resulting toastie is golden, crispy and full of oozy melted cheese.

One of Little Amsterdam’s signature lattes. Picture: Linda Higginson.

One of the sweet treats available at the Little Amsterdam cafe in Battery Point. Picture: Linda Higginson

My second sandwich is the Michael Scott ($8.50) which is giving strong cheeseburger vibes thanks to leg ham, burger cheese, American mustard and slices of pickle. Again, the cheese is well melted, which is always one of my chief criteria for a toastie – no-one wants warm, flabby cheese. And Lucy is happy to pop them back in the sandwich press to freshen them up for my husband who arrived a little later.

Given the chilly weather we’ve been having lately, I couldn’t resist a bowl of chicken soup ($10). This clear, Asian-style chicken soup exceeded my expectations and was delicately flavoured with ginger and coriander plus a few slices of fresh green chilli on top. Served with some well-buttered toast it was warming and felt extremely healthy. Lucy says it’s usually made by their friend Grace, but she’s been unwell lately so this batch was made by Ben. Well played Mr Carpenter!

Finish off lunch (or round out morning tea) with a melting moment ($3) from the Tasmanian Biscuit Company or a pastry from Queen’s for an affordable, tasty option that’s easily accessible and worth bookmarking.