Tummy Prosperity: Expat.Roasters, from the Expats to another Expats and non-Expats

If you just thought that the title I picked was cheesy, well you might judge *LOL* and I did apologize for that as I was just trying to choose a catchy one yet couldn't find any so I ended up coming with the current one you've just read. Nonetheless, yes you just read it right, the name of this new kid on the block, who's also the sibling to Sisterfields and Bossman, is indeed Expat Roasters. However, the name doesn't represent the target customers as it does serve the caffeine doze of both the expats and non-expats one, since everyone is welcome. Nevertheless, it's not without reason that the coffee shop was named as Expat.

It's basically brought-out by 2 Aussie expats; the international award winning barista Shae Macnamara and the Australian entrepreneur Adam McAsey. These two gentlemen had so much passion in coffee that they fell in love with Indonesian's great beans and they did want to help the farmers and the producers to have their coffee marketed throughout the whole Indonesia.

If you wonder why I called it as the family of Sisterfields and Bossman, then I will shortly let you know. So basically these 3 dining places belong to a single owner and thereby, the location's next to each other. Now he's even planning to build another restaurant, which is just right next to Expat, yet I won't reveal any information regarding this new comer so it will be a greater surprise for all of you.

Residing at the center of Seminyak area, just very close to Seminyak Village, it must be very easy for everyone to find this 'mini' cafe. Especially for those who have been very familiar with Bali, I just need to mention Sisterfields or Monsieur Spoon Seminyak, then it's just a hand-flip to search for the location. I named it 'mini' as the space's indeed very tiny, perhaps only able to accommodate less than 10 people in total, already combining the indoor and outdoor area. Based on my wild guess, it's indeed designed mostly for take-away or simply to accompany the people who're queuing for either Sisterfields or Bossman. Honestly speaking, with this petite size, it's indeed not designed for spending long time. It would be just for having your caffeine crave satisfied, then left to another place.

The design of the venue itself was very very simple, mainly themed with monochromatic color; dark and black. Nothing's fancy, nothing's too much.

Starting the day with something moderately light for breakfast, my friends and I opted for their banana bread. It's the dish name which successfully captured my interest initially as it's said to be served with single-origin espresso butter. This catchy combination served made the dish winning against the other two which were also displayed in the showcase; Wonderboys (brownie cookies stuffed with flavored buttercream) and Filled Donuts. Hmm.. Espresso Butter... It's even hard for me to imagine the taste as it sounded very unique and rarely or even never be found before. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as amusing as my thought as the banana bread itself was a bit too dry and the espresso flavor in the butter was quite minimum.

Banana Bread with Single-Origin Espresso Butter (IDR 35k)

Then moving to the star of the place, the coffee. Using Expat's own house blend, Nomad, both the Cappuccino (IDR 35k) and the Piccolo (IDR 35k) were basically representing the blend of three Indonesian coffee; Arche Gayo from Sumatra and two local Balinese beans from Kintamani. Decorated with various gorgeous latte arts by the talented and friendly barista, this cup couldn't look more appealing.

Hot Cappuccino / White 6 oz (IDR 35k)

Hot Piccolo / White 4 oz (IDR 35k)

Coming to the after-sip part, I personally preferred the coffee to have bolder taste as it's quite too milky for my palate. The aroma also needed to be slightly stronger to make it a more indulging cup. Well, perhaps for my taste bud, the piccolo was executed better than the cappuccino as it's closer to my expectation. Yet, I did expect something beyond this cup ;). And if your palate was caffeine intolerant, actually they did serve Hot Chocolate - 6oz (IDR 45k), the one held by my friend in the picture below. For me who fancied my hot chocolate coming in stronger dark chocolate flavor, this was quite too light, but who knew if you might prefer this version :)

Having this strategic location, I'm quite confident that Expat will be well-noticed by the people passing by. As I desired more improvement on the coffee, in the end I would say good luck and keep the success sustainable. Hopefully I could get back sometime soon to try their main breakfast menu :)