This is the newest kid on the Clovelly coffee block. The owners, Tom and Eli, have managed to find a spot along Clovelly Road not clustered around Frenchman's Road, Mount Street or the Arden Circle. That was good planning.
Like Bus Stop a couple blocks up the road, the owners have chosen to decorate it with eclectic mismatching tables, chairs and wall fixtures. It, too, is funky--and this may be the latest phase in the evolution of Sydney coffee houses.
Unlike Bus Stop, however, they do all their own cooking on premises: there is a full kitchen onsite, and Eli cooks most of the sweets and preps all the meals. The muffins are first rate, although I am not much of a muffin fan. The food there is pretty good, although I have not sampled more than a few dishes. Its great virtue is that they offer a number of slightly unusual fare (including authentic Israeli brekkies, if that's your thing).
Also unlike Bus Stop, the coffee has been consistently good. At first, when the owners opened a couple months ago, the coffee was hit and miss. But now they've hit their groove. There is arguably better coffee along Clovelly Road (not surprising as there are something like 10 quite competent cafes), but they offer a reliable cup and I usually pick one up in the morning.
Huge added bonus: they are the only cafe around that offers free (and fast!) wifi. This makes a Man and his Monkey a great place to hang and even do some work. A really nice addition to the neighborhood.
BRIEF POST-SCRIPTUM 2/10/15: Another reviewer suggested that several previous reviews (including presumably mine) had "a dog in the fight." Gotta take exception to that--I'm glad AMAHM is close by, but so are any of a number of other cafes. I have not given them all great review (e.g., Bus Stop). Just so happened that this one is good. Food for thought. read more