The centrepiece at Humm Coffee Roasters is a Modbar ABR – a rare, expensive and extremely slick underbench coffee machine. Humm was the first cafe in Sydney to get it. Most of the machinery sits below the cafe’s timber countertop. The only clue that coffee is even being made is three visible spouts with curved wood handles: two for making espresso, one for steaming milk.

Humm roasts its own coffee at a shared space in Alexandria; the beans are from a wholesaler and are then blended, roasted and packed by the Humm team. While coffee is clearly the focus here, the food is excellent too.

The menu isn’t revolutionary, but it deftly incorporates popular Sydney fare without feeling cliched or overdone. There’s a fancy bacon and egg roll with yuzu-sesame coleslaw and Kewpie mayo. And crumpets made from fermented batter served with pineapple salsa, brulée banana, cream cheese frosting and salted-caramel syrup.

The cafe has a neighbourhood vibe with pleasant, tree-shaded outdoor seating and a large, timber-dominated indoor space, and it’s a 10-minute walk from the North Sydney train station.