Coffee Shop Log #1
Today I bring you: the first edition of the Coffee Shop Log.
Yes, I’ve decided, here in the land of coffee and scones*, that every Saturday I will visit a coffee shop and note what makes it worthwhile, what detracts, and whether I’ll be revisiting.
First up is Lily D’s. A corner shop that faces Bibi’s Shoe Boutique. When walking past the first time, I didn’t know which one to examine more closely, the shoes or the coffee. I decided to check out the shoes then and check out the coffee on Saturday.
When I walked up to the shop on Saturday, I thought it was closed. It was dark, and no one was seated. Luckily, an older man just in front of me peeked in and entered, so I gathered that it was open. It turns out he was a regular (I think – people here tend to just start a conversation as if in the middle, so he and the barista might have been speaking for the first time, and I wouldn’t be the wiser), and they chatted it up for a bit before the barista, who looked to be in her mid-thirties turned to me. I ordered a coffee and a wheaten scone, and she told me to take a seat and she’d bring it to me. I chose a small seat by the window and looked around.
Even on the inside, the shop was dark. One light shone on the pastry case that was half-filled, and the walls were painted black. Although this contrasted nicely with the white orchids placed in old diner-style salt shakers on each table, it still left the room a bit cold. I took out my book and started reading and thanked the barista when she brought my coffee and scone.
The coffee was served in a tall glass, which fit the mood, as far as I could sense it. Unfortunately, the drink was a bit…acrid, if I may, and the scone could have done with a bit of toasting, or at least warming. It didn’t stop me from finishing everything, but I had to leave when the hand that was holding the book became numb from the cold.
I liked the payment system, however, in that I went to the register when finished to pay. I like little honor system things like that. In addition, it seems to be populated by regulars, as several older people came in during my time, and greeted everyone inside with familiar cries.
Will I go again? Not given how many bustling shops I passed in order to reach Lily D’s. However, I think the place would be a much wiser choice during the warmer summer months. Given the other man’s hesitation to enter, I think maybe the shop is usually a bit livelier, but given my limited amount of time here (and the precedent set by Dublin), I’ll seek elsewhere this Saturday.
*It’s true: what used to be the land of tea and crumpets, according to the British Coffee Association, is “now a nation of coffee drinkers…In some regions…coffee has already become the most frequently consumed beverage, consumed almost twice as frequently as tea.” Of course, this is also the organization that dismisses as myth the dehydrating and addictive effects of coffee, so I don’t know how well-informed they might be. Check it out at http://www.britishcoffeeassociation.org.
In any case, I haven’t seen crumpets for sale anywhere.