Shop 6, Left Bank, Off Cuba Mall, Wellington
Coffee:Long Black 3.5
I was pretty hungover and looking for a good long black that was going to be long, strong and hot. this coffee was all of the above, and i was just pretty desperate and not too picky about the taste at the time. It was one of those long blacks with a really grainy looking, light colored, frothy crema... the graininess always it seem a bit dirty to me, it should be a bit more velvety and darker brown/gold. It was served in a paper cup though i was sitting and reading the paper, I'm not sure if they do ceramic cups. At the end, there were some grounds at the bottom of the cup. it happens, but it shouldn't.
Overall the coffee gets a five/10. I've had worse, and it was fine but in this town it's a lot easier to get a better cup of coffee, some even cheaper.
Food:Toastie with smoked chicken, cream cheese and sundried tomatoes. 6
The girl working forgot about the toastie...fair enough, it happens. After 20 minutes I asked for it and got it right away, so it was just on the toaster becoming REALLY HOT and really crispy. For six bucks it was pretty decent, served on a paper plate which I don't understand... even the glass of water I asked for was given in a paper cup. I wasn't given a napkin, and the toastie was pretty gloopy with hot cream cheese...was delicious for a hangover once I got over the tounge burn from the first bite.
Atmosphere:
The place looks cool, and lives up to the offbeat used in it's name. The walls are decorated with a lot of those old thermos' (the red plastic kind from your 80s plastic lunchbox). It was pretty cool, the chairs were those fifties "hug your butt" type things which i find to be pretty comfortable. it was a fine place to sit inside and read the paper while i drank my coffee and watched the rain outside.
they sell candy and cigarette filters (not sure about cigarettes) at the counter.
the outside is probably the best selling point as the cafe is in a pedestrian mall off of cuba pedestrian mall. it's covered from the rain and the chairs are comfortable, same ones as inside...but there are no heaters.
Overall it was fine maybe because I was hungover, stoned and willing to settle for somewhere quiet on a rainy sunday afternoon but I'm not rushing back anytime soon, and if i do it'll just be for a toastie.
