Solstice Cafe - 529 Pandora
The heart is starting to pound bit heavy in my chest, and everything is really beginning to speed up. The effects of three medium coffees in 2 hours is beginning to let itself known, but we power on, like freshers on a beer crawl, determined to see it through.
We stumble in the Solstice Cafe, a haven for some. But today it's busy and playing prog rock. The counter is manned with three server/baristas and i'm not sure whose serving who, but between the minor third chords I order up another Americano and retire to the bathroom to make room.
On my return, there's one mug ready to go, which I think is mine. I take it, add a spot of milk and sit down, ready the pages of a comic over one girl's shoulder while my friend collects his drink. The first taste is good, but there's a slightly sour flavour in there. Several more sips later, and I wonder if I've got the yoghurt and milk mixed up. We decide later that the milk jug and the soy jug might have been mixed up, but it kinda of put a damper on things. Otherwise, this is a good space, with what seemed like good coffee. The prog rock turned into singer/songwriter, so life was more bearable.
Another friend arrived fresh from foreign parts, bearing games played with rare earth magnets. So we played, supped coffee and caught up. I think I might have caught up veryveryvery fast though.
Coffee - $2.50, Overall Rating - 5/10Discovery Coffee - 664 Discovery
A fast walk into the car park burnt of a little of nervous energy and we piled over to Discovery for the final coffee of the day. Life is moving fast now, with a hyper-realism I don't enjoy. I am reminded of Terry Pratchett's knurd : "The opposite of being drunk, its as sober as you can ever be. It strips away all the illusion, all the comforting pink fog in which people normally spend their lives, and lets them see and think clearly for the first time ever." My sanity was preserved over all, and we rocked up in the 60's kitsch rooms of Discovery Coffee.
They are playing the Rolling Stones, they got old couches in one lounge area, with a coffee table that would have been second-hand in my parent's first house. There's a faint smell of old fabric and worn out stuffing, but this is the first place I've felt actually relaxed. If I wasn't heading for the ice hockey afterwards, I'd probably have hung out longer.
The coffee is good. Smooth, not bittered by over roasting or scalded in the espresso. It tasted a little weaker than I would have liked it, but lets face it, after 4 others, I didn't need a strong coffee. I loved the two areas, and the long list of local events they are doing. A comfortable, friendly place.
Coffee - $2.75, Overall rating - 8/10And with that I headed to the Poolside Inn for a large beer before the game. I was hoping the alcohol would counteract the coffee. It did for a while, and a fine game of hockey was enjoyed. But by 1am, I was wide awake again, and the mind was still spinning. The caffiene hangover... not quite as dangerous as the beer one, but I'll be cutting my consumption if I do this again.
Summary
Well I had been told to check out 2% Jazz, Street Level and Picnic as well. Plus Cafe Fantastico (at the Parkside) I have been to since, but these will be for another day. Or days.
But for now, I'd rate them overall as follows:
Best for Coffee - Habit
Best for a first date - Mirage
Best for not going to ever again - Sitka
Best for sitting around all day with a cosy mug of coffee and good friends - Discovery
Best for watching people knit and read comic books - Solstice
I'm intrigued - how on earth would you know what would look out of place in our first house - a flat in Leytonstone - which we left 4 years before you were born and I doubt you've ever even seen the outside.
ReplyDeleteWhen you drink enough coffee, you acquire the ability to see into the past and visualize houses you've never been to.
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