Cafe Espresso

I just want to give some credit to a lovely little cafe in Exeter, situated on the way up to the Rougemont Castle. I'll add some pictures when I remember to take a camera there, but it is has been the home of serious studying, writing, revising, and marking since I have been in Exeter. I was working there today, and thought about the many qualities of the operation. The barista’s are friendly and make a very fine espresso, and the chef concocts some fantastic cakes. And that is a compliment coming from someone who is rather obsessed with cake and pastry baking. The physical space incorporates two different idioms, with the upper floor clad in rich yellowy creams and overlooking the Rougemont Castle's surviving Norman tower, providing an atmosphere entirely unlike that in any chain cafe.

 

One barista trained in Australia, which might seem like a rather unusual place to learn the ropes of espresso. But with all seriousness, his work really surpasses much of what I have had in Italy (Florence, Bologna, Pisa, and Milan). I mentioned this to him, and he explained the cafe scene in Australia. Apparently the Aussies are quite particular when it comes to coffee. If they don't like a drink they will send it back. This is a regular, frustrating, and I can imagine a little bit humiliating experience. So he said he learned how to make coffee in short order. He used to work at Costa when they were an up and coming chain, and 'serious about coffee', but gave up on them when they started to really accomplish their sales goals and care less about the quality of their product. He's been at Cafe Espresso since then, and in my judgment is a real asset.

 

Interestingly, Exeter has recently been ranked as the number one clone town in the United Kingdom. That is to say, that its high street and central city retail districts are more dominated by chain operations than any other city in the land. In fact, the only store on the high street which is not a chain is the surviving tobacconist. Everything else is a hodgepodge of Cafe Rouge, Tesco, Carphone Warehouse, and Marks and Spencers. This has the advantage of predictability. I know exactly what is available, where, and when. But if I'm looking for something outside the margins, like some traditionally made welted 'veldtschoen'*, which I'd like to replace my current foam-made rubbish hiking boots, then Exeter has no known solutions.

 

Worse than the lack of certain eccentric opportunities is the dearth of care and class. Every city faces the homogenization that has blighted Exeter. Some may hold out more than Exeter has. But even here places like Cafe Espresso are little gems. They are personable where Starbucks is faceless, they are meticulous where Costa is ordinary and their pistachio and citrus cake must include a dash of the transcendent sublime.

 

Once more into the breach,

Ben

 

* The veldtschoen, or field shoe: shoe in which upper is turned outward when stitched into the welt of the shoe to form a flange.  When combined with durable, dense leathers, and a solid rubber sole, this results in remarkable water proofing and field resilience.

 

(Picture from http://www.herringshoes.co.uk/index.php.  Reproduced here for editorial purposes only.)