X - Re-Entry

I was here shortly yesterday, and the music and sound brought me back for another re-entry. This place rocks. Today it was almost full and I got the last table with no plug. Well screw all liabilities… the man needs power and what kind of “space-themed” café would not provide electrical power to their space cadets? The man, Matt, got me a big long ugly yellow extention cord and hooked me up. See I like that. They put their trust in the customers that no one will sue them if they trip over this cord.
Again, the music was perfect and the coffee tasted good. The guys working were very cool and made good conversation with everyone.
My complaints are minor as I don’t really care but you might. They don’t really have a nice newspaper selection. They are closed early… around 5:30pm. No bulletin board, but they post stuff up on this one pillar by the door which is much more noticeable then some bulletin boards I’ve seen hidden in the back. Oh yeah and they don’t have any healthy food like sandwiches or wraps… but everything is cool because “East is East” was one block away (my favorite Indian wrap place).
So as closing time came, the music got louder and better. I made conversation with Matt, and he gave me a free brownie because the Pineapple-Coconut muffin was only morning fresh. I'll be coming back...

My Bill
Americano 2.25
Americano and Muffin 4.75

My Rating
Coffee B
Service A
Atmosphere A-
Music A+

IX - Re-Entry

It really wasn't a fair day to give a review but fate serves us all. Classic miserable Vancouver weather and I tangoed into Re-Entry hoping to send me into space. However it was a short orbit and I will have to take another trip. There was nice art on the walls and I was able to catch the tail end of the latest Radiohead album and it sounded good... as in, the speakers must be top notch... so I would also come back on a date. Oooops the place is closed by dinner time... better make it a post date date. The place was new and clean, I wish it was bigger so I could hide for hours as I work.

At the end of my day

My bill
Americano 2.25

My Rating
Coffee B
Service B
Atmosphere A-
Music A

VIII - Salt Spring Coffee

After a few so-so coffees from the last cafes, I was getting discouraged that I was becoming pessimistic about the range of the whole coffee tasting thing… So far I’ve only tasted really good coffee and regular bitter coffee without being able to distinguish flavors. Anyways, today I want a good coffee.

I head out to Salt Spring coffee. From the visit on their web site, I figured they had to have good coffee. For heaven’s sakes, their slogan is “We make GOOD coffee, that makes you feel GOOD inside.” Ha ha ha, a little corny no? But I give them credit, they really go into a science and an art of coffee.

So I walked in and the music was good. They were playing CDs and I got to listen to some reggae and Gwen’s new CD. Ever since the spiderwebs video, I’ve always had a crush on her.

I ordered an Americano and to my pleasant surprise. Bingo! A new taste. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I think it is much different from JJ Bean or Bean Around the World, the other two leaders in taste. It was mild, and not bitter at all. It kinda had a smoky taste to it… delicious.

The place is small, only 6 tables (but nice and classy I felt like I was at a B&B on the Island). They are computer friendly. They have free internet and lots of plugs however, plugging into the ceiling was a tad awkward. The art work on the walls caught my eye. Very colorful and bold. There is a bulletin board hidden by the bathrooms. The place was busy. They had an amazing selection of food and at lunch time, I noticed the constant squeak of the door opening. WD-40 management.

For lunch I ordered a Capricola Foccacia sandwich. Apparently you can order the sandwiches fresh or day-old for a discount. Hmmmm. So the sandwich is awesome. The pannini has very thin crust and the middle is just packed with goods. There is like an inch of capricola, roasted peppers, red onions, tomatoes, lettuce… just stuffed. It could have been legendary, but they used “French’s”mustard.

After lunch the music had changed dramatically from R&B to some weird orchestrative modern music I couldn’t even classify. They had one CD of a weird classic rock band that was skipping… kind of annoying but by the end of day I got to listen to Led Zeppelin I album and then a very experimental jazz album so it was a really broad selection of music all over the map… In the very end, I had to leave because the jazz was too loud and too annoying.

At the end of my day

My bill
Pannini 6.95
Americano 2.10

My Rating
Coffee A
Service A
Atmosphere B
Music C+
Free Internet +1 Bonus Point
Closed early 6pm -1 Bonus Point

VII – Cuppa Joe

As I am a numbers guy, I was more positive today to hit a better café on my “7”th spot on the list. I picked Cuppa Joe because the name speaks to me for some reason… where did the name "Cup of Joe" even come from? I wikied it and it turns out to have several undecided whereabouts, but I think it sounds logical that it was named after the American Navy General “Joe Daniels” that banned alcohol on the ships... There probably was a little whisky in the first real cup of Joe.

So my Cuppa Joe experience started with a video from their web site. Sorry guys, but that was so long and so lame… hire me next time. It did however convince me to get a latte so I could see the special little artwork they do with the cream… very nice. The coffee was comparable to Starbucks but way under the JJ Bean standard. They didn't have much food to choose from, but they did have some free samples of what the guy said was the world's most scrumptious brownie... a little too sweet, but it sucked me in for a full one. Nothing there for lunch... Boo!

The place was nice and bright with a good location for people watching. I set up right on the window bar and being right on the corner of Main and Broadway, I got a good glimpse of about 1000 people today. Location, location, location… Cuppa Joe was packed all day long. They had free internet, but it was small inside so not much selection of chairs so most clients were “coffee-to-go” drinkers.
They were playing their own music and I got to listen to a great mix from Sarah McLachlan and some other dark rock and electronic music. There was a bulletin board in the back and the place was clean and very comfortable... I will be back!

At the end of my day

My Bill
Latte & Brownie 6.67$

My Rating
Coffee C
Service A-
Atmosphere A-
Music B
free internet +1 bonus point

VI – The Grind

It’s Halloween and this is the “6”th café on review so I don’t know if that had something to do with this bad day (yesterday by the the way). I sprained my ankle very badly the other night so I had to limp to this next café with a grimace. That’s probably why nothing magical happened. I’m not going to say too much because, well... if you step in shit, people will smell it anyways.

There are two rooms at The Grind. If you go, make sure to see the big room at the back, because it is very unnoticeable if you don’t know it’s there. It has a piano and luckily today I got to hear someone playing. There were big antique chairs, huge tables and women knitting. It seemed to be a good place to work or study for long periods of time. Besides the piano, they have a CD player in the shop and I got to hear a lot of hiphop and R&B full cds (Kanye West, TLC)

They had nice big bulleting board, free internet and the place is open 24 hours. However if you are looking for a tasty treat and good coffee... well... "Bababooey-Bababooey-Howard Stern's Penis".

At the end of my day

My Bill
Americano 2.25
Chai Latte & Lemon Cake 4.60

My Rating
Coffee C-
Service B
Atmosphere C+
Music B
free internet +1 bonus point
24/7 +2 bonus points

V – Lugz

No coffee Sunday was a bad idea. Drinking coffee everyday leads me to believe that if I stop, I will never work another day in my life.
Today, I would have stopped in at Sunny Spot Café, but it was closed. Jeesh what kind of café is closed on a Monday!

So I hit the next coffee place over… Lugz, the 1st and oldest café on Main St. Before I entered they have a good sign that makes a lot of things clear what kind of café this is… “Get in off the main path, support the local and boycott the multis”. Well not very humble but this is pretty much what I’m looking for. They state their specials… 2$ Lattes from 6-11pm. I liked the “Rain, rain go away” comment. Shows fun and expression! Extra bonus points for discounts to students and bus riders!

Within 5 minutes of entering the place, I realized that this place has the potential of being my place. I was immediately hit with “Find my way” from Tribe. The only guy working, Jark, was the environment, and conversing with everyone. He had his own mix playing… hip hop, reggae, industrial electronic stuff... But also, what a nice guy… he gave a girl a medium instead of a small cuz “it was Monday”. He had a sense of humor writing “We now have 4 sizes.. small medium, large and Chuck Norris”. He called everyone “Big Guy!” He gave a guy a free Green Tea just because it was “his” green tea. He truly was the café and he was cool so this place already tops the others.

The place is decorated in music and definitely speaks to the alternative. They have a nice big bulletin board with lots of music posted. However, there were fewer personal communal events posted compared to Bean Around the World, so a little less popular. Well let’s find out why…

This place has free internet, 6 computers, sofas and funky space chairs by two long bars (I sat in one of the space chairs. It was broken and I almost fell over… ya this place is kind of rough). The next space chair to the right was open and it worked…

The coffee… pretty normal. Jark says it comes from Lugz’ own organic coffee beans, that are roasted in Richmond… well obviously not as fresh as JJs then. But they have a water cooler, which has free water, not like the other places that sell water or give you tap.

Lunchtime

Jark tells me to get a pannini which seems to be the food of choice in the cafes. I told him to set me up and the one he made me was full of mushrooms, pretty ballsy considering not everyone likes mushrooms… I guess I just look like a mushroom type of guy (he he he). Very good. Nice and saucy! The award winning chai was also very good, but a little too mild. He said that he can also make it strong if I ask.

It is worth noting their bathroom. Straight out of Trainspotting… they only have one that was very small. It was kind of uncomfortable as it was also the water heater room. But “whatever” if you are me… I got the job done. However, they were also out of soap… yikes!

The end of my day

My bill

Americano 2.65
No visa
Pannini and Chai 14.10 (tip included and well deserved)


Rating

Coffee B
Service A+
Atmosphere B
Music A+
Bathroom D
free internet +1 bonus point

IV – Bean Around the World (with guest Oliver)

A magestic tree, in the school field I peculiarly noticed on my walk to Main street, said something to me... Already there was an electricity in my blood that followed my instincts to go to “Bean Around the World”. Am I ever in the prophetic zone… it’s amazing what a woman can do for a man (but that’s another blog).

The only spot available for me to plug in was available beside a new 6 month baby girl Claire and her mother Kerry with friend Sharon. I invited myself to set up next to her and what a bonus to be able to share glances with the chubby lil’ muffin… which leads me to my next discovery… BATW’s low-fat muffins. I ordered a large Americano in my roommates BATW mug, and a Poppyseed Raspberry Lemon Muffin!!! Woot Woot… a new taste! What a muffin… I might be making a switch from the cookie (sorry Ginger Snap ☹… you’ll always have a place in my heart) I ate it so fast I forgot to take a picture, and I had to order another one…

The coffee… what can I say. Talking to Oliver’s girlfriend Lindsay (and professional coffee drinker) last night at “Public”, she was right on the money that their coffee is a nice change from her regular preference of JJ Bean… I totally agree. Very mild but there was some definite flavor.

The next big thing hit me while I waited for my Americano, and exploration of the wall. I saw on the wall that they have LIVE music Saturday nights, and who else would play tonight but “Jennifer Lauren”… HOLY SCHNIKEYS! The one out of two girls that I know personally that sing professionally. I guess I will have to delay my Halloween extravaganza until a little later than expected. Oh well, pirates aren’t supposed to come out until after midnight anyways right? Oh, maybe that’s just vampires. I can be a vampire… check out my vampire smile.

OK, so I wonder over and about to second check this place for power to plug in, the one thing that has been a disappointment here. And to my pleasant surprise, there are two more. So maybe… just maybe. They even have free internet here, well… unfortunately it is not working today… too bad. I talked with the tall neurotic guy who was working and making fun of his co-workers. A good sign of sense of humor within the place… a definite plus. I don’t know if the girls like him though, so that could easily change to a minus. Anyways, he said that they have a bakery with here in shop… hence why that damn good muffin!

Along with a plentiful collection of newspapers, comes the bulletin board. What a nice touch to a café! Man I am loving this place more and more! It’s full of concerts and community activites and services.
12 noon

A visit from my good friend and roommate Oliver. He is the one who told me to inform people of newspapers, bathroom cleanliness and what not... ahhh, I'll let him do that if he wants to write some posts.
He’s starving so I show him to the display case of fresh baked goods and sandwiches. We get into the consistently long BATW line, and we nervously notice that there is now only 3 Tomato, Spinach and Boccoccini sandwiches left from the recently made 6.

Luckily we get them and they’re pretty good. I personally think they might need a sauce in there… like pesto or balsamic vinegar… maybe I could have ordered that on the side?

1pm

After Ollie leaves, two people have approached me to see if there is WIFI here. I told them that it was not working today and they split. Sorry management, but that’s a pretty big faux-pa here in the city. Not that I care that much but these people obiously needed their crackbooks logged in, and you probably lost some minor profits today, but I think more so the loss of these people on a regular basis scale… whatever the hell I am talking about, I’m sure you get what I mean.

2pm

I am now bothered by something. There is a smell of mold. It could be the wood. This place is totally wood everywhere and the floor kind of looks nasty… anyways I really notice it now but not enough to keep me away. I don’t think most people will notice this, but I am impressed with myself that I am picking up some little things that might disturb people to a different level.
My 2nd Americano which they filled up for me double-time, is now cold but still tastes really good. This could be the sign of a good coffee as I noticed my coffee at Waves yesterday did not taste good cold.

8pm

NO JENNIFER LAUREN - Brutal false advertising!!! I made an effort to go out of my way because it said that Jen was playing here tonight. I even asked one of the girls how she would be setting up and they said she would set up right where I was sitting. It was some other guy... Man if you are going to advertise your LIVE music once a week, it doesn't take much to write it on the wall properly. Get with it management! Horrible loss of points!!!


My Bill

Large Americano and Muffin = 3.60ish
Tomato and Boccoccini Sandwich = 6.45ish (sorry forgot to grab the receipt)

My Rating

Coffee A
Service B
Atmosphere A-
Music B