Friday, May 19, 2006

Alyis-N-Rose Bakery & Cafe

Location: 1686 Lafayette St., Santa Clara

Reviewed: May 19, 2006

Espresso: My single was served ~2oz. with no crema whatsoever (to be fair, there was a very thin ring of what appeared to be nothing more than a FP-style bloom on the coffee, but I wouldn't call this crema). Strangely, it was given to me in an Irish Coffee mug of ~8-10oz. capacity (they didn't appear to have any other style of mug). It had a dark-roast bittersweet flavour, but nothing else really distinguished it at all. Basically indistinguishable from darkly-roasted drip coffee.

Atmosphere: Alyis-N-Rose is a fairly small and comfy neighbourhood cafe. There are a couple of couches centrally located in the room, while the cafe tables & chairs are relegated to the periphery. The walls are decorated with what appear to be quiltwork, and there are various figurines scattered about that appear to attempt to portray an image of African art. Overall, the place is kinda cool in its own way, although not a place for everyone.

Verdict: With 'espresso' that tastes just like drip coffee, I'd stick with the drip.

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