A half ten 'coffee' meeting with a friend brought me to the coffee shop capital of East Belfast - the Belmont Road. Cafe Libra, being the only coffee shop I had yet to try around these parts, was my choice on this lazy Tuesday morning (I haven't been to the Rose Bowl across the road the road, but it's more OAP tea room territory).
My friend was a tad late, so I decided to wander in to Cafe Libra, and was met with a few questioning stares from a mum and daughter (I'm guessing) at one of the tables. Ignoring them, I plonked myself down on a seat facing the window and was immediately greeted by one of the staff who handed me a menu.
Despite the great service, the menu was a bit of a let down. It wasn't anything exciting - just your average tea and coffee options plus a bit of a breakfast menu (I'd been there and done that this particular morning), and a few sandwich options. I decided a hot chocolate was in order, grabbed a newspaper (provided by the cafe), and waited for my friend to come and the waitress to return. The former came slightly after the former, so I'd already drunk some of the pleasantly warm beverage before she arrived. Laden with mini marshmallows, it wasn't the worst I'd ever had (by a long way), but it wasn't the best either.
The cafe itself lacks in character, and it was eerily quiet for 11 o'clock in the morning. Once the cheerful (ahem) mother and daughter left it was just my friend and I, and all that was heard was the hum drum of our voices (well, mainly mine. I'm not gonna lie).
Despite lacking in certain areas, the service was pretty good, which is always a bonus. And that hot chocolate certainly filled a gap. Mmm...three it'll have to be. read more