This was described by my Mum as being like a Costa Coffee, but it turned out far better than that. new cafe on the former site of the HSBC does give the impression of having an owner with a passion for what he is doing. What he is doing is, I suspect, spreading the good word of coffee to tea drinkers.
I went in there for a greasy breakfast, which had the Irish and English versions. These were on the menu as more of a commercial necessity. The soda bread was poor, but more ingredient were perfectly fine. That said, when there is a butcher a few doors down, it seems odd that they use "merely" better supermarket stuff (I could be wrong).
The coffee was indeed very nice and well served. The different types of coffee were listed on a board next to their curry-equivalent in strength to give some idea of what people could order. It was a nice touch that would work equally well in curry houses in most of the rest of Europe. That and the offer of barrista lessons tell the story of an evangelical owner.
The pastries looked rather superior to the average Starbucks nonsense. Were this really a Costa, it would get two stars. Instead, it just squeaks four. read more