Thursday, May 21, 2009

Distinction

There's a certain cafe that appears to have just recently opened in Victoria Park, almost exactly halfway between Food For Me and The Imp, and almost exactly opposite 868 Gourmet. As such it's in exalted company, and a useful addition to a neighbourhood which could probably use one or two more places that serve decent coffee.


It has a distinctive name, and I'm not going to tell you what it is. Distinctive names are easy to search on Google, and as the Milkd episode taught me if there's a chance one's review could be become the primary one then it's possible that one will, as they say, publish and be damned. I don't want that responsibility. Let's just call it “Meerlidelishass”.


As I sat at one of the outdoor tables and waited for my order to arrive, I pondered the name. The font – Microsoft Word's Papyrus, I think – made it appear eastern. What is that, Italian? Some sub-continental Buddhist word?


Er, no. It's just cute. And I don't mean “Aw... cute!” as much as “Hmph. Cute.”


My order came out, and I ate and drank. The coffee was... good. The fruit toast was... good. The décor, the service, the prices... all middle range quality. And that's the unfortunate thing. It's impossible to say anything about this cafe without it sounding like damnation through faint praise. The coffee isn't as good as it is at Urbanstar or The Imp. But it's better than it is at Gloria Jean's or The Dome. The fruit toast wasn't up to the standards of Food For Me or Zekka, but it was a lot better than a couple of slices of Tip Top fruit bread stuck in a toaster, which is what you'll get at some of the less reputable cafes in this city. I'd certainly go there again, if I wanted better food than The Imp could offer, or if I wanted more substantial food than 868 Gourmet could offer, or if Food For Me was closed.


And unfortunately that still sounds as if I'm criticizing, when it's more a simple statement of fact.


Maybe they should just shrug their shoulders and put it on the sign. “Meerlidelishass – you could do a lot worse.”

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