Craig and I are cafe addicts. We are always on the hunt for a great cafe or coffee shop as Aussies call them, to just sit and chill for awhile.
Kalyra is also a coffee shop addict. As soon as we get a couple of blocks from our local cafe she will yell out, “I want to go to the coffee shop.” One of her first words was Starbucks.
Love me some Starbucks
Are we bad parents? No we just have a refined child, a lady of leisure! And for her it’s not the coffee she is after, but the banana bread and chocolate chip cookies.
Bagels and Coffee at Starbucks Darling Harbour
The reason we love cafes so much is that chilling in them reminds us of travel.
Days spent lazing around Thai and Laos guesthouse restaurants eating delicious curries and drinking banana smoothies, watching reruns of friends or the latest pirated movies, meeting new travelling friends, and having hilarious conversations with the locals who think we are just as delightfully weird and funny.
Bumming at Vang Vieng Laos
Well of course there is the swing in the hammock, the background inspiring musical tunes, and the sunset beers we love, but you knew that anyway.
In Turkey , it was immersing yourself into the world of Turkish cushions whilst sipping on Apple Tea and watching the life of the busy streets go by.
Apple tea and breakfast in Istanbul
In Africa, it was lying around lakes and campsites, reading books, eating fries that took an hour to cook, and playing card games with other travellers and games of bowa with the locals.
Bumming playing Bowa in Malawi
It was America that got us addicted to coffee and Starbucks.
The comfy sunken couches, the eclectic jazz and funk background music, the peace to sometimes do our work, and the green grass out the front of one of our locals that Kalyra could run around with other children while we listened to live acoustic singers entertaining us for the afternoon.
Wtih Xavier Rudd (horrible photo of me)
It was in a small coffee shop in Washington D.C for my birthday that we got to see an intimate performance by one of our favourite Australian singers Xavier Rudd. Receiving a big bear hug from him after the show as he stood with a red wine and no shoes on was one of our musical/cafe highlights.
And then of course there is Australia. The place where we had one of our most amazing Starbucks/ coffee shop moment ever.
Sunken in our comfy couches, sipping on green tea watching the beach goers parade in front of us, when suddenly in front of our very eyes, close to shore, whales started breaching out from the water. Can you ever top that?
We haven’t been that excited by our coffee shop options since returning home to Australia. Free wireless is a ghost of the future-maybe- there are no power points and they don’t stay open beyond 5pm!!! Catastrophe.
We did recently enjoy a delicious dandelion latte and turkish raison toast at the Gnostic Mana , but still the cafe was missing something.
My favourite Flat White
We found that something last weekend at Soul Cake Cafe. It has only been opened a month and is already getting quite popular with the locals. It has everything we ever want in a cafe experience including free high speed internet!!
Soul Cake Cafe
Every detail has been well thought out, the cute wooden deck with tables and chairs outside on pebbles and potted plants beside it. comfortable lounge chairs sit in a small sun room out the back and a lovely garden with more tables and chairs for some quiet privacy to bask in the afternoon sun.
Quiet chill out music plays in the background, the food is delciously fresh, inspired and healthy and they even make their own signature Soul Cake.
Positive thoughts for the day
Even your coffee or plate of food comes out with a laminated card that has a postive statement or thought for the day. The staff are super friendly and really happy. I always judge how good a cafe is based on the positive attitude of the staff. To me, they must be getting treated well or else they wouldn’t seem to love what they do so much.
On Sunday, after we got tired of Kalyra’s demands to go to the coffee shop, we pulled up with the pram after a long beach walk. On the deck was a live acoustic performer. We later found out to be one of the owners. After he finished one of the waitresses got up and started to sing. She was incredible.
Kalyra with her groove on to the live acoustic music
We sunk into our coffees, Kalyra dug into her banana bread, and we knew we had found our cafe heaven. One cup turned into two, the blog post ideas started flowing, and we could have sat there all day, even when the rain came bucketing down. It just added to the peacefulness of the experience.
Mmmm Banana bread
Looks like we have found our cafe chilling hang out!
