As food and drink enthusiasts, we visit a lot of restaurants, bars, cafes, food stalls. So, yeh I believe we have some culinary experience and we can recognize what is good, what is bad and what is inedible. This time I will write about so-called hipster coffee shops, which are trending for the last few years. What is a hipster coffee shop? First of all, I have nothing against hipsters or any other culture or movement. To be honest I find places with this style pleasant and lay down atmosphere there makes your drink true zen event. The owners of these places are so innovative that they earned my respect. Recycling is one aspect of their resourcefulness.
You don’t need a brand new inventory for your place to shine. Some old chairs and bad looking tables can do the trick. Even the style of the chairs and tables is not important. You can just gather together as much as you can. The place can be even an old factory facility or an old house. Some abandoned places that were out of order for a long time, without any maintenance. There is no need to paint a wall since the old rustic look is this one you want. In pursuing this style the owner can spare a lot of money and focus on the quality of the service. Of course, that doesn’t apply to all the countries. In Europe, it would be very difficult to open a place like this, due to all regulations and HACCP standards. But anyway, there are places on this earth, where this is a less complicated option.
But how can a ramshackle place become a zen place? Well, let say it that way. In a lot of places with this style, you get the best drinks and amazing food. They put a lot of effort into making perfect hipster coffee, so I guarantee in this type of shops you will get your best cuppa. The music is usually great and chilled out. Some indie melody puts you in another dimension while you drink kick-ass coffee made by an excellent barista. However, there is an important criterion that needs to be fulfilled for this peaceful event. The cleanliness is the key.
Sure I like a homy feeling and laid back atmosphere when I drink my favorite beverage. But first of all, make it clean. I can notice if something is there for style or because someone was sloppy. Beyond doubt, it’s super cool to see some old items as decoration. But a thumb layer dust just doesn’t belong there. In Melaka, we were in a coffee shop, which used to be very good. It had great food and smashing coffee. The place is called Kaya Kaya Cafe and it’s on the busy street known for tourist buzz – the Yonker walk.
Which by the way is not a great walk anyway. It’s a busy street with a traffic ambient noise. If it would become a pedestrian zone the picture would be completely different. Anyway, at first sight, this coffee place is a nice looking one. Especially with their open courtyard at the back, with some great graffiti on the wall. We ordered a coffee and some passion fruit juice. The drinks were fine, but the place was a real mess. The tables were dirty, dust was everywhere and on the floor, we even found a dog poop.
I doubt it was the decoration. All around the place was standing water and mosquitos had their piece of heaven in that little bistro. All this dirty atmosphere chased us away with the help of the mosquito army. No food order, just drink and run. After ten minutes and five insect bites later we were standing outside. So here is the epilog: Sure, you can have some rustic, hipster-style place. Just make sure it’s clean and without unnecessary decorations. The great examples were in Penang. There we found so many nice hipster coffee shops with coffee on the top level.
Thank you for reading. Tune with us for some great tips, reviews or ideas. We’re getting close to Penang, one of the best cities here in Malaysia. The food there is just amazing and cafes, bars or restaurants there are photogenic more than Gisele Bundchen. And for the end one hipster coffee joke.
Why did the hipster burn his tongue? Because he drank his coffee before it was cool.
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