Cafe Rouge

Just to give all of you coffee lovers a preview, Sam and I went to a wonderful cafe today but I forgot my camera! So because I am so dedicated to this blog, I will return to the same cafe, order another delicious cup of joe, get a picture of the cafe and then of course I will report back to you all about the experience! :) I am also a little behind on these entries because of all the coffee adventures I had in Spain! There were just too many, I couldn't keep up! But don't worry friends because I am going to do my best to have you update before I go to Belgium this weekend. Yes, I said Belgium! I warned you folks, this blog is going international! Genny, one of my oldest friends in the entire world, is visiting this week so she will be making a guest appearance in this blog next week!

Cafe Rouge is one of the many coffee shops on High Street in Canterbury. However, this cafe really stands out because of all the outside seating available in front of the restaurant and the beautiful, big, red building it is in! Cafe Rouge traditional Parisian chain that has over 100 locations across Britain. It is also one of the bigger cafes in the town of Canterbury, so if you have a big group and you all want some yummy coffee - consider going to Cafe Rouge. Sam and I went into town to one day and really, really wanted coffee (what else is new with us?) so we decided to try Cafe Rouge. We walked in and sat at a small table for two. In a matter of minutes, the waitress came over (as sweet as could be - she was definitely the nicest waitress we have met so far on these adventures) to take our order and ask if we had any questions. She even recommended a delicious breakfast snack when we mentioned that we were kind of in the mood for a little something to hold us over till lunch. I ordered a cafe latte which was 2.45 pounds and was also pretty gosh darn fantastic! It was also my favorite kind of mug (I think Boho had the same kind)! 

While we were enjoying our hot beverage on a cold day, the fire alarm went off. Sam and I looked at each other assuming that we should race to the door and evacuate the building but no one else was moving! We then watched our waitress and two other Cafe Rouge Employees frantically run up the stairs and the alarm went off. No one really address what had set the alarm off but it was funny because no one else in the restaurant seemed to care! They just kept on with their conversation and enjoying their meal. Clearly, Cafe Rouge's coffee is so wonderful, that it will make you ignore all distractions, even a fire alarm! :)

Inside Cafe Rouge (before the
fire alarm went off) :)

The outside of Cafe Rouge

Look how cute Sam is with her cappuccino! :)

I am one proud customer with my Cafe Latte!

Heidi's Swiss Patisserie & Rich's Rich Instant Coffee (Portsmouth, England)

Helllooo my fellow coffee drinkers! I am sorry for the little "blogging break" I went on for the last 3 weeks. In that time, I finished some papers, took care of some other important issues and went to Portsmouth, England and Barcelona, Spain - so you know I have some awesome coffee adventures to share with you! Today's post will focus on the coffee that was consumed in Portsmouth, England. Did you know that this town played a very instrumental role in D-Day? This town houses the Port that sent almost all of the Allies' ships to the beaches of Normandy! If you are ever in the area, I suggest checking out Portsmouth's D-Day Museum.

Back to the issue at hand - Coffee. You all are in for a treat today because I have TWO places to blog about! First, Sam and I spotted Heidi's Swiss Patisserie and decided to stop in and try their hazelnut latte (yes, I said hazelnut!). As I have mentioned before, finding coffee that has added flavoring has been a challenge but has certainly taught me to enjoy the taste of expresso and milk. Our drink was 2 pounds and 20 pence because we got it as "take away". However, if we were to drink it there, it would have been 2 pounds and 30 pence. When ordering coffee abroad, or even in some places at home, be sure to check to if there is a price difference between "take away" (to-go) and dining in. The hazelnut latte, similar to the caramel latte I had at Costa, was so sweet that I wasn't tempted to put brown sugar in it! Sam and I (scientifically) concluded that flavored syrup must roughly have 4 packets of sugar in it because whenever I get flavored coffee, it is sweet enough so I don't have to add sugar. So, in mathematical terms...4SP(sugar packets) = 1 or 2FS(flavor shot) therefore, 1FS x hazelnut + Cafe Latte = 1 yummy Hazelnut Latte at Heidi's Swiss Patisserie :)

The second coffee experience was certainly that...an experience! Our lovely new friend, Rich, heard that Sam and I have never really tried (had more than one sip) instant coffee so he decided to change that. We were then shown a jar of Rich's rich instant coffee and compared it to dirt because that is exactly what it looked like! However, he insisted that we try it so we did and guess what folks!? It wasn't half...bad but it certainly wasn't half good either. *WARNING* The first three sips taste like ham. Rich disagreed, but it really does taste like ham! This experience taught me three things...(1) If it is between instant coffee and no coffee - choose the instant coffee. (2) If it is between instant coffee and french press or coffee pot coffee - well, you know what to choose! (3) If you are craving ham, make some instant coffee :)

Ps. To all those who love instant coffee, I know it is really not that bad. I'm just trying to Rich a tough time! :) Thank you again for letting us stay with you guys and sharing your instant coffee with us! We really had a great time! :)

Portsmouth, England - Look at the sun! :)

Heidi's Swiss Patisserie

The Guinea Pigs of Rich's Experiment 

dun, Dun, DUN!

"O no! Its tastes like ham!"

Rich's Rich Instant Coffee - he proudly defends his
coffee of choice and denies that it tastes like ham
(even though it does)   :)

Pastry Patisserie

 I hope no one reading this post is hungry because once you see the pictures of the yummy treats we ordered at Pastry Patisserie, you're going to want to eat your computer! For the first time since the start of this blog, I am going to discuss coffee AND something else other than coffee! Sam, Chris and I needed to run a few errands so we decided to go into town around 1. Because most of the stores in Canterbury close at 5pm, we decided to run our errands then make a relaxing coffee stop before our trek up the huge hill to get home. After 4 hours shopping/waiting in lines (or "queues" as they say here in England) for the registrars (or "tills" - which really confused me my first couple of weeks here), we began searching for a cozy cafe. As we walked down a side street by the Canterbury Cathedral, we passed Pastry Patisserie and decided to go in.

Pastry patisserie is one of the smaller cafes we have been to but it was perfect because there was only 3 of us and we wanted a cozy place to enjoy our coffee and snacks. As Sam and I skim through the menu, she notices that "Rose" ice cream is on the menu. We ask the barista what this rose ice cream lasts like so she gives us a sample. It was incredible! I didn't think it was possible to make ice cream taste like a flower, but Pastry Patisserie can! If you ever get a chance to try rose ice cream, I highly recommend it. It is certainly sweet enough to satisfy any sweet tooth! Also, the presentation of the ice cream was wonderful! I decided to get my cafe latte and 2 intricately made cookies (one was a Mexican Wedding Cake type cookie and the other one was something I've never seen before but it was certainly delicious!) My cafe latte was fantastic - definitely one of the best I've had so far on this coffee blogging adventure. How much did this fantastic cafe latte cost you ask? Only 1.95 pounds for a regular size latte! It was the same size glass I was given at Boho for a much cheaper price! Coffee Shopping Tip #648573: Going to coffee shops on the streets that branch off the main road is a great idea! Don't forget that!

Ladies and Gentlemen, this picture is first because
I know you all are itching to catch a glimpse
of the highly praised ROSE ice cream!

This is where the magic happens!

Me (after a long day of errands) about to enjoy
my cafe latte (with 4 packs of brown sugar)
and 2 fancy cookies! 

Sam and I outside Pastry Patisserie!

National Trust's Cliffs of Dover Tourist Cafe

Hello fellow coffee enthusiasts! Guess where the gang and I went on Friday? If you guessed Dover, England to see the Cliffs of Dover and the Dover Castle, you were right! Sam, Angie, Liz, Emily, Chris and I took a 20 minute train to Dover and then made a 2+ hour trek on foot from Dover Castle to the Cliffs of Dover - just to get a cup of coffee! Okay fine, maybe the trek wasn't just for the coffee but knowing that the cafe was only a couple hours away was certainly a source of motivation! With the windiest day in February and one of the most beautiful views in the world on the other side of a glass window, I enjoyed a cafe latte (with 4 packets of brown sugar! Again, brown sugar in a latte is delicious!). 

Honestly, I had very low expectations for this latte because it was at the Cliffs of Dover's tourist shop/cafe. How could the cafe be phenomenal if the people running the shop/cafe are constantly being distracted from perfecting their coffee with keeping their tourist shop stocked? Well, you know that saying - "Don't judge a book by its cover!". The cafe latte was actually pretty good and was decently priced! It was only 2.30 pounds (or quid - Yay! I'm learning English vocabulary!) which was less than I was expecting because at least back home in the US, touristy places are usually overpriced. The cafe latte was not in the same league as Caffe Venezia or Boho but held its own. However, the view from the cafe side of the tourist shop/cafe makes up for the above average beverage. As my English housemates would say, between the view and cafe latte, the experience was "Nom, Nom, Nom"!

Here is National Trust's Tourist Shop/Cafe
on the Cliffs of Dover!

My cafe latte and me!

The Cliffs of Dover (aka. my view!)

Nom, nom, nom - coffee and a pretty view!
Time to ponder about things!

The whole gang!

Boho

I hate to admit it, but I am slightly behind on this blog. There are just so many cute cafes and so little time to share them all with you! But do not fear my friends, I have been taking notes so I don't forget anything! However, I decided to wait for a little bit before I wrote about Boho because it is definitely one of my favorite places that I have been to so far and I knew that I wouldn't forget anything about it. 

About a week ago Sam, Frankie, Ellie, Emily and I decided that we needed to go shopping in town (we were on a cute shoe mission). As we were walking down High Street, Boho caught our eyes so we decided to take a coffee break there. The first thing you notice about Boho is the color - its red! The color of this cafe definitely stands out from the rest of the restaurants and stores on the street. As we walk in, we see that the bright colors continue which really gives the place an upbeat atmosphere. Unfortunately because we were a group of 5, we were difficult to seat. There was one table left that could fit 5 people but I was in the waitresses' way to the kitchen so I kind of felt bad. Even with a guilty conscious, I still enjoyed my delicious large cafe latte for 2.40 pounds. Because I am new to lattes without flavoring, I did use 4 packets of brown sugar. Yes, brown sugar! Allison does not do Splenda anymore! And the white sugar is not as delicious as the brown. So next time you're at Starbucks or really an coffee shop, get a cafe latte (no flavoring) and brown sugar - you won't regret it! 

Emily, Frankie, me and Ellie (Sam was
taking the picture) outside of Boho : )
Clearly I didn't know the picture was going to be taken
because I'm just yapping away!

YUM! Look at their menu!

Here is where the magic (aka. coffee) is made!

Me and my latte! I love the clear glass mugs!
I don't know why, but I like seeing the color
(or colour because we're in England) of my coffee!

Next weekend, the gang and I will be heading to Dover (you can see France from there!) so hopefully we'll find a cafe there for me to blog about in case you come to England and stay in Dover and not Canterbury (but that would be silly because the town of Canterbury is too cute!). And then for Reading Week (a study week that we have here at University of Kent that is towards the end of February) we will be visiting a friend of ours from MSU, Colin, in Barcelona, Spain. Also, we have some plans in progress to Prague (Czech Republic), Italy, Ireland, France and Scotland so this coffee blog is about to leave the UK and tackle Europe. 

Caffe Venezia

Friday (January 28) was a very busy and chilly day! Since almost everyone had no class on Friday, we decided to head to town and tour the Canterbury Cathedral. We had the whole day planned - antique show at 1 (I love antiques shows/yard sale shopping! However, I do not love it nearly as much as I love coffee!), Cathedral tour from 2 to 4, coffee shop stop from 4 to 5:15, Evensong at the Canterbury Cathedral from 5:30 to 6:30 and then The Black Griffin Pub from 6:30 until Chris wanted to leave (the girls and I decided that Chris needed some fun time too so we agreed we would stop by this pub he has been eyeballing for a while). After the tour of the Cathedral, I was on a mission to find a cafe that could seat 6 people and that was close to the Cathedral. If you remember from an earlier post, finding seating even for 4 or 5 people can be tricky in the cafes in Canterbury. I was afraid that at 4pm on a Friday, seating for 6 would be impossible! I decided to let fate assist me in choosing a place so I quickly walked down the Palace Street (the same street that the Canterbury Cathedral is on) and stopped at the first coffee shop I found - Caffe Venezia. I peeked in the window and saw that there was plenty of room for all 6 of us to relax, warm up and enjoy some coffee.

"Caffe Venezia"

As we walked in to the Italian cafe, we all noticed a display case of spectacular looking cakes that made our eyes light up. Ellie (one of my housemates/English "Fun Fact" Provider), Sam and Chris decided to get a slice of carrot cake, marshmallow chocolate cake and white chocolate cheesecake (respectively) which looked absolutely delicious. Because I am on a budget, I decided to get a large cappuccino with fruit scones (scones are generally pretty cheap, tasty and very filling so if you're on a budget or just trying to save a pound or two, keep that in mind). The large cappuccino was 2.15 pounds! This confirms that coffee shops that are off the main street (in Canterbury, that street is called High Street) are most likely going to be cheaper but just as or even more delectable! This cappuccino was so good! I hate to say it, but it was a bit better than my cappuccino at Cafe Cultura (just a little bit!). Chocolate is truly the way to my heart and the chocolate that they use to top off the cappuccino at Caffe Venezia was to die for! And of course, the scones were the icing on the cake! For those of you who have not been to England, scones are not hard, triangle, pastry-like things. They are more like biscuits here and are much better than any scone I've had in the States (I'm sorry Biggby - the coffee place at Michigan State University that I used to get chocolate chip scones from). If you visit England, don't leave without getting coffee and enjoying a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Emily and I sitting outside of the Cafe
under the "Coffee Lounge" sign : )

Behind all of the wine, you can see where
the delicious coffee drinks are made!
The wine bottles made very interesting decorations.

See, I told you they weren't shaped like triangles.

Here is my cappuccino. I am so happy I bring
friends on my Cafe adventures because they
always remind me to take a picture before drinking!

The display case of delicious cakes!

Cafe Cultura

Today was really exciting because Sam and I thought that we had finally convinced Chris that he should be cool like us and love coffee. Before going into town to pick up our printer (it is much cheaper to buy a printer and split it 3 ways rather than paying to print things sheet by sheet at the library), Chris said that there was a coffee place that he'd like to go to in Canterbury. After walking 2 miles (the distance it is to town from University of Kent) in the rain and buying a printer, we were anxious to try this coffee place that even had Chris talking about it! After walking up and down the main street - High Street - we found that Chris' coffee shop closed at 2 because it was more of a breakfast and lunch cafe. But don't worry my friends, I will return there before 2pm and I will blog about it! 

The three of us decided that we wanted something warm to drink immediately so we looked down one of the many side streets to see if we saw a cafe. The first place we saw was a little cafe called "Cafe Cultura". This was the first cafe that I have been to in Canterbury that was not on the main drag so I was happy that we were really started to explore the town. We walked in and was greeted by the barista. I then told her that I was anxious to try a cappuccino but was hesitant. She then explained that a cappuccino is basically a cafe latte with foam. Did you know that? I didn't! My eyes were then obviously drawn to the menu to see how much I was going to pay for my first cappuccino and then I almost melted when I saw the prices. Ladies and Gentlemen, hold on to your socks because the cappuccinos (a generous size too!) were 1.99 pounds! Cafe Cultura had the cheapest cappuccinos I have seen since the start of this blog! Not only was the coffee reasonable, it was extremely yummy! I am so happy to announce...ALLISON LOVES CAPPUCCINOS!

It was tough to get a picture of the outside
because of street construction, but I tried!

Here is what the inside looks like!

My first cappuccino : )

"Yay! We're caffeinated again!"