Caffe della Stelle, Greystones main street

How can Greystones possibly fit in another eating establishment? It does consider itself haven of all things food-tastic, but really. It’s getting slightly out of control. Nevertheless, this joint opened its doors a few months ago and has been doing a surprisingly brisk trade despite its location across the road from arch-café-endeavour, The Happy Pear.

It’s run by Italians and is, I believe, the only place serving acceptable lattes in the Grey Town. Delicious velvety foam consistency, perfect temperature, and proper coffee strength. Almost a rival to Lolly and Cooks I might venture. Defintely better than all the other swill on offer in Greystones.


Love Lattes score-card:

Temperature – Perfect

Coffee flavour – Delicious

Foam consistency – Luxury Cat

Food accompaniments on offer – Haven’t actually sampled them…rather too fond of the Happy Pear brownies.


Alex

Lattes on different laaatitudes: Germany (again)

McCafe, Everywhere

Driving about lately in Germany, it became necessary to stop in a motorway-side everything vendor somewhere off the A27 for a caffeine fix. And it being Germany, I was forced yet again to go into a McDonalds.

Surprisingly/horrifyingly/predictably enough, the McCafe latte was pretty good. McDonalds cafes are a strange breed, apparently trying to emulate Starbucks in every respect, right down to the colour scheme and the typefaces used on the menus. A bizarre move, you might think, considering they should glean enough trade through their own eponymous lineage without having to try and trick people into thinking they’re going into a Starbucks. Ridiculous marketing behaviour aside, the latte was eminently drinkable. A layered delight with a relatively good consistency of foam (though a lot of it), and crucially, not scalding. A good place to get a latte when autobahning around. Of course, we don’t really have motorway service stations in Ireland….oh well.

Love Lattes score-card:

Temperature – Good

Coffee flavour – Normal

Foam consistency – Good enough

Food accompaniments on offer – Curious replicas of the sort of stuff you might get in Starbucks. There was a fingerprint on the icing of the chocolate cake my friend got though. That was weird.

Alex