Great Cafes: Milano's Cafe Bianco Latte

Milano is the birthplace of the ECM (espresso coffee machine, NOT electret condenser microphone! LOL!). Also the birthplace of Dolce e Gabbana. OK, caffeine and fashion, not anybody's ideal mix!

While I did look around the city for those glitzy designer boutiques, my true radar was fixed on coffee.

The journey to a latte starts from the first step. Via Turati...


This cafe could've easily passed off as "uninteresting"... until you actually bother to stop by, drop in and sit down. The exterior looked essentially chic but seriously, you need more than chicness to entice a true coffee lover into the Venus flytrap.




Entering Cafe Bianco Latte is like entering a white-washed fantasy playground... This is a place you know, will take your coffee presentation seriously. I paid special attention to its many house merchandise, hoping to get a few before I leave Milano. (But I never made it back to Bianco after this visit!)

Window dressing at Cafe Bianco Latte...

I didn't stay long at this lovely cafe. Would've loved to, if not for a canine visitor panting and drooling away in a corner. Dogs and I don't mix. Unless it's a hotdog!

But I did promise my travel buddy Wahdi we will drop by again - sans canine!

This cup now sits handsomely in my showcase...

I must return to this cafe one day...





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Coffee Collectibles: Coffee Advertising Mugs

It's almost natural that coffee lovers are into collecting coffee mugs... I am no exception...

While I cannot consider myself a serious coffee mug collector, my collection is getting bigger all the time! Most of which are gifts from friends and family members who know I would anytime appreciate a coffee-themed gift!

These mugs I feature here are the latest additions... I have picked them up from the neighbourhood mall... Nothing fancy, just some ordinary mugs modelled after vintage coffee advertising graphics...






Mother's Coffee? Not true! I have picked up coffee-drinking from both my maternal and paternal grandmothers...


These mugs, if they last that long, will surely serve me well when I run my own cafe in the future...




In the meantime, they will need to sit very quietly in the display cabinet, along with all their friends... One day, they will be serving good coffee... handcrafted by me!






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Great Cafes: Mobile Baristas of Jakarta

No, I have not been busy planning my next vacation! It's way too early for that... but then again, I have been known to be sporadic in decision-making... *sigh*

No, I am a tad busy working on some additional side-income business... One must make enough to afford all the travelling! LOL! And I have been working on going back to school, too... So, I will be busier in future but nothing can stop me from travelling!

Jakarta has been a city I find hard to describe... Being a neighbouring country to where I live does not make the country easily understood. It has ALL the similarities but then, the similarities are somewhat differentiations as well...

One specific thing I noticed about Jakarta was her mobile baristas. Yes, mobile, baristas...


The first mobile barista I flagged down...

He would walk for kilometers to peddle his brew. By which I suspect, the hot water in his thermos would get cold on the way. Look, a thermos could lose temperature when it is opened too often...


Although stirring a cup of instant 3-in-1 coffee hardly qualifies him to be called a barista, one must not forget the role he plays in choosing the right one for you.

Tell him how you like your cup of joe, and leave it to him to pick one for you...

Some are luckier. They are more mobile:

A smiling barista... and he's no Starbucks employee, OK?

I tailed a few of these mobile baristas to their "headquarters" on Jalan M.H.Thamrin 6, somewhere near the Bangkok Bank and Bank Rama...


Ready to go...


I was most tempted to try a cup of "handcrafted" coffee from these boys but the travel guide book warned me of water quality in Jakarta. Getting a sick tummy isn't going to be a memorable coffee experience, so I had to quickly decline the thought...






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Travel Story: Jakarta's Mobile Barista

Jakarta has never appealed to me as a vacation destination. I never thought there was anything interesting there for me. My dad was a frequent visitor to Jakarta, mostly for business. Heard so much about Jakarta from him. But still not convinced!

So, when boredom set upon me one day last year, I decided to give Jakarta the chance to show what it has to offer me...

I checked into a premium hotel just two doors away from Jakarta's only 24-hour Starbucks. And eagerly awaited to see what unfolds...

The next morning, I stumbled upon something I don't see in my native country...


There she goes...

Move over, Rocket Man mobile backpack coffee dispenser! Here comes Jakarta's a la carte mobile barista!

More about Jakarta's "coffee-on-demand" mobile kiosks in a later entry!






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Travel Sights: Seriously Severe!

Once in a while, I come across names and signboards that make more sense than what is obvious... And at times, I just laugh because they make no sense at all!

Spotted this lingerie shop somewhere in Mendrisio, Switzerland:

Pa-what?...



Parah in my national language means severe, like, severe injury... LOL!






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Travel Sights: Walkway Biscuits

You may have walked a thousand miles in a city... but do know it inside out? When you looked around, you would have looked up, too...

But have you looked down?

Early morning buzz on a Parisian street...

Have you noticed those metal "shields" that popped up every now and then as you walked?

They are manhole covers... and they have little stories of their own to tell...

Some are round, others are square or rectangular... Some are cast-iron, others are concrete... But they all come in various sizes! And colours!



A rectangular one in Como, northern Italy...

We trampled over them, some even spat at them unknowingly... And some had their heels stuck in their gaps!


This one must have been here since they first set foot on the island of Mykonos.

Nicknamed "biscuits", these manhole covers are to prevent us passers-by from falling into deep, dark, labyrinth-like networks of tunnels... They hide passages to sewage chutes, gas pipes, and drainage trunks away from our prying eyes.

I always find them fascinating... I can spend hours tracking each one down and photographing them... I like how they put in some elements of design to make them functionally presentable... They look like pieces of artwork intentionally embedded into our walkways as if to make the streets look decorated...

But above all, they are a testimony of what have been laid under, sometimes decades ago... And in London, it isn't difficult to see one which could easily date back to the reign of Queen Victoria...

They have been some which are so cute-looking; and as they dot the street, they look like a handsome string of shirt buttons from afar...

A cute small one...






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Great Cafes: Giselle's Suisse Cafe, Mykonos

What would I have done without this little cafe, tucked in an obscure street of the Mykonos chora? How often do you find a good cafe during a short holiday, but long enough to fall in love with it?


My favourite hang out almost every morning in Mykonos...

Suisse Cafe looks cutesy from far - probably why it has that attraction power that somehow entices you to come close. As if that isn't reason enough to check them out, you'll be greeted by the friendliest face around. Meet Giselle, the owner.


Giselle speaking to some customers...

Giselle runs this cafe single-handedly. How did she serve so many people and still find time to make them feel at home, is really beyond me. Pesky McD counter staff have loads to learn from Giselle.


Is she the coffee pied-piper? She got me tailing her into her bar...

Infectious disposition... Everybody seems to enjoy a tete-a-tete with Giselle!




Giselle and I got acquainted instantly. And before we knew it, we were already talking serious coffee business...

Mykonos is an island quite a distance from the Greece mainland. To get her fresh supply of coffee, the type that she wants, she had to make frequent trips to Athens! Wow, such commitment!

But when a person is passionate about coffee, no distance is too far, and no trouble is too big... That probably explains why Giselle displayed such steadfastness in running the cafe alone, and still commanding the situation...

Giselle was such a fun person! I could see some Samantha Brown wittiness in her, and yet there was this certain motherly warmth... The interior of her cafe showed the fun side of her, with cute little bric-a-bracs in every corner...

All the mornings I was there, I had ordered only Greek coffee, while my travel mate Wahdi went with something milder, usually a latte or even a cappuccino...


Fancy some cappuccino, served in a Coca-Cola glass?

Why Greek coffee for me? I somehow find the woody grind that she used actually went very well with such a thick brew... Woody coffee needs time to develop its full flavor and that probably works well with the slow-dreging that takes place in a Greek coffee...


My Greek coffee.. hand-brewed by Giselle herself...

I didn't know there's a specific way to drink Greek coffee. Giselle somehow sensed that I was totally new to Greece, Greek culture and... Greek coffee! She took sometime to explain to me how Greek coffee is brewed and how it's supposed to be sipped. What I can say is, Greek coffee is one thing you don't order if you are rushing off somewhere..

Greek coffee, explained Giselle, must be given time for its dreg to settle in. In fact, they don't call it "mud coffee" for nothing, referring to the thick sediment that sinks as you drink...

Greek coffee... How heavenly!

While in Mykonos, I bought myself two ibriks - I hope to make some decent Greek coffee soon! In the meantime, have a tour of Giselle's cafe at my travel buddy's blog here...






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Travel Sights: Batik Juice, anyone?

In marketing, clever branding is an essential attribute to good positioning... It's all in the name, and how else can you be identified easily, if not by your name?

Spotted in a supermart in Milano's Stazione Centrale... a drinks range called BATIK...


Recycled juice?

Hope this is not batik dye packed as a beverage! LOL!


* Batik is a Javanese wax-resist dyeing technique.






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Travel Story: Sit back, relax and enjoy a Starbucks Coffee!

In all my almost-30 years of air travel, I have been extremely lucky to have most of my flights either taking off or landing on time. A trip to Jakarta on a budget airliner last year started my history of delayed flights...

When Eyjafjallajökull decided to erupt mid-April 2010, I was worried of having to cancel my Europe trip! At best, I was told, to expect a considerable amount of delays... And when departure day came, I was overjoyed as Eyjafjallajökull had decided to let me fly! So there I was, in Europe.

Then trouble struck. We were all already seated in the plane heading for Mykonos when the captain announced that we had to defer take off... some oil-drip situation on the wing, he said...

But the one hour delay (trapped in the plane!) was soon forgiven, when they started carting out refreshments...


My Colombia roast, from coast to coast!

There's nothing like having a freshly-brewed Starbucks to calm those nerves...

Several airlines have started serving Starbucks on board for a while now... Had always wanted to try them. Finally did!






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Travel Sights: Knockin' on heaven's doors...

Among the things I always look out for when I travel are door knockers and door knobs... or any door adornment... I find them to be intriguing, and they say something about the person who lives behind the door...


Typical window and door of Mykonos...

Early-day door knockers were made from iron, and as their designs got more intricate, metal smiths resorted to using chrome... Not only are chrome knockers easier to shape, chrome is capable of giving a unique gleam to them as well...


A design based on the Medusa-head...





Too bad, in this modern age, electricity has edged out such beautiful work of art... Door bells are preferred over manual knockers mainly because the bell chime mechanism can be placed anywhere convenient in the house - making it more audible at a distance...




If anything, a knocker is also handy in place of a door knob or handle. Olden day door latches were just that - latches, with no means of allowing a good grip to guide the door. Hence the need of a door knocker to act as a door handle.


Something more modern...





The beauty about having a handle or knob on the door is, it negates the need to push the door with your palms, which often leaves very undesirable grease marks... It also allows you to pull the door without holding its edge, preventing finger injuries as the door closes.

Safety aside, the mere beauty of these door knockers, handles and knobs make them such objects of desires... And as rare as any antique can be, some are a bit harder to spot...





Beautiful is a woman who's smart in accessorizing her appearance... The same applies to doors - those monumental shields that guard the entrance of your secure abode...








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Travel Sights: Modern-day forbidden fruit?

Spotted this product in a Milan supermarket... Hope this is not a current-day forbidden fruit... LOL!

Wonder what's inside...

* for those who don't speak my national language, MALU means EMBARRASSMENT. Yes, LOL!






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Great Cafes: Milan's best kept secret...

No matter how modernized a city is, you cannot deny its glorious past. Any city worthy of a traveller's time, needs to have that foray of diversities to cater to the varied types of curious visitors...

Milan is as ancient as any Italian city... Much of its glorious past has been kept intact amidst all the modernities which are synonym to any fashion capital of the world.

There is a particular old Milanese cafe that I have often read about... and I kept telling myself, I must have a cuppa there if I ever set foot in Milan. So, it was only natural that I find this cafe, no matter how many nooks and corners I have to go through, or how long it takes...

This is, after all, the cafe of all cafes... This is COVA...




I finally found it on Via Montenapoleone... in the neighbourhood of world-class boutiques...





The thing about Cova is, you must not just rush into the parlour... You need to spend sometime looking at its window dressings...









And just to prove a point, they even have their markings on golf balls and clubs! How about that for class? London's Harrods doesn't even come close!







I wasn't really ready for a dining experience here, and was rather under-dressed for a place people would normally dress up for... But the coffee aroma was just too irresistible... and before I knew it, I was already seated for what I have always dreamed of - having coffee at Cova!





Some pastries, perhaps?




One must not leave Cova with an empty hand! I picked up something that will journey a few thousand miles with me home... Will tell you what it is in another entry! In the mean time, don't you find these coffee pots charming???




Have you experienced Cova? Do tell, OK? I know I will be back one day...






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Travel Story: Milano's ugly side...

Every city has its bad side. Any seasoned traveller can spend the next three days telling you the nightmares they had to face while trying to get acquainted with the local life... Scary? Sometimes...

Milan is the commercial hub of the northern Lombardy region of Italy. Seriously, there really isn't much tourist attractions that can place this city on par to other fashion capitals of the world. Who said that? I did.

I had done Rome, Venice and Florence - all very famous art capitals of Italy. Somehow, Milan didn't quite fit in with these three cities. The odd one out.

I tried to like Milan. I did, to a certain extent. My first impression of this city was marred by a group of over-zealous street peddlers... Afro peddlers. Not that I have anything against them, but they really were a nuisance!

He didn't like being photographed...

As if greeting visitors on behalf of the Duomo, they pop up right before your face, tying to sell you a wrist band which they claim to be "free"... The way to treat them is to smile at first, shake your head and move on. Ignore them.

Don't worry about being physically harassed. They wouldn't dare, as the Piazza del Duomo (the square fronting the Duomo) is heavily guarded round the clock.





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About me...

Guess it was about time I said a thing or two about myself...

Coffee fascinates me endlessly... Be it the plant, the bean, the drink or the culture, I am all ears when it comes to coffee...

Naturally, I collect anything coffee. Collecting coffee? Well, not so much the drink or the bean, but coffee merchandise and everything nice...


Browsing through the collectibles in this Mykonos coffee parlour...


I will share my coffee collection from time to time... but I have just started out not too long ago, so the collection has not earned itself a full-fledged gallery as yet!

One word of caution though... I will be mentioning Starbucks a lot. No, they don't pay me any endorsement fee nor do I get free drinks from them... I just happen to be another joe who loves the Starbucks culture. But then again, I drink Starbucks lesser than I mention them!

I will not be featuring much pictures of myself here. Those who know me through FaceBook, know how I look like, so let's keep it that way...







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About the name and the banner...

Why "ELYSIUM"?

Elysium is the mythical resting ground of the Greek gods and the heroics... Cafe Elysium is just my idea of that same resting ground, with the right grind... How 'bout that?

Why the sudden interest in Greek mythology? That's because I had just recently visited the Aegeans... and felt a certain liking for this pagan "state of mind"...


The picture in my banner was taken at a cafe in Mykonos' Little Venice. Coffee in Mykonos is cheap, at just €1!




It's amazing how a narrow strip of land could be transformed into a row of nice cafes which never failed to draw the sunset crowd...






Having tea (or a meal) by the Aegean sea at Little Venice often epitomizes a romantic outing... Somehow, the rough sea, splashing its waves as if trying to baptize the diners, brings about a sense of romance... With the spectacular Mykonian sunset setting the mood, how can one not feel romantic? Forget Paris! This is the new Paris!


Little Venice's sunset as seen thru my HDCam...




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