It's been awhile since I had a good
Latte Machiatto! It was funny when I was coming home last night, I saw a billboard that Starbucks had created a coffee for
'People who didn't think they liked Starbucks Coffee' (something along the lines of that anyway)! I thought it was a very clever statement and very tongue in cheek and I couldn't help but break out into a quiet chuckle. The advertising may be effective in capturing the attention of those coffee drinkers who are indifferent to brands or enjoy a leisurely cup every now and then --- just not the coffee connoisseurs. It's not that I don't like Starbucks, but I don't love it the same way like a lot of people that I know do. I think I've had it so many times that my taste buds have gotten overly accustomed to its usual flavours that it's gotten a bit bland for me.
It just makes me want to venture out and try something different, something unfamiliar; and
that something is usually not as accessible, but definitely worth the while, once you find what you've been looking for.
I was lucky to have stumbled upon
Novecento Caffe (major intersections are Dufferin and St. Clair West) where one of my job interviews were being held. Looks very classy on the outside, doesn't it? Feels like I am in Italy!
The interior gives off an old world charm that I really like. I could spend hours there (which is exactly what I did)! Very cozy, with Italian music and TV broadcasts in the background, older Italian men chatting the day away and naturally, it has a huge bar area, reminiscent of the cafe shops in Europe.
On their menu, they serve the standard coffee drinks and tea fare, but also the Caffe Veneziano and the Caffe Shekerato which are new to me, a few selections of paninis, sliced cake and gelato (which is apparently homemade and really good from the reviews I read. I don't think I saw any being put out when I was there yesterday. Perhaps because of the terrible weather, there weren't a lot of patrons, but usually, they are busy until 6pm and then from 8pm to close, for the after dinner crowd).
I ordered a latte and it is seriously the best cafe latte I have had in awhile. They call it
Latte Machiatto here, but it's all the same to me. ᵔᴥᵔ
The cakes on their menu include: Chocolate Mousse Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, Mixed Berry Cake and Tiramisu.
I opted for the
Mixed Berry Cake. It was a little more sour than sweet, with a prominent tang, but I still really enjoyed it. They took care to make it all pretty with the cherry sauce and dusting it with powdered sugar.
The owners (I assume the older men were the owners!) were so nice!! I had problems connecting to the Internet and they helped me out. They told me the password was 'espresso' and I told them that it didn't work when I tried typing it out and asked them if they could find the router. He wrote it out to me on a piece of paper, thinking that I probably didn't speak much English and I know I'm not the brightest kid on the block so it didn't click until then that I didn't even think to type 'ESPRESSO' in CAPITALS to try that out. So I told them that they could stop looking for it and that I had access now. And that was it. Problem solved. #sodumb #whatanidiotiare
When my latte was all cold after the hour+ long interview, the man came over and offered to warm it up for me, free of charge, but what he ended up doing was filling the whole cup up with steamed milk! It's like a got a 2nd drink for free! I wasn't expecting that and it made me very happy to receive such kindness and generosity. I ended up tipping close to 25% which is a first, and although the items on their menu might be on the pricier side, it's worth it for the ambience, great service and superb latte. ♥‿♥
I felt compelled to write this full-on blog entry even though that was not my original intention with this food blog, which was to keep things short and sweet. But I had such a great experience at
Novecento Caffe, that I couldn't
not share about what made it so awesome for me. I hope that if you decide to visit this establishment (and please do support local small businesses and entrepreneurialism!) that you too, receive the same warm service that I did.
I don't know when I'll be back, but I definitely want to experience the after-dinner, caffe-filled vibe. To try a different cake this time and of course, another perfectly poured
Latte Machiatto!
