- Culture
- 20 Mar 01
JACKIE HAYDEN S cup runneth over as he reports on Ireland s burgeoning Cafi Society.
CafI Irie
As Dublin seems to be making a concerted bid for the title of Coffee Capital Of The World , Hot Press asked Deirdre Fahy of Cafi Irie for her overview of this relatively recent development. According to Deirdre, People are spending an increasing amount of their spare time in coffee shops. It s happened in Paris, Seattle, London and now Dublin. People view such places as refuges in the midst of city life, whether alone or with friends, and the cafis are as familiar as home to many.
Cafi Irie opened its doors three years ago and has been described by the Guide To Dublin On A Shoestring as arguably the best place to lunch in Dublin .
In that time the cafi has built an intensely loyal customer base in the 16-30 age range. They respond to the obvious value-for-money policy in operation, the care taken with the music played and the generally easy-going vibe. It s a totally unpretentious place, unintimidating and friendly, hence the name Irie . In a move that could easily become the norm, Fahy intends to keep open through the evening to compete with pubs. As a result of this pattern the competition between pub culture and coffee culture is set to intensify in Dublin over the coming years.
But although Cafi Irie has a full range of coffees, the emphasis is heavily on the excellent food, with every lunch made to order using the best quality ingredients. Somehow, though, they manage to keep prices down. They offer an extensive sandwich menu featuring over 65 different sandwich combinations! They ve also scored points for their innovative breakfast menu which is available all day throughout the weekend. n
Cafi Irie, 11 Fownes Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 6725090.
Kaffe Moka
Eamon Dempsey of Kaffe Moka partly attributes the astronomic growth in the Dublin cafe business to the number of Irish people holidaying and working abroad and expecting similar standards back home. As he told Hot Press, "Standards go up with more competition, and we now have as good a coffee culture as they have in Europe or the USA. I expect a lot more growth in the take-away market with people like Starbucks arriving here, and in the flavoured coffee market, but the coffee business in Dublin has certainly reached an astonishing level."
Kaffe Moka have premises in Rathmines, but their flagship is their site in South William Street which operates on three floors and remains open until 4 am. They offer 50 coffee flavours and 50 flavoured teas plus a tasty selection of light meals. But they don't stop there. Kaffe Moka also offers poetry readings, games, a library, a dash of improv and quality music, a combination which has truly created something unique in central Dublin. They've even resisted the temptation to bring in a wide range of wines as proprietors Dempsey and Sam Surace feel they've already created something very special. Not surprisingly then, Kaffe Moka was recently voted one of the twenty trendiest places in Dublin.
Kaffe Moka, 39/40 South William Street, Dublin 2 and 192 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6.
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THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE
COUNTLESS PEOPLE are attracted to Cork s Rory Gallagher Plaza, not only to pay homage to one of the greatest blues guitarists who ever lived, but to sample the unique vibe of the Gingerbread House, a coffee emporium that positively oozes great character and delicious atmosphere.
It seats one hundred on two floors while its high windows overlook the bustling thoroughfare below. In fact, the building once housed, appropriately, a coffee roasting and packing warehouse over a century ago.
It s all now in the capable proprietorial hands of Barnaby Blacker, a self-confessed coffee addict who unashamedly admits to absolutely loving the stuff. As he told Hot Press, I think freshly roasted coffee has euphoric qualities that are vastly underrated. It gives you a lift. He once gave up coffee for three months hoping to regain some natural energies, but instead felt tired all the time and resumed his quaffing with renewed vigour!
The Gingerbread House roasts its own coffee in-house.
I import my own coffees from different countries, he explains. People think coffee grows brown on trees, but I bring them in in the dried green state, like berries or dried peas. A lot of coffee is over-roasted, even ten seconds can make a difference. I usually mix a third of Kenyan with a third of Brown Java and a third of Brazil.
Blacker s coffee house is as popular with breakfasting customers as it is for lunchtime and afternoon imbibers.Monsoon Malabar is arguably the most renowned coffee from India, which, despite a long-established worldwide reputation for its tea, was importing coffee plants from the Yemen as far back as around 1610, and from Indonesia in the last century.
Monsoon Malabar has a rather unique smokey, somewhat earthy character, full-bodied yet low in acidity. The Monsooning of this particular coffee can be traced back in time to the era when sailing ships spent about six months on the high seas transporting coffee from India to Europe. During the voyage the humidity on board gave the coffee its unique taste characteristic while at the same time altering the colour of the raw beans from green to an attractive golden yellow.
Robert Roberts are the people who bring you Monsoon Malabar from the highlands of India right to your percolator, filter or cafetihre. All you have to do is Enjoy !
The Gingerbread House, Rory Gallagher Plaza, Cork.