CoffeeBeer >> Double Shot Buzz >> Lille 4
Earlier this year I spent a week in France, starting in Reims, in the heart of Champagne, and then moving on to Lille. Located in French Flanders near the Belgian border, Lille is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region and is surprisingly close to England via Eurostar. A former industrial and cultural hub with interesting Flemish architecture and a very interesting cathedral, Lille has a history of having been under Flemish, Burgundian, Spanish, and ultimately French rule. These days the modern Lille is mostly known for its seasonal markets, its food, and its beer. So naturally I had to visit it.
On my first morning in the city, when I headed out from my AirB&B to find some breakfast, I ended up walking all the way to Notting Hill. No, I don’t mean walking the 180 miles to London, which would involve getting either across or under the English Channel. I mean Notting Hill Coffee, which turned out to be a small local coffee chain. The cafe is located on a sharp corner, with a few tables outside that offer views up and down the three intersecting roads. The morning was cool but sunny, so I sat at the only unoccupied outside table. My view was up the two streets of the top half of the Y and divided by a lovely triangular building, the defunct Le Georgettes by Altesse--with the obligatory homeless couple sitting in front of the shuttered doorway.
My “cappuccino" was once again served full up to the brim of a huge mug, with a load of cinnamon sprinkled on top, just like I experienced in Reims. I guess this is the current style for French cappuccinos at least in the northern half of the country. So I can’t accurately comment on the coffee itself, as all I tasted was milk and cinnamon. My croissant, however, was quite good, crisp on the outside and flaky inside, like croissants should be, and like they usually are in France. The various pastries and muffins looked like they were pretty good, and the cafe also sells sandwiches. I quickly got the impression that Notting Hill is popular mostly with tourists of all nationalities, as even the French-looking men sitting around me on their own seemed to all be taking selfies of themselves with their pastries.
Started 20 years ago, Notting Hill Coffee also offers their own coffee beans for sale, and apparently coffee accessories, all at an affordable price. There are two other Notting Hills in Lille--one by the Vieille Bourse and another on Rue Nationale. So now I know of four Notting Hills, including the neighbourhood in London.
While I sat finishing my croissant, I noticed a Starbucks located just up on the right side of the Y. Gee, I could have gone there! (Not!)
On another morning, I decided to check out the coffee at Tamper!. Because my favourite coffee place in Sheffield currently is also called Tamper, I was looking forward to seeing what this French Tamper could offer. When I sat down in the small cafe I noticed the breakfasts, brunches, and lunches all looked quite good. But because I was planning a larger lunch today, I only wanted a croissant and coffee to tide me over. Sadly, although they offer cinnamon rolls or bread and butter, Tamper! doesn’t do croissants. But the nice server told me I was welcome to get a croissant at the bakery across the road and bring it in with me.
So while she was preparing a macchiato for me, I headed outside and over to L’Ogre de Carrousel, which is a takeaway bakery that obviously specialises in fancy cakes. Here I purchased a croissant and took it back to Tamper! My macchiato was perfectly made and, although once again very smooth in flavour, it was extremely nice. And my c was excellent as well.
As I sat eating my tiny breakfast, I noticed the really nice-looking lunch dish that a person near me was having. I think it was probably the Avocado Toast, fortified with smoked salmon, feta cheese, and soft-boiled egg, and it really appealed to my protein-hungry appetite. But in only a couple of hours I intended to find some protein-rich moules marinières for my lunch, so I quickly looked back to observing the impressive pile of croissant flakes that I was amassing on my tabletop.
Although the name sounds a bit loud with that exclamation point, Tamper! is located on a peaceful cobblestoned side street in the historic part of the city. So it’s a great place to gather one’s thoughts and plan out one’s day. (My plan was to simply wander and see what I would run into -- but hey, that’s a plan of sorts.)On another day, I took advantage of the sunny and temperate Saturday by running around completing essential tasks and seeing various things that I thought I should see. And as it was suddenly late afternoon and I still had a full evening of live jazz at my local bar to look forward to, I figured a quick espresso might be in order. So I took off to find a place located just around the corner from my apartment. De Straat is a small casual coffee shop that I could instantly tell is a magnet for cyclists. As I learned later, De Straat is Dutch for “the street", and this cafe has already won the Cycling Destination Approved label for cyclists. So that’s why the place is full of cycling paraphernalia and clothing, along with the espresso counter. I almost felt a bit overdressed among all the summer-clad cyclists hanging out on the pavement.
There was no place to sit inside, so I ordered an espresso and took it outside, where I leaned against the wall and enjoyed both the sun and the caffeine refill. I could hear crowds of people off toward the Canal de la Moyenne Deûle, so I decided to walk over when I finished and see what the fuss was all about. (As it turned out, it was just the roar of hundreds of families with children taking advantage of the summery day by heading to the fairground and the amusement park to enjoy the weather. Oh well, at least I saw the Canal, and I do enjoy watersides.)
On my last morning in Lille, I had to catch the Eurostar back to England at the Lille Europe station. So I took off early in order to get a coffee somewhere first, as I thought this might be my last chance for a proper French coffee. Just beyond the other train station, Lille-Flandres, I passed a place called KAF, where I instantly spotted the croissants inside. As there was hardly anybody there I could have taken a seat outside; but it was so bright and sunny inside, and there were plenty of seats by the windows, so that was good enough for me. I was quite happy with my croissant; but once again my “cappuccino" was served in a large coffee mug, and the top was completely covered with a black coating, presumably cinnamon.
I suppose this is the Lille style for cappuccinos, so I should have just accepted it or ordered something else while I was in the city. I mean I always order a macchiato or cortado instead if they happen to be on the menu. But the only options on KAF’s coffee menu was either a Cinnamon Milk--sorry, Cappuccino--or a straight espresso, unless I wanted some other fancy sweet drink, which I didn’t. Oh well, live and learn. I mean, as far as food and beer were concerned, I was extremely happy with what was available in this city. But that will be covered in a Pint Pleasures column.
KAF turns out to be what’s considered as a fast-food chain, and they advertise their bagel sandwiches among other things. It seems a good option when you don’t have much time before catching the train. But I wouldn’t order the over-cinnamoned cappuccino unless you feel like that sort of thing.
Speaking of cinnamon reminds me that I can’t find any recent amusing interludes with which to end this column, on cinnamon or spices or anything else. So how about an instantly created haiku instead?
I just can’t think of
anything that’s amusing
to say at this point.
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