Riverhill Coffee Bar – Glasgow

Voted Yelp's "friendliest staff in Glasgow" award in 2014. Isn't that enough to make you pick this coffee shop over all the others?

Wandering back into the city after my lunch at The Hanoi Bike Shop I headed to the Riverhill Coffee Bar. Teeny tiny inside – bar seating only – it's not really one for soaking up the morning with a good book, but for homemade food and a decent range of drinks (which, let's face it, is what it's all about), this is your stop.

I wanted the window seat, which offered a quiet view of the busy street outside, but a guy was perched, waiting, coffee in hand, for his girlfriend. My only criticism is of this 'take-away' atmosphere the Riverhill Coffee Shop emanates.

On the counter: a pleasing amount of cakes to choose from. Instinctively, my eyes went straight to the thing I'd never seen before – the nanaimo bar – but it was the salt caramel brownie I couldn't resist.

Decadent and fudgey, with generous swirls of deliciously salted caramel dispersed throughout, half the brownie ended up wrapped in a napkin to be eaten later.

 

The coffee, too, was delicious.

I liked it here. The staff were, indeed, friendly, the food and drink was yummy, and despite my fleeting visit, I think I'll go back to the Riverhill Coffee Bar to try one of their savoury offerings. I went to the Gordon Street bar but there are branches in West Nile Street and Helensburgh, too. You can find out more on their website.

These photos are somewhat unrelated - but I took them on my way to the coffee shop, and wanted to share them to show those who don't know just how incredible Glasgow is. Enjoy.

Review - The Fig Tree Espresso - Abergavenny

My good friend Elly came back to Abergavenny this week as it was reading week at her University, so we decided to go for a coffee and a catch up at The Fig Tree Espresso. Situated in the centre of Abergavenny, the recently opened coffee shop is a quaint and cosy snug in which friends can enjoy uniquely flavoured coffees and a wide range of teas, as well as cakes and pastries, too. 

Accompanied by a relaxed soundtrack and friendly service, a visit to The Fig Tree Espresso makes a nice change to the tinny clatter of larger, chain coffee shops. 

Handwritten blackboards add to the homely feel to the place and there is plenty to choose from despite the small space.

This is what I like to see - Autumn Drinks, and ones I haven't seen anywhere else.

 

And lots of teas to choose from. Although I don't usually go for tea when I visit coffee shops, there is plenty for the tea lovers.

Difficult light to work with but here is a snap of the cake that Elly decided she couldn't resist - the pumpkin cake with cinnamon icing - yum!

Look at all those jars of tea leaves... and syrups. I could happily live in that coffee shop.

Aren't these cups the cutest? I love the colours.

 

I wasn't very hungry but these pastries were tempting...

Usually by the end of the day cafes and coffee shops are all out of pastries. In fact, I visited one recently at around 11am and all the croissants were gone :( 

Dotted on the walls of the coffee shop were various pieces of artwork for sale. This one in particular caught my eye. I think it's stunning - the colours and the textures suit the shop and its decor. My parents are re-decorating my bedroom at home soon and I'm planning to gather some interesting pieces to hang on the walls. I would love something just like this.

There is more to this shop than meets the eye. You can also buy bottled drinks and preserves.

Soon enough our drinks arrived; I ordered the Gingersnap Cappuccino. It was damn tasty, and the lovely waitress steamed the milk into a frothy heart. It's the little things.

Elly ordered the 'Chococo' - a coconut hot chocolate, and a slice of the pumpkin cake.

A perfect place to catch up with an old friend. I will definitely be revisiting The Fig Tree Espresso - if only to try out the other Autumn drinks. When we left it was dark and we decided it was officially Autumn/Winter - yay!

Do you have a favourite local coffee shop?

The Road Goes Ever On

Day 15: The road goes ever on

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Waking up is the worst part. Untangling the mass of dreams to distinguish between fantasy and reality on a wet, white morning can be the confusing start of a cosy day spent inside with the fire or a long, thought filled day at work hammering fingers on keyboards, blocking out drivel about meeting targets in time for next week's targets and the week after that's targets.

Some split their days into units like that guy in About a Boy. It's satisfying to plan things out, make lists, tick each item off, or draw a line through each one. Some psychologist might know more about that.

Nobody talks about what's wrong. Yet this is what almost everyone has to say on the matter:

"Talk to someone." 

Where to start? There's breakfast, work, targets, meetings, appointments, small talk, texting, tweeting, Facebook status updates, comments, likes, drinks, dinner, tv programmes, sleep. Is there any time for talking?

The road goes ever on, the impossible distance that is time and life. Wandering from one day to the next. Wondering if there is anyone else who spends as much time thinking, and why is it so quiet and lonely when there are a thousand voices talking to you? 

Books are read, films are watched, meeting friends, taking pills, contemplating God, going on. Appetites come back, laughter isn't feigned, new thoughts replace the old. Then, one day, waking up is not the worst part. It is just a part. Another unit of the day. And the road that goes ever on is an adventure to be embraced.