Espressionista Café & Starbucks

Last week we made an interesting discovery. Due to circumstances and the fact that we did not get a hot espresso more than 5 days in a row at one often frequented espresso bar, we went looking for an alternative and stumbled upon two options; Starbucks and a place that I had not heard of before; Veolia. Yep, Veolia Environnement S.A., branded as Veolia, this is a French transnational company with activities in three main service and utility areas traditionally managed by public authorities – water management, waste management and energy services. They have apparently also started with espresso bars; “Cafe by Veolia”. The place is modern, the seats are comfortable and the coffee, believe it or not, is pretty good.  The Espressionista Café seemed like a great place to check out. The prices are en par with most other espresso bars in Prague: with an average of 50ck per shot, served with a glass of water and a tiny jug of hot milk. We were served at the table. The cups were hot, the flavour was full and the service with a smile was appreciated. It is a great start to the day. We were the only customers and this seemed a bit strange considering that Starbucks just a stone throw away was packed.  It rated high for a first impression and it was a place to be visited again.

The return visit was a day later. We passed a packed Starbucks and arrived at an empty cafe. We arrived a minute before 9. The initial question was... is it open? The door was open, the lights were on but outside the chairs were still upside down on the tables and as I walked in, I was rather brutally informed in Czech that the place would not be open before 9, when I appologetically informd her that my Czech was rather limited she simply said, closed, open at 9. Wait. One whole minute left to go so worth the wait... We walked outside and took two of the chairs that were still on the table and decided to wait that whole minute in its entirety. Time may be measured precisely, but it is experienced very individually and these 60 seconds lasted an eternity... A young well-dressed lady, customer number 3, came and walked in the door and received the same cold treatment. One lost customer for Veolia and one gained at Starbucks, where she left with 6 large coffees to go and a bag of what I can only assume were biscuits or cakes. At around 9:10 the waitress came outside and took our order, but not after having informed us that the terrace was not supposed to be used before she gave the sign that the shop was opened.  One espresso was brought out at 9.15, we enquired about the other and were informed that it was on its way... 5 minutes later it finally made an appearance and then a bit of a hissy fit as I paid with a 500ck note for two 42ck espressos…  Unfortunately I did not have the exact change.

Perhaps this was a one off experience so we tried it again a day later. Being the only customers in the joint, we were made to wait 15 minutes and eventually we just left without having touched an espresso. Thankfully the waitress had not started with the preparation of the coffee either. Patience may be a virtue but it is not one that I am blessed with when it comes to my morning espresso. 

The rather grumpy mood of the waitress has scrapped this rather nice place off the places to go to for our early morning, pre-office espresso. 

Longing for a shot of espresso, we stopped at Starbucks instead. The place was busy with suited up yups and well-dressed ladies and the two waitresses behind the counter were beaming.  Our order was taken, to go or drink in and the instant the order was registered from a possibility of choices that would make any visitor an instant coffee connoisseur, the beans were ground and two shots were pressed into preheated porcelain cups and servd with a beaming smile. The price…. 48ck a shot, with a complimentary glass of water (just remember that in Prague, served water is generally more expensive than beer and is almost always charged for). 

Second time round, the next morning, I was a bit later than my work colleague. She had already ordered two double espressos. Just to make a note of the service, yet again with a beaming smile and even though the place was busy, my double espresso was only served when I took a seat at the table with my colleague; hot, freshly prepared and no messing about. Top marks for service and much to my surprise, the coffee was pretty good too. I have to rethink my initial impression of Starbucks.  Guess where we are having our daily dose tomorrow….