Day 139: The Small Touches

It's the small touches that make all the difference. There must be hundreds of cafes in Stockholm. All serve smörgåsar (sandwiches), kaffe (coffee) and tårtor (cakes). Yet many are one stop places for me. Meaning I will try them once but most likely I will never go back. It isn't that they are particularly bad, though some are, but if it isn't a wow in my book I seldom want to return there with my pocketbook. Some however, warrant the multiple return visit. These cafes are the ones that do that little something extra, go the extra mile, to create an experience and not just a stop for coffee and a snack.

Take the cafe we visited today, Skåningen Kaffebar. It is a tiny space but they have designed the interior for maximum comfort and enjoyment. There is a narrow bar across the front window with bar stools where you can sit and watch the happenings outdoors. There is also a lovely red and white striped awning over the outside area which gives the cafe a retro feel. And being located on Södermalm (the Berkeley of Sweden) there are usually plenty of fun sights to see. Pretty much anything goes on Södermalm. We happen to live on Södermalm as well. Go figure.

Many of the cafes now make pretty, swirly designs in the foam on top of your cappuccino or latte but the heart design in my latte today stayed put even until the end (See bottom photo). And of course, the design being a heart didn't hurt either, given my love for hearts (see my post from Day 45). The sandwich was not served in a heart shape like this but I could not resist. My eyes looked at the sandwich with one half propped up again the other half and they automatically saw a heart shape. Hopeless romantic, maybe?

The clincher was the sandwich. There was the freshly, ground, black pepper on the OUTSIDE of the bread. I'm not even kidding. The bread must have been buttered, peppered and then grilled like that to make the pepper stick to the outside. I have to say it was the first time I have had pepper on the outside of my sandwich. Like I said at the beginning, it is the small touches that make all the difference. It was the kind of experience that made me moan while I chewed. As you can see from the bottom photo, everything was good to the last drop/crumb.

Sitting at the bar with my bike helmet in the background. Across the street is a second-hand store. Always fun to watch the action there.

A lovely latte with a foam heart. <3

My "toast," or grilled sandwich, placed by me into a heart shape. Pretty cute, right?






























Good to the last drop...