A Hitchhikers Guide to Coffee in Stavanger, Norway
OK, after starting the Hitchhikers Guide to Western Norway a while back (and I don’t even bother linking back to that one...), I figured I’d better complete at least a shorthand guide of the best and worst coffeebars in Stavanger, Norway.
All is rewritten from the original article, and some new shops have been added, but the message should be the same.
All is rewritten from the original article, and some new shops have been added, but the message should be the same.
KULT. KAFEEN, Sølvberget (**---) Chic, trendy and with it’s own WiFi-hotspot. It’s the place where young, hip people flock together with their i- and Powerbooks (it seems the PC people don’t dare show their ugly little laptops in this ultra-cool coffeeshop)...
However, it all ends there. As I approach the waitress, I’m put ‘on hold’ for about a minute, while the waiter talks with what seems to be old friends of the waiter. They leave without purchasing anything. As they leave, I step forward to place my order - «Yeah?» - is the (somewhat unfriendly) response from the waitress, to whom I actually need to repeat my dbl. Mocha, dbl. Irish Cream Syrup, low foam, to-go order to. Twice.
Well, at least when repeating twice, really. really. slowly, you’d expect the attractive 19-25 yearold to get it right, now wouldn’t you? Well, as attractive as she may be, she actually managed to give me... wait for it... One cold single mocha AND one equally cold Latte with over-the-top amounts of Irish Cream syrup... In two flimsy to-go-cans...
If you’re looking for a place to check your mail and look at attractive waitresses, this is the place... If you’re looking for a drinkable cup of coffee, and decent service, go somewhere else... (By the way, this was the first time they EVER had Irish Cream Syrup...)
BAGEL BUDDY, Magasin Blaa (*----) A few years back, Stavanger was introduced to a new mall - Magasin Blaa. This was supposed to be the exclusive shopping centre for young female buyers. So what about the coffeeshop?
Bagel Buddy is not your ordinary coffeeshop, as it has it’s main focal point on... er... bagels... Only, the Buddyshop in Magasin Blaa does seem to focus more on coffee and less on bagels than other members of the chain.
Again, I try my double mocha, double Irish, low foam-order. Not only am I forced to repeat my order, I actually have to guide the waiter through the entire process of making the coffee. After telling the waiter what to do, I’m told to go wait at a table. No tip this time.
As I walked over to my table, I noticed the waiter serving another couple, and obviously forgetting all about my coffee. By the time it arrived at my table (approx. Five minutes) it was stone cold. Not only that, my double mocha, double Irish, low foam-order had magically transformed into a single mocha, single (if not less) Irish full-foam... Strange.
As for interior design and atmosphere, no doubt the bagel buddy has tried to turn up chic and stylish, but sorry, buddy, you’ve failed miserably - and when the coffee’s cold and your staff is unfriendly - Bagel Buddy won’t be recommended to anyone.. At least not by me. Stay away, folks.
FOOD STORY (**---) As the name hints, Food Story is a place where you are not only being served coffee, but also food products (mostly ecologically grown) and where they take pride in knowing the entire chain-of-events leading up to the food ending up on the table.
Since this is such an important part of the Food Story image, I thought I’d take a look at the menu, to see if I wanted anything to go with my coffee... This would be my first challenge. Food Story operates with several menus, and several prices it seems. Looking over two of the menus, I give up, and go on to simply ordering a Curtado.
- «Would that be a double?» the waiter asks, seeming a bit irritated or disappointed that I chose not to order a full lunchmeal.
As I’m currently cutting down on my caffeine-intake, I figured it was best to turn down the offer of a double instead of a single Curtado. I had no idea how much I was going to regret that decision.
I’ve previously been warned about the fact that Food Story isn’t particularly good at compressing the espresso, but the fact of the matter is, they really don’t make an effort at all... This results in a Curtado which tastes little but hot milk and sugar...
Not only was the coffee close to undrinkable (I had to leave half of it...) I wasn’t even able to find a tea-spoon to stir it with. This may have been me not looking closely enough, or it may be that the wooden sticks fitted their eco-friendly image best. What do I know.
As the location of Food Story is one of the best in town, and the atmosphere is superb, you’d be downright stupid not to want to stay, even with the terrible coffee, so I chose to order an iced tea. Again the menus caused confusion. On the exterior menu board, the price was NOK35. I only had to pay NOK25...
This time around, the waiter seemed to have gotten over me not ordering one of their ecologically produced meals from upper Uganda, and even gave me a smile as I ordered one of the four variants of tea on offer...
I was able to finish 6 pages in Financial Times during my wait for my iced tea, and when it finally arrived, I was told to wait a bit further before starting to drink. Again, this isn’t actually that big of a deal, nice locations etc. Make it the perfect place to wait for an iced tea.
But again the taste let me down. There was little taste, and what taste was there, it was far from sweet enough. I felt as if I could’ve easily ordered a glass of water and obtained the same taste-wise experience.
Although, I enjoyed the stay in regards of pricing, atmosphere and general comfort, I still had to go over to another coffeeshop for a real cup of coffee...
CHARLIE BROWN, Torgterassen (****-) Located at the Torgterassen mall in central Stavanger, Charlie Brown would be the perfect spot for your lunchtime coffee, whether you’re going for a to-go or a place to read the paper.
However, the Torgterassen centre has obtained a semi-bad reputation over the years, and this makes Charlie Brown a little known spot for many. Even when passing through the mall, the coffeshop is easily missed. As for interior, the shop blends into the mall in it’s own way, and sadly, some of the worn, ‘unhygenic’ look and feel of the mall does rub off.
When approaching the waiter, I immediately feel welcomed as I state my dbl. Mocha dbl. Irish-to-go-order. The waiter seems to get the order immediately, and starts making it, no questions asked. The fibracans are some of the best I’ve ever gotten, and keeps the coffee hot, without giving you 2nd degree burns.
The coffee was good, the staff are all equipped with measuring tools, to ensure that your coffee tastes the same every time... Good job! Nice staff, great coffee, good location and the exclusive fibracans does weigh up for the unlucrative feel of the mall in general!
MÖVENPICK, Arkaden (***--) As with Charlie Brown, the Mövenpick coffee- and, you guessed it, ice-cream bar tries to blend in with the shopping centre, in which it’s located.
The Arkaden Centre, where Mövenpick is centrally placed on the 1st floor, is somewhat more socially accepted than the Torgterassen. However there is still the feeling that you are drinking coffee in the middle of a mall, that to me seems a bit unattractive.
I therefore chose to make my order to-go. I approach my waitress with my order, and is met with... laughter. After repeating my order, she is able to maintain a straight face, and goes ahead with making the coffee. For some strange reason, there seems to be a policy of randomness as to how much a cup of coffee costs at Mövenpick, and the numbers seems to be pulled out of thin air.
Though this seems a bit confusing to me (I like to know that my coffee is going to cost the same every time, for some reason...) I pay by card and leave a tip on the counter. I pick up my coffee and leave. At this point I realise that the coffee is good, and the waitress did make an effort, so combined with the central location, I supposed the final score would be a weak four stars. But then the waitress approaches me again asking me what the change on the counter was for.
Sorry, Mac.
KRAMER (*****) Kramer is probably one of the more debated coffeeshops in Stavanger. The interesting combination of coffeeshop and hairdresser, may be a bit hard to swallow for some, including me.
However, the hairdresser is located in the basement [men] and on the 1st floor [women], while the coffeeshop is at the ground floor, so the scenario of hairy coffee is pretty far-fetched. The only Coffeeshop-something combo on the ground floor must be the Coffeeshop-artgallery...
The art on display changes regularly, and is chic, modern and all by my taste. By night Kramer also has various theme-nights and an open bar. By day, you’ll have to look hard for a better place to go out for coffee. The interior isn’t chic, nor does it try to. What we’re looking at, is a more relaxed atmosphere, riding high on the turn-of-the-century ‘feel-good’-wave.
So does the staff. In complete contradict to Kult.Kafeen, Kramer seems to pick staff from the criteria: experience, service and ability to communicate. This means the staff knows what you’re coffee is supposed to taste like, and makes it according to that instinct. Kramer also provides newspapers and magazines, O.K music and a superb atmosphere...
There are times when experience and knowledge is a greater advantage than chic interior, WiFi-spots (not that I wouldn’t like one) and sexy teenagers...
However, it all ends there. As I approach the waitress, I’m put ‘on hold’ for about a minute, while the waiter talks with what seems to be old friends of the waiter. They leave without purchasing anything. As they leave, I step forward to place my order - «Yeah?» - is the (somewhat unfriendly) response from the waitress, to whom I actually need to repeat my dbl. Mocha, dbl. Irish Cream Syrup, low foam, to-go order to. Twice.
Well, at least when repeating twice, really. really. slowly, you’d expect the attractive 19-25 yearold to get it right, now wouldn’t you? Well, as attractive as she may be, she actually managed to give me... wait for it... One cold single mocha AND one equally cold Latte with over-the-top amounts of Irish Cream syrup... In two flimsy to-go-cans...
If you’re looking for a place to check your mail and look at attractive waitresses, this is the place... If you’re looking for a drinkable cup of coffee, and decent service, go somewhere else... (By the way, this was the first time they EVER had Irish Cream Syrup...)
BAGEL BUDDY, Magasin Blaa (*----) A few years back, Stavanger was introduced to a new mall - Magasin Blaa. This was supposed to be the exclusive shopping centre for young female buyers. So what about the coffeeshop?
Bagel Buddy is not your ordinary coffeeshop, as it has it’s main focal point on... er... bagels... Only, the Buddyshop in Magasin Blaa does seem to focus more on coffee and less on bagels than other members of the chain.
Again, I try my double mocha, double Irish, low foam-order. Not only am I forced to repeat my order, I actually have to guide the waiter through the entire process of making the coffee. After telling the waiter what to do, I’m told to go wait at a table. No tip this time.
As I walked over to my table, I noticed the waiter serving another couple, and obviously forgetting all about my coffee. By the time it arrived at my table (approx. Five minutes) it was stone cold. Not only that, my double mocha, double Irish, low foam-order had magically transformed into a single mocha, single (if not less) Irish full-foam... Strange.
As for interior design and atmosphere, no doubt the bagel buddy has tried to turn up chic and stylish, but sorry, buddy, you’ve failed miserably - and when the coffee’s cold and your staff is unfriendly - Bagel Buddy won’t be recommended to anyone.. At least not by me. Stay away, folks.
FOOD STORY (**---) As the name hints, Food Story is a place where you are not only being served coffee, but also food products (mostly ecologically grown) and where they take pride in knowing the entire chain-of-events leading up to the food ending up on the table.
Since this is such an important part of the Food Story image, I thought I’d take a look at the menu, to see if I wanted anything to go with my coffee... This would be my first challenge. Food Story operates with several menus, and several prices it seems. Looking over two of the menus, I give up, and go on to simply ordering a Curtado.
- «Would that be a double?» the waiter asks, seeming a bit irritated or disappointed that I chose not to order a full lunchmeal.
As I’m currently cutting down on my caffeine-intake, I figured it was best to turn down the offer of a double instead of a single Curtado. I had no idea how much I was going to regret that decision.
I’ve previously been warned about the fact that Food Story isn’t particularly good at compressing the espresso, but the fact of the matter is, they really don’t make an effort at all... This results in a Curtado which tastes little but hot milk and sugar...
Not only was the coffee close to undrinkable (I had to leave half of it...) I wasn’t even able to find a tea-spoon to stir it with. This may have been me not looking closely enough, or it may be that the wooden sticks fitted their eco-friendly image best. What do I know.
As the location of Food Story is one of the best in town, and the atmosphere is superb, you’d be downright stupid not to want to stay, even with the terrible coffee, so I chose to order an iced tea. Again the menus caused confusion. On the exterior menu board, the price was NOK35. I only had to pay NOK25...
This time around, the waiter seemed to have gotten over me not ordering one of their ecologically produced meals from upper Uganda, and even gave me a smile as I ordered one of the four variants of tea on offer...
I was able to finish 6 pages in Financial Times during my wait for my iced tea, and when it finally arrived, I was told to wait a bit further before starting to drink. Again, this isn’t actually that big of a deal, nice locations etc. Make it the perfect place to wait for an iced tea.
But again the taste let me down. There was little taste, and what taste was there, it was far from sweet enough. I felt as if I could’ve easily ordered a glass of water and obtained the same taste-wise experience.
Although, I enjoyed the stay in regards of pricing, atmosphere and general comfort, I still had to go over to another coffeeshop for a real cup of coffee...
CHARLIE BROWN, Torgterassen (****-) Located at the Torgterassen mall in central Stavanger, Charlie Brown would be the perfect spot for your lunchtime coffee, whether you’re going for a to-go or a place to read the paper.
However, the Torgterassen centre has obtained a semi-bad reputation over the years, and this makes Charlie Brown a little known spot for many. Even when passing through the mall, the coffeshop is easily missed. As for interior, the shop blends into the mall in it’s own way, and sadly, some of the worn, ‘unhygenic’ look and feel of the mall does rub off.
When approaching the waiter, I immediately feel welcomed as I state my dbl. Mocha dbl. Irish-to-go-order. The waiter seems to get the order immediately, and starts making it, no questions asked. The fibracans are some of the best I’ve ever gotten, and keeps the coffee hot, without giving you 2nd degree burns.
The coffee was good, the staff are all equipped with measuring tools, to ensure that your coffee tastes the same every time... Good job! Nice staff, great coffee, good location and the exclusive fibracans does weigh up for the unlucrative feel of the mall in general!
MÖVENPICK, Arkaden (***--) As with Charlie Brown, the Mövenpick coffee- and, you guessed it, ice-cream bar tries to blend in with the shopping centre, in which it’s located.
The Arkaden Centre, where Mövenpick is centrally placed on the 1st floor, is somewhat more socially accepted than the Torgterassen. However there is still the feeling that you are drinking coffee in the middle of a mall, that to me seems a bit unattractive.
I therefore chose to make my order to-go. I approach my waitress with my order, and is met with... laughter. After repeating my order, she is able to maintain a straight face, and goes ahead with making the coffee. For some strange reason, there seems to be a policy of randomness as to how much a cup of coffee costs at Mövenpick, and the numbers seems to be pulled out of thin air.
Though this seems a bit confusing to me (I like to know that my coffee is going to cost the same every time, for some reason...) I pay by card and leave a tip on the counter. I pick up my coffee and leave. At this point I realise that the coffee is good, and the waitress did make an effort, so combined with the central location, I supposed the final score would be a weak four stars. But then the waitress approaches me again asking me what the change on the counter was for.
Sorry, Mac.
KRAMER (*****) Kramer is probably one of the more debated coffeeshops in Stavanger. The interesting combination of coffeeshop and hairdresser, may be a bit hard to swallow for some, including me.
However, the hairdresser is located in the basement [men] and on the 1st floor [women], while the coffeeshop is at the ground floor, so the scenario of hairy coffee is pretty far-fetched. The only Coffeeshop-something combo on the ground floor must be the Coffeeshop-artgallery...
The art on display changes regularly, and is chic, modern and all by my taste. By night Kramer also has various theme-nights and an open bar. By day, you’ll have to look hard for a better place to go out for coffee. The interior isn’t chic, nor does it try to. What we’re looking at, is a more relaxed atmosphere, riding high on the turn-of-the-century ‘feel-good’-wave.
So does the staff. In complete contradict to Kult.Kafeen, Kramer seems to pick staff from the criteria: experience, service and ability to communicate. This means the staff knows what you’re coffee is supposed to taste like, and makes it according to that instinct. Kramer also provides newspapers and magazines, O.K music and a superb atmosphere...
There are times when experience and knowledge is a greater advantage than chic interior, WiFi-spots (not that I wouldn’t like one) and sexy teenagers...
J.A
Well arnor, ass school aproaches i can see you have been doing your homework at the coffee-front! however, school starts monday, and you better be ready. Are you?
Well, but of course I am! ;)