Coffee Around the Corner

A fulfilling cup of coffee is bliss. And like bliss, it is also rare to find.

But as the popular saying goes, best things come when you least expect it. It was a fine December morning in Osaka and it was 3 days into our touring the city. We were heading to the next destination in our itinerary and walking towards the Shin-Imamiya Station. With still a long day ahead of us, we were looking to grab a bite before we hit the station.

It was then that our eyes caught a nice cafe tucked in to one of the buildings on the main road. This cafe is hard to miss, the wooden window panels and a cosy table beckons you in.

The cafe was at the end of a row of buildings and it had two doors, one opening from the corner and the other one facing the main road. We walked in through the 2nd entrance and found ourselves seated nicely across a table with a view towards the road.

It was the holiday season but I think this cafe owns a pace of its own, a slow nice one. A few customers perused the newspapers and a few others were engaged in conversations.

The staff was a friendly lady whom we inconvenienced with our poor Japanese but nevertheless she understood us perfectly. As we waited for our coffee, we looked out through the window and saw many tourists like us heading towards the station. Tourists exploring the city of Osaka!

The charm of Osaka lies in the smiles of people. They accommodate you as one of their favourite guests and lets you settle in comfortably. Its like getting that cup of coffee you want and also getting it topped with some extra cream.

While travelling, I pack lightly and prefer compactness a lot. May be, it could have been for the same reason, but I loved how the bread and toast came in on the plate. It was so convenient to consume -no fork, no knife, no fuss!

Indulging in a creamy coffee is a wonderful experience. And this coffee was bang on! The texture and flavour was very rich. The caffeine got mellowed in the cream and it did not hit me in the back of my head. I had it with a pinch of sugar and the taste lingered on for a long time which made me feel peaceful.

After all these days, I still remember this cafe for its quietness and comfort. Sometimes as I walk on the roads of my city I wish I could turn around the corner and open the door to this cafe. To experience that perfect coffee and look outside the window to enjoy the feeling of a out-of-towner.