Winter, Wanchai, HongKong – On a cold morning, we had embarked on a quest to find the exotic Warhammer 40,000 shop in Morrison Plaza, Wanchai. We traversed the modest distance of around 2 km from Admiralty to Tonnochy Road in a tram, obstinately enjoying the only mode of transport that lets you slow down and enjoy the fast paced city around you! Basking in the cool breeze of a sunny morning, the tram was indeed a haven to observe and reflect on things that rush past you.

After a short walk from Tonnochy Road tram station, we reached the shop only to find it closed. For a city that starts its day early on, Warhammer 40,000 shop had a casual sign on its front door which said that the opening hours were from noon – 1 pm. A tad disappointed and taken aback at the seeming audacity we went to a coffee shop nearby that was recommended to us by the famed Fragile Coffee.

Craft Coffee Roaster Wanchai is a compact coffee shop that is tucked into a building but the rare palette of green and silver on its exterior walls does not let it go unnoticed. The stainless steel coffee machinery inside beckons you in and there is an air about that place that calls out that it is a place for serious coffee lovers!

On hindsight, what transpired in the shop indeed felt like a shared experience of coffee lovers!

After an exhaustive perusal of the menu, we chose the kind of beans we would like to have and upon grinding we were welcomed to see the grind size, which also allowed us to have an ample whiff of the aroma of the freshly ground coffee beans.

The barista was exceptional and he whipped up my Piccolo with immaculate perfection! When I told him so he nodded to me in modest pride that seemed to say that this is exactly how a Piccolo should be made and he himself wouldn’t have it any other way!

In the coffee shop, you are allotted only a small space to sit as opposed to full fledged coffee cafes, but the extraordinary advantage of such a place is that you can immerse yourself in coffee and coffee alone.

As I sat down, my eyes caught a glimpse of the Leica Camera that a fellow coffeeholic was holding and I looked at him. With a twinkle in his eyes and a pleasant smile he sat in a corner holding his coffee. As soon as my coffee arrived, he poured a glass of water and handed it over to me, in that silence we both acknowledged that cleansing your palette is an essential prerequisite for indulging in a fresh brew.

As I sat there next to a Leica Camera with a Craft Coffee in hand and a Warhammer 40,000 in the vicinity, I was at the confluence that was far too recherche’ for a conventional day. I was at the cross over where I believed I saw the minuscule who would unflinchingly do what they would like to do.

As we walked back to Tonnochy Road carrying packets of Craft Coffee beans, Warhammer 40,000 was still closed but we did have a cursory glance from outside.

May be that one is for next time!