Like many of its Mediterranean neighbours, the Greeks take their daily cup of coffee very seriously. One of the best things about travelling around Greece is that it is never difficult to come across good cafes no matter where you are, and the quality of the espresso or latte are on par with those available in Italy itself, especially in those parts of the country which had been under Italian influence for centuries.
Being one of the major cultural centres on the crossroad between Italy, the Greek mainland, and the Adriatic Sea, the beautiful medieval city of Corfu Town is well-known for its well-preserved old town centre, delicious Italian ice-creams, and its abundance of beautiful Italian-style cafes. Take a walk around Corfu's scenic waterfront and its picturesque old town centre, and you will be enchanted by its array of coffee houses. Cafes in Corfu Town have a wide range of characteristics: modest roadside take-away coffee places alongside busy throughfares, traditional neighbourhood cafe+sandwich bars, serene mini-cafes tucked away in the myriad of narrow alleys and lanes of the old town, with their trademark colourful tables and chairs and frequented by students and younger people, stylish trendy boutique cafes with colourful decors and modernist interior designs, or classical grand cafes along the Liston with timeless appeal and an enduring sense of elegance.
A good cup of Italian espresso used to be fairly cheap during Greece's boom years, however in the wake of the euro debt crisis, the Greek government have imposed extra taxations on the retail and gastronomy sector, hence directly push up prices of everything. Nowadays it will take some searching to find a cafe in Greece where you can have a good Italian latte for less than 3 euros. In popular tourist resort towns and trendy seaside places, prices are even more expensive.
I was on my way to the centre of Corfu Town when I glanced upon this delightful little place on the side of a busy shopping alley. There were just a handful of tables and chairs inside the cafe, as on a beautiful day with bright blue sky and a temperature hovering above 25 degrees Celsius, most people chose to sample their coffee at the tabels outside.
Seeing on their drinks menu that they have Caffe Triestino (a kind of miniature cappuccino), something which is not so easy to come by outside the city of Triest in Italy, I decided to give this cafe a try. Its glittering interior reminds me of New York (of all places)...
The interior makes good use of mirror, glass panels, large windows, light bulbs and plenty other bright, shiny materials with reflective properties to make the place look much more sleek, spacious and airy than it actually is. Personally I quite like the slightly modernist chic mixed with art deco feelings.
On one side of the wall there are two dozen poster prints of Chairman Mao in various guise and pose - shaking hands with foreign visitors, inspecting the countryside during one of those disastrous 'Great Leap Forward' attempts, chatting with his party members and his notorious wife, etc. No idea why the owner chose to put out this collection of Mao postcards and prints, as he was not known to be a coffee lover and had certainly never been to Corfu all his life. Maybe it has something to do with the western fascination of exotic dictators who acted as if they were always larger than life.
Although this place is not as well-known as the reputable cafes on the trendy Liston, it is unique, original and is an affordable place for those who are looking for a congenial place in Corfu's expensive old town to hang out with their friends and family.
Copyrights@2011. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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