#013, cafe little, 010210

company: 陳, J (Happy Birthday!) and Sh.
conversation: University campus accommodation, pricing and the aspect of living alone.

Let's just say that this wasn't exactly the easiest coffee shop to find. We spent approximately 20 minutes going back and forth just trying to understand why the building numbers on the street went up to 23 when the store number was 27. As explorers, we would never give up so easily (exemptions include: injuries, road blocks, the store being renovated/is closed and - if extreme - starvation), so finding this store was a little achievement in itself.

As we walked in, we were greeted by a waitress and taken to a table further in the store near the open kitchen. There were two couples already seated but I noticed that apart from them and another man coming in to purchase a take-away coffee, we were the only other patrons. With relatively little traffic flow being at the end of a hidden street, I can understand business being slow during the afternoon.

We looked through the drinks menu, concluding that the afternoon tea set was more affordable (approximately HKD$20 - $67, + $8 for an espresso drink) in comparison to ordering a drink on it's own ($24 - $32, with hot and cold options available). There was no service charge required although the waitress was polite and helpful and not so in-your-face.

The interior was rather bare and confusing as the tables and chairs were a mixture of bright oranges, reds, browns and greens, which did not match the colour of the walls which were a light pea-green colour. They appeared to want to be modern with the furniture but gave off an organic-type vibe with the walls and the exterior being light blue in colour. Seating approximately 20 people, it was spacious and allowed conversation without interruption.

We all had a 'Toast' afternoon tea set, HKD$20 + $8 for an espresso coffee. 陳 & I had a cappuccino. J had an iced latte. Sh had an iced mocha.

My cappuccino arrived looking like a souffle just taken out of the oven, whereas 陳's one had peaks (evident in using a spoon to get the froth out). 陳 asked the waitress for chocolate powder (smart! Why have I never thought of that...) and we were given a chocolate duster to put as much powder on as we wanted. Although the excess foam was exciting and fun, the milk was not frothed as well as I had hoped as it was not creamy and the coffee was watery. There was a very strong espresso aroma but this was accompanied by a very bitter taste. Something to point out here was that this cappuccino was definitely the highest temperature I've tried.

85 degrees Celsius is the ideal temperature espresso coffees should be served. After reading My Coffee Guide, Moses mentioned that the owner of this store sticks by this rule strictly. Whilst observing the barista at work; I noticed that when extracting the espresso, she would pull down a lever and watch carefully whilst guiding the lever back up. I thought this was weird but Sh pointed out that it was as if the lever was a timer for how long an extraction should be. It was clever but sometimes the barista would pull the lever down twice, could this be why the cappuccino was watery?

The iced beverages were not anything special. Strong in espresso and creamier than the hot cappuccinos, J and Sh were both not blown away.

The toasts (and jam or peanut butter) we had were also underwhelming as it could have easily been something made at home. Man, I feel like I should say something positive!

Cafe Little appears to be a family-run store with affordable meal prices. Unfortunately, if the coffee prices equate to the coffees that we had, I do not think it is worth it.

Our conversation flowed well and I believe we would have been able to sit for long periods of time. With many different types of coffee blends on offer, the owner must have a lot of experience in the different tastes and technique. The area is clean and tidy and would be an overall good place to hangout if their coffee was better than the one that we had. It might have been an off-day as I can admit to making inconsistent qualities of coffee at work myself.

Overall, a little out of our way to visit especially with us not knowing the district very well. There were many more restaurants that we passed by, increasing competition further. As long as if Cafe Little continues to have regular patronage and continue to have good reviews on Open Rice, I believe that they will probably stay for quite some time.

address: 上環禧利街27號富輝商業中心地下E舖, Sheng Wan.
(Exit A2 in Sheung Wan, just keep following Hillier Street until the end of the road.)
phone: 9139 7762