#014, colour brown, 020210

company: Dad
conversation: The surroundings, Michelin and the coffee.

Today required a lot more travelling than exploring. We spent around one and a half hours travelling and then another 10 minutes getting lost trying to get to the cafe that My Coffee Guide had recommended. The area was unfamiliar to the both of us because we did not live in the district and we very rarely visit.

Before we walked in, we were greeted by two very cute and well-behaved dogs. Looking through the menu they were introduced as Cheese (right) and Go-On (left), the PR Manager and Assistant PR Manager. Aww. We were the first to enter the store so we had a range of places to sit. We decided to sit near the entrance in a secluded spot so we could watch people walk by.

As it was a weekday and approximately 12:30pm, I'm guessing many people working were not out for their lunch breaks just yet. The set lunch meals were relatively cheap (HKD$36 - $38), with a variety of cakes, sandwiches and instant noodles to choose from. The sets came with a main, a drink (adding an additional $5 would get you an espresso coffee) and a dessert which was ice-cream with chocolate sauce. Not bad.

I felt that the store was designed authentically as I noticed lots of artwork (mostly paintings) covering all the walls (just researched and found out that this store doubles as an exhibition for these paintings), as well as pictures of the dogs on a bulletin board, little fish bowls on two of the tables with goldfish (one of them was crazy spastic, kept swimming around randomly, gulping for air... Maybe it was hungry) and a tall cupboard with various coffee utensils. With so many things, it made the entire store interesting and cute. Even our water cups had little rabbits on them!

We both had the instant noodle set lunch (HKD$36), with a cappuccino (+$5) for me and a house coffee for my Dad.

I was surprised that there was only one person that worked in the store for the entire time we were in there. He was the chef, server and barista all at the same time. Although this must make service relatively slow, in the relaxing environment we were in and the piles of magazines available, I don't think many people would mind. After eating the noodles (which were nothing special, considering I have instant noodles quite often when I'm in uni), we concluded that we had made the wrong choice and if we wanted something to accompany our coffees, we should have chosen sandwiches. Oh well, we'll know next time!

My Dad's house coffee arrived first and as the owner placed it on the table, it smelt amazing. The espresso was strong and very aromatic. I used a spoon to mix the coffee a little and found that there was a thick layer of crema on the top! Double points for the cute little chick milk jug. The milk in the jug was also warm, which was a nice touch as some people dislike their accompanying milk to be cold which makes the rest of the drink cooler when added.

My Dad asked the owner what country the coffee beans had come from, Brazil (just thought you might want to know). And it turns out that Colour Brown provides a service in helping you roast your own coffee beans according to the temperature you want. This tells me that the owner is serious about coffee: roasting is not an easy process as you can easily over-roast the beans making the coffee bitter and taste like charcoal... Not something I would want to be responsible for.

This house coffee was very strong in taste; slightly bitter but a nice way to end the meal. I think my Dad would have appreciated a bit more milk as he likes to have it creamy. I am still quite amazed with the layer of crema on the surface.

I remember when I had a class on barista skills during my first year, the teacher was so passionate that he would just going on and on about coffee and his love for it. I quote him when he said that he "bleeds coffee". It was great to see such passion for something I thought was bitter and tasted all the same.

Whilst observing the barista, I noticed he only ground the amount of coffee beans that he needed. His frothing may have started off with some squeaks but they were soon drowned out with the sound of air being incorporated by the steam wand. I might have heard some spoon clanging against the milk jug meaning that he used the spoon to scoop foam into the cup. But that might have just been me being too sensitive (afterall, I can't beat someone down when I'm far from being a perfect pourer!).

I was presented with a souffle cappuccino, but this time, the foam looked really nice! It was creamy and fluffy and ahh, it was good. The cappuccino was also very hot but not enough to scorch my tongue (good), the first thing I thought was: "This is yummy!" as the milk mixed well with the espresso making it creamy and thick.

Let's just say that when I drank this cappuccino for the first time, the foam was so high that I got some on my nose and my Dad got a foam moustache. Haha. The cup was actually really big, reminding me of the cup of cappuccino I had at Crema. Whilst it was creamy, I noticed how the espresso seemed to always fall short of staying in my mouth longer than the taste of thick milk would. This made me question exactly how much milk is too much?

The cappuccino easily made me full and as yummy as it was creamy, I did think that it diluted the bitter espresso just a bit. I wonder how their hot chocolates would taste like then, mm...

Colour Brown has been open for 4 years already. With the quality of coffee they serve, I am not surprised. They provide different flavoured home-made cakes which are changed daily, they have a list of flavoured teas that fill at least two pages and their variety of food items will probably satisfy anyone. The relaxed atmosphere, quiet surroundings and overall appearance of the store is a teasure to find. I can just imagine what it would be like if the sun was out (it was chilly and gloomy today) and maybe a slight breeze coming through from the sea. Ahh, tranquility.

Little details such as the coffee cup designs, the goldfish, the little chick milk jug, rabbits painted on the water cups, the huge coffee mugs used as flower pots and the different shades of brown all around the cafe enhance the uniqueness of the store.

Although the cost of travelling outweighs the cheapness of the meal we had. If you are ever near Sai Kung or even live there, I would certainly recommend it!

address: 西貢西貢市場街34號地下, Sai Kung.
(Sai Kung Market Street #34, it is opposite a tea store on a quiet street.)
website: Colour Brown / phone: 2791 7128