Caffeine and Co - St James Square, Manchester

We've been intending to nip into Caffeine and Co for a while now, but never seemed to get the chance. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I can tell you, it wasn't this. I was thinking more along the lines of a small, hippy-fied establishment with wobbly tables and haphazard cakes. Although these places have a special place in my heart, I loved wheat we found here.

This is a small yet sleek operation. It would feel right at home in San Francisco's Mission District with the likes of Blue Bottle Coffee. It's made up of a small walnut coloured counter and stools hugging the small seating area. It's dimly lit with soft orange light, and has a feeling of modern cosiness.

It was blowing an actual gale when we arrived; the sort that tangles your hair, makes your eyes stream and your nose run - attractive eh? We had just missed the afternoon rush and settled in the empty room. We ordered a flat white and Assam tea to warm the cockles.

Flat white: Best in Manchester according to my husband!

Assam: My tea of choice. Fragrant and enough in a pot for three cups. Happiness.

Despite the fact we had only just had brunch at Solita, I found myself drawn to the cakes on display. There was nothing pretty about them other than the sweet aroma being emitted from both.

Lemon Drizzle and Ginger Loaf Cakes: Both of these had the appearance of something quite damp and dense (not that this is a problem for me), but were actually unusually light in texture. The lemon had a pleasing crunch to the top, and the ginger variety had lovely bits of stem ginger in it.

Had we not accidentally landed in Red's True Barbecue later that day, we were actually planning on going testing the Spinningfields sister of Caffeine and Co - we loved it that much. We'll be running the second location through its paces on our next trip into the city, mark my works...

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