On the corner of Russell Road and Lawrence St. in Central lies one of my favorite places in PE...Masterton's Coffee and Tea Specialists since 1924. Lou and I make a trip there about twice a month to purchase coffee and to savor the aroma of freshly roasting beans. Masterton's is a PE institution.... when getting or giving directions to anywhere in Central PE, residents will use Masterton's as the landmark from which to start.
So, from Masterton's, traveling one block up Lawrence to Parliament St. coffee lovers will find what is touted as Central's Best Kept Secret, that being Cafe Blend, 6b Parliament St. Yes, that is exactly how I gave directions to Thursday's Crawlers. Everyone found the place (and good parking spots) with no problem.
Cafe Blend has its group of regulars, so when the Crawlers showed up on Thursday en masse, the staff and patrons were stoked to see new faces! What a friendly group. As a matter fact I'll say that the shop is probably one of the friendliest we've visited. Owner Mariana Uderman was not at Cafe Blend on Crawl Day but she left the shop in the very capable hands of Talent and Tabisa, both of whom were filling the roles of waitress and barista.
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| Meet the Baristas Talent and Tabisa |
According to the menu Cafe Blend has been open for business "Since Forever." I guess that means then that they've been getting their coffee from Masteron's only since 1924? Speaking of Masterton's coffee, Cafe Blend is the second shop in as many weeks to not only carry the Masterton brand but also to feature a Masterton "blend of the day" with Thursday's being Cameo on Black Velvet. The coffee was so good that I popped into Masterton's after the Crawl and purchased 500g of Cameo and 500g of Out of Africa beans....my usual, though sometimes Masterton himself convinces me to try something he just "whipped up."
Besides a variety of hot and cold drinks and a full array of licensed beverages the Cafe Blend menu includes breakfast (served all day....yay, breakfast at 10 p.m.!), lunch and dinner. Cafe Blend's hours are Mon-Fri, 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m. and weekends 7:30 a.m.-11 p.m. The shop is open long hours, has great coffee, a friendly staff and a fun atmosphere. It truly is the Best Kept Secret in Central! The only problem is that, as of this posting, the shop is still not on the Coffee Culture App...hope to see it there soon!
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| This Week's Crawlers Margaret, Lou, Gail, Stella, Beth, Beryl not pictured - Colleen |
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| A Cafe Blend regular, Claire, with Crawler Colleen |
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| Some of the Cafe Blend regulars just hanging around |
Our conversations at the table lately have centered around technology and, more specifically, smartphone apps. On Thursday, Crawlers Colleen Le Roux, Margaret Zoetmulder, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Beth Vieira, Gail Darne, and my husband, Lou, talked about the aforementioned Coffee Culture App. Then Lou showed off his Night Sky App which, when the phone is pointed at the night sky, displays and labels all the stars and planets visible at that time. Yes, it works during the daylight hours as well. The funky ambient background music just adds to the fun!
****A reminder to PE Coffee Crawl readers---join us this Thursday, March 14, for our 3rd Annual St.
Pat's Crawl at Keg and Swan in Sunridge, 10:00 a.m.
~Thank you to Talent and Tabisa
~Thank you to Canadian Crawler Kathy Roppel for the R100 Cafe Blend coupon....coffee was on you this
week!
~Happy Birthday to Crawler Mandy de Beer - March 15 - Beware the Ides of March!
~Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone and especially to my brothers and sisters and all the descendants of
Buzz and Katie O"Hara - March 17
Until next week,
Ellen
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| Dish up and Serve |
Oh, SO sorry I wasnt there to meet you! Thank you for the lovely pics and report...happy crawling!
ReplyDeleteMariana