4 Cafes in Reims / The Return of Lost Socks

CoffeeBeer >> Double Shot Buzz >> Reims 4

A month ago, as I had another week of annual leave I needed to use, I took another solo trip to France, this time starting with a few days in Reims. Located in France's Champagne region, Reims itself is a surprisingly interesting place. It's small for a city but pretty packed with interesting things to do and see.

Originally founded by the Gauls, Reims became known as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. It is also the centre of the Champagne region, where the famous bubbly drink was first invented. And besides being home to many champagne houses, the city of Reims features architectural styles ranging from Romanesque to Art Deco.

I stayed in an AirB&B in Old Town, located just a short walk from the train station. On my first morning in the city, with a champagne-tasting tour out in Epernay booked for the afternoon, I headed out in search of a place for coffee and a croissant to start my busy day. Not too far from my flat was Rue de Mars, a street lined with several bars, and restaurants, as well as Boulangerie Les Halls, which besides being a boulangerie is also a patisserie and chocolatier.

When I walked into the very small place, I was greeted warmly by the two women behind the counter. All around me were displays of lovely looking pastries, chocolates, stacks of bread, and sandwiches, which were quite tempting. But I was desperate for a small breakfast and most importantly a coffee, because the pod machine at my B&B was not properly puncturing the pods, and I needed much more than a cup of hot water. So I ordered a cappuccino and croissant to eat in. Unfortunately there was only one little table in the place with two chairs which were currently occupied by a rather glum-looking couple. But I was desperate, so even though the early March morning was bitterly cold, I said I’d sit outside at one of the pavement tables.

Fortunately for my cold-sensitive fingers, while I was waiting for my order the couple soon finished their coffees and vacated the table, so I was able to move inside into the warmth.

My croissant was absolutely gorgeous, and my cappuccino, although served in a paper cup and with a touch of cinnamon on top, was perfectly acceptable, although I would have preferred it without the cinnamon. But it was no big deal. I mean, when you’re desperate for caffeine you’re desperate.

As I sat there I had a closer look at all the wonderful-looking pastries, cakes, and chocolates. I mean, if you’re into your pastries and sweet things, this definitely looks like the place in Reims to go.

Apparently the creator of these gorgeous cakes, breads, and treats, Sylvain Guglielmi, got his experience as pastry chef at the Royal Champagne, a luxury hotel and spa in Champillon, which is down near where my afternoon champagne tour took me. So that says a lot. Sadly, although I would have liked to maybe take some chocolates home with me, I was travelling light and still had six days of various adventures ahead of me. And when finally I arrived home, I really didn’t need to find luxury chocolates squashed all over my clothes.

The next day I got up and out a bit later than I had intended, and I had a lot of ground to cover, as this was my last full day in Reims. So I decided to treat myself to a proper brunch. There were a lot of tables out in the front of Caf&eaute; Crème;, and quite a few nearby restaurants on this busy boulevard were setting up their tables for the day. But even though it was sunny, the weather still seemed cold to me, so I sat at a table inside. The male staff that I talked to all seemed very friendly, and they spoke English as well, which made my questions about the menu a bit easier to deal with. Oddly enough the only other customers who were sitting inside besides me were solo women.

My meal was two poached eggs from the local Pyns Sylvestre farm (farm fresh eggs make all the difference), with sourdough toast and the most amazing butter I’ve ever tasted, and also a salad with sprouts and vinaigrette. As I had a choice of two sides, I went for the Tomme cheese shavings with wild garlic from Champ-Sur-Barse, and the Paris mushrooms chimichurri with za’atar sauce. All of the food was truly delicious, and of course I could barely make a dent. The cappuccino, on the other hand, was a bit fru-fru, served in a glass with layers visible, and with way too much chocolate sprinkled on top. I began to wonder if this a Reims style of cappuccino, with either chocolate or cinnamon covering the top. But the coffee itself was good, so I should have just ordered an espresso.

As I sat rhapsodising over my food, I took in the retro art on the walls. A Warhol version of Marilyn Monroe hung next to a statue of Buddha; posters of Jimi Hendrix and JFK decked the back walls; and elsewhere I spotted some Roy Liechtenstein art, film posters of Jaws, Emmanuelle, and Jacques Tati’s Mon Oncle, and a large poster that said simply LOVE. And to cap off the retro atmosphere, near my table was a Star Wars pinball machine, which I thought was pretty cool.

So I really liked this place, and I would happily return. But perhaps I would bypass the cappuccino and just get a plain espresso…

A couple of hours later, after I visited the Musée de la Reddition, where in 1945 the Armistice was signed ending World War II, and before I started on the long trek out to the Musée Automobile Reims Champagne, I decided to get myself an extra shot of caffeine. So I stopped at L’Occasion. Located down in a non-quaint part of Reims, this is quite a small place. Nobody was behind the counter when I walked in; but eventually a tall bearded man with floppy hair appeared and apologised. I managed to make my entire order in French for a change. And when I spotted “Cortado” on the coffee menu, I thought that would be perfect for a noontime extra coffee to propel me on. My Cortado was served with a proper rosette on the top and in a proper large shot glass. But the glass was so thin that it was way too hot to pick up, so I just leaned over and lapped a bit of it until it was cool enough to pick up. I mean, a cat would do that, so why not me? My cataholic pseudo brother Kim would heartily approve.

Sadly the only place available to sit was a cosy little spot in the window that was directly in the blazing noontime sun, so I felt as if I were being convection-heated right through the window. But the coffee was really nice, very smooth, with a soothing quality to it. So I didn’t mind the roasting of my inner organs so much.

The cafe is really pleasant, laid back, and authentically Bohemian, with dark wood stools, tables, and chairs. On the wall is a book shelf stocked with second-hand books, as well as a very interesting lamp that looked like it was made out of a vintage tripod. After the trendy poppy dance music at my breakfast cafe, the playlist was much more eclectic and to my taste.

L’Occasion is located close to the Comédie-Française, and there is a single parking space inside for a bicycle. They host various events, workshops, and debates, and on Fridays and Saturdays they even offer a wine bar. I can definitely envision poetry slams and experimental novels being written here. And all I was doing was enjoying my Cortado and jotting down notes.

On my final morning before catching my trains to Lille, I decided to check out a coffee shop just down the road from my apartment. I had read that Holy Coffee was a great place for coffee and toasties, so I thought a cheese toastie would be perfect to start my travel day. When I walked in, the place felt very inviting, and the woman behind the counter was extremely nice and friendly. Sadly the only two toasties that were available that day were one with goat cheese, honey, and walnuts, and another with ham and cheese, and they don’t do croissants or other savoury pastries. I don’t like sweet things in the morning, but I ordered the goat cheese toastie, hoping that the honey was very lightly applied. I also ordered a cappuccino and was pretty disappointed, because it was served in a large coffee mug with cinnamon on top. To be fair the woman first asked if I wanted cinnamon, and I said no, please--but she must have forgotten I said that. And the milk foam reached all the way up to the brim of the mug, so I could barely taste the coffee itself. Oh well, either this is in fact the style of cappuccinos in Reims, or I had just been unlucky. I decided that I just had to accept that my cappuccino was going to be more filling than I had hoped, and also that my toastie wasn’t going to be too awfully sweet because it was honey rather than sugar. And I could just get another coffee later, with hopefully a savoury sarnie as well.

The toastie actually turned out to be okay, quite crunchy, and served with a small dressed salad, not something I usually expect with my early-morning breakfast. My little table in the back room faced the front door, through which I could watch pavement life pass by. I also had a great view of the barriers in the street, due to the fact that workers were everywhere, tearing up not only Rue de Talleyrand but lots of other streets all around the city. I never did find out what was going on, but I have to admit that it reminded me of my own city of Sheffield, where everything seems to be torn up all the time.

The coffee at Holy Coffee is sourced from speciality roasters, and they also offer hot chocolate, tea, and chai and golden lattes. And I’ve decided that the next time I visit Reims I might just stick to ordering regular espressos, unless I’m particularly in the mood for a hot milky cinnamon drink.

Speaking of cinnamon for some reason reminds me of a recent very short WhatsApp conversation with my Bay Area friend about a new technological innovation:

I just read about a new robotic vacuum cleaner that appeared at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Roborock Saros Z70 works like a Roomba with an added foldable mechanical arm that can perform simple household tasks and pick up and move litter while it vacuums. In a demo it was shown to pick up a discarded tissue and place it into the nearest trash can. Considering how many times I do this after the other resident of the house attempts to cleverly launch his used tissue across the room into the bin but often fails, I think we should definitely have one. Perhaps all older people (who are constantly using and misplacing tissues and similar objects) should get one of these. I wonder if the NHS could provide them free for people over a certain age. That’s wonderful! I could really take advantage of one of these picking up both tissues and socks. With an eventual software upgrade, might it be capable of venturing into the Hozon in search of lost socks?