Celebrity Life
Iconic Cafés and Restaurants That Inspired Some of the World’s Most Renowned Works
Cafe culture has long been associated with life in France but in many countries, cafes are more than places to have a libation and socialise. They have been the birthplace of major iconic cultural works.
JK Rowling penned Harry Potter in Edinburgh’s Elephant House, Hemingway wrote A Movable Feast at Paris’ Closerie des Lilas, while inspiration for international hit Garota de Ipanema (The Girl From Ipanema) came from a Brazilian girl passing by a Rio de Janeiro bar leading to the beach.
Here, we gather 5 fascinating and iconic cafes and restaurants that inspired today’s most renowned works.
The Elephant House: Harry Potter, by JK Rowling
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(Image: The Elephant House)[/caption]
Without the Elephant House pub in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Harry Potter saga may not have seen the light of day. Most of the early novels of the saga were penned in this Scottish pub with a red facade. JK Rowling sat in the back room overlooking the Edinburgh castle, drafting the characters and the whole universe that became an international blockbuster when first published in 1997.
Closerie des Lilas: A Movable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway
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(Image: Closerie des Lilas)[/caption]
This autobiographical tale by Ernest Hemingway came out after the writer’s death. The novel narrates the first few years that Hemingway spent in Paris during the 1920s. It offers readers a trip through the City of Lights and its most iconic neighborhoods from rue Mouffetard, to Brasserie Lipp and the Les Deux Magots café in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
But it’s in the Montparnasse neighborhood that Ernest Hemingway actually wrote A Movable Feast at Closerie des Lilas, a café-restaurant where painters like Renoir and Monet gathered in the mid 19th century. On a side note, Closerie des Lilas is also where F. Scott Fitzgerald asked Hemingway to read The Great Gatsby before publication.
Café de Flore: Being and Nothingness, by Jean-Paul Sartre
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(Image: Café de Flore)[/caption]
If Parisian Café de Flore had been shut down, would French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre have produced all of his iconic texts? In an upper room of this historic Saint-Germain-des-Prés café, the French writer outlined drafts of Being and Nothingness, published in 1943. Not far from Sartre, at a table that faced him, his partner Simone de Beauvoir drafted what would go on to become her first hit novel, She Came to Stay.
Place du Forum: Café Terrace at night, by Vincent Van Gogh
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(Image: Bérangère Chatelain)[/caption]
It’s a must see for every tourist visiting Arles in the south of France. Located on the Place du Forum, just next to Nord Pinus hotel, Van Gogh made this cafe immortal in 1888. At the time, it was called “The Terrace.” The Dutch painter set his easel on the northeastern corner of the Place du Forum and depicted the warm end-of summer atmosphere of this welcoming French café.
Veloso: Garota de Ipanema, by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes
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(Image: Veloso)[/caption]
The most well-known bossa nova tune was written in 1962 in a Rio de Janeiro café called Veloso. Music composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and poet Vinicius de Moraes regularly met there. They both drew inspiration from a young Brazilian woman who used to pass by the bar’s terrace.
Garota de Ipanema became an international hit thanks to Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s adaptation in English two years later. The Girl from Ipanema, sung by Astrud Gilberto, is one of the most played songs worldwide, and the legend started in a carioca bar.
The post Iconic Cafés and Restaurants That Inspired Some of the World’s Most Renowned Works appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.
5 New Hong Kong Cafés to Get Your Coffee
Wake up and smell the coffee.
Hong Kong's enthusiasm for coffee shows absolutely no signs of slowing down and has resulted in more coffee shops and café concepts to pop up around the city. As an individual whose brain will only start working with coffee, I made it a point to visit the newest and check out what they pouring. So, here it is, a curated list of five of Hong Kong's new cafés worth visiting to get your caffeine fix.
Cookie DPT Pop-up at The Upper House
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Image: Cookie DPT Facebook[/caption]
Located inside the luxury hotel, Cookie DPT has set up shop -- a pop-up one that is -- on the sixth floor. The space, which utilises the lobby area and grassy lawn is an excellent spot to indulge in one of their insta-famous cookies (I recommend the classic chocolate chip or the brownie-filled cookie), or other treats, along with an iced latte. The lawn is great if you want to bring along your pup(s) too and enjoy the sunshine.
Open: 1 May to 30 August from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
The Upper House, Level 6, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Blue Bottle Coffee
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Image: Blue Bottle Coffee Hong Kong Instagram[/caption]
Californian coffee brand Blue Bottle officially launched in Hong Kong last month in Central. In order to practice safe social distancing practices, the café currently only opens for takeout orders, but that didn't stop the long queues. Since then, the lines for Blue Bottle Coffee have finally died down so now is the time to grab one of their pour-overs or "New Orleans-style" iced coffee.
Open: Monday to Sunday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Blue Bottle Coffee, G/F and 1/F, 38-42 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong
DeTour (Sheung Wan)
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Image: DeTour Coffee Instagram[/caption]
The neighbourhood favourite DeTour in Sai Ying Pun opened its second venue in Sheung Wan last month. Here, the café remains a petite space which offers breakfast and coffee in a bright, relaxing atmosphere, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Another sliding take-away window allows for quick pick-ups too, if you plan to swing by.
Open: Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm; Saturday 8:15 am to 5:00 pm; Sunday 8:15 am to 4:00 pm
DeTour, G/F, 379 Queen's Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Knockbox Coffee Company (Central)
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Image: Knockbox Coffee Facebook[/caption]
The original Knockbox Coffee Company café in Mong Kok may be a little hidden but it still managed to garner an impressive following thanks to their incredible beans freshly roasted in-house. Now with their second location in Central, bean heads can now visit and sip on one of their espresso-based or specialty coffees, or even pick up some single-origin grounds, on the Island.
Open: Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 6:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm
Knockbox Coffee Company, Shop B, G/F, World Trust Tower, Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong
Doubleshot by Cupping Room
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Image: Doubleshot by Cupping Room Instagram[/caption]
This new all-day drinking (yes, all day) and dining concept by Cupping Room Coffee Roasters is perched on the corner overlooking Hollywood Road. Light and airy, the space is a great place to relax in the afternoon over a brew or recline with a cocktail in the evening. The coffee itself uses beans that are traceable to a farm, estate, processing mill, or growing region and change frequently, depending on the region's peak seasonality.
Open: Monday to Wednesday from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm; Thursday to Sunday from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Doubleshot by Cupping Room, 1F, Hilltop Plaza, 49 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
The post 5 New Hong Kong Cafés to Get Your Coffee appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.
Startup Life: Scottie Callaghan of Fineprint Explains Why Good Coffee is All in the Details
If you're an avid coffee drinker in Hong Kong, then you'll likely have heard about Fineprint. Currently located in two locations in Central and Tai Hang, the specialty coffee shop and wine bar is a popular haunt for many to hang out leisurely. Unlike other large coffee shop chains in the city, Fineprint is reminiscent of the more friendly Australian style café and has been one of our favourite places to sit down for a smooth cup of coffee and slice of avocado toast since it opened in 2016. But how does one build up a café to pour such fine tasting coffee? We sat down with Founder and Managing Director, Scottie Callaghan (who also happens to be a winner of the Australian Barista Contest and world latte art champion) to find out more.
Name: Scottie Callaghan
Profession: Coffee roaster, barista, wine drinker and business owner
Industry: Food and beverage
Start up since: November 2016
Tell us about your business.
Fineprint is a bakery, coffee roaster and café, cocktail and wine bar.
What’s behind the name Fineprint?
Details matter to us, and the detail is in the ‘Fineprint’. Details that are often overlooked or cut out to cut costs matter to us. We believe that our customers appreciate the difference those details bring to the experience.
Tell me about your best and worst day at work?
My worst day was probably our first day opening. I was the only person working in the café, and we had no staff at that time. The total sales for that day was HK$250 -- which was a bit worrying. Now, we have over 20 staff.
My best days are any day that I am on the tools behind the bar working with the team. When everything is running smoothly, there's good music playing, customers are in a good mood, there's a bit of banter going on, and service is smooth. When all the pieces fit into place it’s a great vibe.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
I hang with my wife and kids or go running in the mountains.
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Looking back now, what would you have done differently?
I would have waited another 6 months or so before opening our second store. Our second store is great, and it's doing well now, but the first 6 months of that baby were very very hard work. If we had taken another 6 months to plan it all, it would have been easier.
What is a normal work day like for you?
Every day is different. Some days I catch the 3:40am ferry, and I'm in the shop at 4:30am setting up with the team. Some days I don’t start until midday because I need to work with the bar team. On Wednesdays, I go to the roastery to roast our coffee. Some days I work from home so that there are no distractions and I can work on the business or catch up on admin. Other days are meeting days. It is a real challenge trying to prioritise correctly.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start up?
Do it. Find the courage, spread your wings and fly. Don’t wait until you are too old and live with regret.
What would you be doing if you weren’t doing what you do now?
I would probably be working for a coffee roasting business in Australia.
As a child, what did you aspire to be?
A chef.
What has been your biggest hurdle?
Opening our first café on Peel Street in Central and building the business. I overcame it by working from 4:30am until 6:00pm, 6 days a week. I was serving our customers and putting my heart and soul into the atmosphere, music and customer connection, along with our coffee and dishes.
Why did you decide to start up in Hong Kong?
I believed that there was a gap in the market. Australian style cafés are becoming popular the world over and there wasn’t one in Hong Kong yet. So, I wanted to give it a go here.
If you were to invest in another start up, which would it be?
I would love to try a fast food style café in the heart of Kowloon side, right in the middle of Mong Kok or somewhere similar.
What are your goals for 2020? And in the near future?
Open more Fineprints.
How hands-on are you?
Very. I’m a serious foodie. I love our sourdough, our coffee, our food, cocktails and wine. I cannot learn how do be the best at all of them, but I want to get my hands into all of those things.
How do you define success? Do you consider yourself successful?
Success is having some of the things that money can buy, and all of the things that money cannot buy.
Am I successful? In terms of that definition I have a religion I love, a beautiful and amazing wife, three beautiful and awesome kids, a great team to work with, good friends, and I love Fineprint and what we have built so far.
Fineprint Locations:
G/F, 38 Peel St, SoHo, Central; +852 5503 6880
G/F, 1 Lily Street, Tai Hang; +852 5331 5205
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The post Startup Life: Scottie Callaghan of Fineprint Explains Why Good Coffee is All in the Details appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.
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The post Time out with an Expater in Manila appeared first on The Expater.
Time out with an Expater in Manila
Going to the Philippines? Many travellers forego the capital for its lush islands, but it’s an opportunity wasted if you know where to look. Meet…
The post Time out with an Expater in Manila appeared first on The Expater.
These Are Hong Kong’s 6 Best Coffee Shops
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7 new trendy cafes to check out in Singapore this month
A great cup of coffee, excellent food, and perhaps a snazzy backdrop for a casual snap or two.
The post 7 new trendy cafes to check out in Singapore this month appeared first on The Peak Magazine.
7 new trendy cafes to check out in Singapore this month
A great cup of coffee, excellent food, and perhaps a snazzy backdrop for a casual snap or two.
For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.
The 5 Best Cafes in Lyon
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The post The 5 Best Cafes in Lyon appeared first on World of Wanderlust.
The 5 Best Cafes in Lyon
The city of Lyon will hit the spot when it comes to coffee and cafe culture. With an unusual trend of mouth-watering carrot cake featuring…
The post The 5 Best Cafes in Lyon appeared first on World of Wanderlust.
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