The streets of Amman give me a bit of a headache. There is so much going on that it feels sort of like Times Square NYC block after block after...
So, while running errands this coffee shop jumped out at me— is this a quiet oasis in an otherwise chaotic world? We stepped into Sofia Coffee Lounge to find out.
The entrance was so inviting that I took two snaps of it. A promising start!
Everything seems to grow so well in Jordan that I was conflicted on weather these plants were fake or not...
Yes indeed, they were fake, much like this grass wall. Cute nonetheless!
Looking at this wall reminded me of a bar I worked out that had a grass wall, but that one was real! Everyday when we opened, we had to get on a ladder and spray it with a water bottle.
As we walked up the stairs this sign seemed to qualify the choice to step into Sofia to escape the bustle... I'm never really sure where I'm going, I just know coffee is involved.
Once inside, we were greeted by this cute coffee bar and its bajillion flavored syrups. And of course, the friendly staff, who were a bit put off by the camera in my hand.
I think taking pictures in public places is weird on its own in Jordan, let alone with a proper camera. They were happy to let me take a photo though, after getting safely out of range.
After that we went off in search of a table and realized the seating area was quite massive! In total there were 3 floors. I wandered around taking photos of various things before we decided on a seat.
The dining room had an eclectic vibe with very weird lighting. Where some areas were brightly lit, others were quite dim unless you sat near a window.
As we wandered around, we saw a couple snuggled up on a couch. Public displays of affection are a HUGE no-go in the Middle East, and any close contact with a member of the opposite sex is social suicide. Unless you are married of course, but even then all affection should be behind closed doors.
With that in mind, it was kind of cool to see what I would consider normal behavior. It put me a bit at ease, adding to the chill vibe of this cafe.
There was even a pool table (or billiards if you're not a Yankee)!
I got the feeling that this was a relaxed environment for young folks in the evening hours, something I personally think Jordan could use a lot more of.
As we walked past this staircase, I found a strong urge to lay on the fake grass. Luckily for Yaz it was one I resisted... Or maybe not, he'd have probably done it with me.
People in Jordan are a wee bit uptight, something we were totally unwilling to participate in while there. It's pretty difficult for either of us to play by the rules when we find the rules to be pointless, and social expectations solidly fit into this category for us both.
Like most places in Jordan, this establishment allowed smoking... even for the art work! This print made me crave a smoke, so we finally sat for coffee and argille (hookah).
As we looked over the menu we saw a TON of options; there were dozens of beverages and two pages dedicated to food. I figured out then why they had so many syrups, non-alcoholic mojitos and smoothies took up some considerable page space on the menu.
It was pretty rare to have English on the menus in Jordan, at least outside of tourist heavy areas, which we did our best to stay out of.
We both were pleasantly surprised to find English here, which saved Yaz from translating. My Arabic is slowly becoming better, but learning to read it is something I've not begun to take on yet.
I recognized a go-to of mine pretty quickly; the classic red eye. I'm a big fan of Americanos, which pair espresso with hot water. I've been known to select their older brother the red eye when I need the water replaced with drip coffee.
This was certainly that sort of day, but wait... What is a purple eye? Or a black eye? Outside of shiners, I'd never heard these phrases before. Have you heard of either of these?
After some googling, we realized that a purple eye was a double espresso red eye, and a black eye was a triple. I tend to feel that no amount of espresso is ever enough, so I wanted a black eye... In a cup, that is!
After deciding that we'd get the same thing, it was off to important argille choices. I've become incredibly fond of having it with coffee since being in this region. It gets you kind of high and helps me with social anxiety since my hands stay busy. This time we picked watermelon mint, yum!
I studied the menu a bit as we waited for our drinks, one of the servers coming over to start our argille as I browsed. I wanted a snack, but was in denial...
Paper cups?! Noooooooooooo!
The coffee inside was wonderful though, kept piping hot on the journey to our table with cute heart-shaped stoppers. They arrived with water bottles branded with the company's logo, a nice touch.
As I took my lid off to get my cup to drinking temp quicker, I took a lot of slow drags from the argille. I've learned since being here to go slow, it can quickly go from a fun buzz to queasiness otherwise.
Soon my stomach rumbled in protest, and we gave in to the food offerings.
We kept seeing zinger chicken as an option everywhere, and decided to give it a try. It turns out it is a slightly spicy chicken.
This sandwich was the perfect size for us to split as a generous snack. It kept me from making poor buying choices before we headed home for dinner, and also kept the argille shakes away.
Sofia was such a cozy and quiet place at this time of day that we ended up sitting for a few hours! By the time we headed out it was dark, with content tummies and well-caffeinated brains.
