I never miss an opportunity to activate my sensory circuits, and as I was in the neighbourhood, I decided to pay a visit to a unique coffee shop called Nemesis Coffee. It was out of the way, but I had heard good things about this place.
To call the shop's design 'eye-catching' would be an understatement. It sports a bright red flower-like exterior that is a sight to behold.
I could only imagine the edible wonders within it. I was famished, so I looked forward to having a treat accompanied by a strong cup of coffee.
I spotted another large building nearby. Emily Carr university. Ah! That explains it, I thought. This institution focuses on art and design, so the location and design of the coffee shop made perfect sense. I enjoy solving mysteries that have not even crossed my mind.
I am not joking when I call this the best coffee shop in Canada. It was ranked 15 in the world and number 4 in the North & Central America region at CoffeeFestMadrid. No other Canadian shop ranked higher.
This is the kind of architectural design that makes my neurons pop. I entered the shop and saw that it was an open space buzzing with machine noises and chatter. The wooden ceiling was an impressive sight, carrying the flower petals theme, but given that there were too many people enjoying themselves, I did not take pictures of the interior.
I walked up to the counter and noticed that the food displays were empty.
"Sorry," one staff member told me, "we're all out of product today. Would you like some coffee?"
What? I was expecting to reach new realms of flavours and gustatory bliss that would have to be considered new states of consciousness. Instead, I looked at the empty displays with crumbs still on them. Massive bummer.
"No, thank you," I said.
"Okay, sorry."
Indeed.
The experience must be right, I had decided. I couldn't just sit there holding a bitter cup of coffee without any delicious nutrients. Not in a place like this. Wired and hungry is not the way to go through life, son, said the voice in my head. So, I decided to return another day. If I had known about the rankings then, perhaps this story would've had a more savoury ending. As it was, I just went home and brew myself a cup. 馃槕
Cool facts. This building is called the Red Pavillion, and it is made of laminated timber and aluminum cherry shingles. It was described as an "attractor" by one of the makers, designed to add vitality through computational, engineering, and architectural wizardry.
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