Serious Coffee (3)

Serious Coffee on Oak Bay, part of Carlton House
February 18, 2009
coffee ***
goodies +  their commercially made biscotti is lousy\

I simply had to break the Starbucks habit.  I had never been in a Serious Coffee Shop, and I pass this one all the time on my way to the Village.  It's rather small inside, but there is a lovely patio that welcomes dogs, So Zoe and I stopped to try out their brew.  Again ordered a  regular coffee, but had to settle for a biscotti, as they had no Lemon Poppyseed cake.  Hmmm.  Biscotti has got to be better than cake for me, but this biscotti was pretty awful.  I think i must make some of my own.  The coffee was ok, but nothing to rave about.

Serious Coffee
Cook Street
February 19, 2009
coffee ***
goodies+

Another day, another Serious Coffee. A very fresh and attractive place, almost too trendy and upscale for cranky old me.  I must admit I was kinda pissed off today.  I wanted coffee  and a goodie, but they didn't have much of a selection. So I asked for biscotti (hoping it would be better than at the other place)... but they didn't have any as well.  I settled for a scone, which was o.k.  But they didn't have any of my usual sweeteners.  I am so sick of coffee places that insist that I use healthy sweetening and dictate to me what I can put in my coffee .  I do not like sugar in my coffee, and i do not like Splenda or  any of the other 'approved' sweeteners.  I guess I will start packing my own biscotti and sweetener.  If using Sweet and Low shortens my life by a week or so, so be it.    But they did have nice leather chairs, and faux marble tables, and a rather upscale middle aged Fairfield clientele.  And there were these lovely ladies, sipping their lattes over the crossword puzzle

Serious Coffee on Menzies
February 18, 2010
coffee***
goodies +
http://www.seriouscoffee.com/


I noticed that there were several coffee shops on Menzies, so I thought I would try another Serious Coffee.
I guess one of the things I am not happy with is the sameness of them all. However the armchairs are comfy.    Every one seems all to have been professionally decorated with the same stuff. The chain started in Duncan, and now there are 25 on the Island.  They roast their own coffee in Duncan, and own a bakery to provide the goodies.

But then, it IS all about the coffee. The coffee here was good, but not spectacular, and the commercially made biscotti was awful.  I will have to be sure to have my own biscotti with me in the future. This is a neighbourhood full of high rises, filled with young professionals with laptops and oldies (like me) and this seems to be their main clientelle.