You know that feeling when you walk into a place and you are automatically in love? Everything from the decor, to the ambiance to the smell all seems to come together so harmoniously that you know you have found something special?

Well that happened to me today! I went to a coffee morning that the American Embassy organised (look at me being all lady of leisurely and going to coffee mornings!). We met at a cafe in Asa Sul (the south of the city) called Ernesto’s Cafe Especias.

The minute you walk in to Ernesto’s you are greeted with a whole array of cakes and treats. Not those horribly individually plastic wrapped looking things you get in Starbucks, but the good home-made variety. I generally don’t have a sweet tooth, but the moment I walked through Ernesto’s doors I just had to try a slice of something, anything!

Once you manage to peel your eyes away from those sweet temptations, the rest of the cafe is incredibly pleasing as well. The first floor is airy and bright. Fitted with an eclectic collection of furniture and decorations, the ambiance is one of a rather trendy but laid back cafe. The fact they have free Wi Fi definitely helps to create this mood, as I saw a number of people tapping away at their laptops while drinking what looked like a perfect coffee! I felt inspired. I want to be one of those busy, trendy looking people!

As we were a large group we were seated upstairs, which although was well put together it definitely did not have the charm that down stairs has. They did however have an incredibly fantastic system for dealing with groups – for this alone I will come back again! We each received a little card with a number on it, and when we ordered the waitress made a note of our number keeping track of what we all had. When we were finished, we each got our separate bill with exactly what we ordered, and there was no fuss! No trying to figure out who had what, or who didn’t put in enough cash…just simple and stress free. Every establishment in Mexico could take a lesson from Ernesto!

Anyway, I digress….I ordered a cafe latte along with a carrot cake and chocolate frosting.

It was delicious. Not only was the latte perfectly milky and smooth – but how adorable are these coffee cups? Actual coffee cups with saucers, none of this paper cup nonsense with your name misspelled on it (can you tell I’m not a Starbucks fan?). Apparently the owner travels throughout Brazil sourcing the best coffee beans in the country, and then roasts them in-house on their own equipment. This was the best coffee I have had outside of Sweden (and that says a lot!). The carrot cake itself was not quite what I had in mind, but it was perfectly moist and spongy with just the right amount of frosting. It was delicious. Next time I go, I have my eye on their chocolate brownie!

The other ladies ordered a variety of dishes ranging from quiches, sandwiches and empanadas. Everyone seemed really pleased with their food, and there were definitely moans of approval over the coffee! Apparently I was not the only one who had fallen in love.

Cafe Ernesto – I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the next four years! :)

Cafe Ernesto Especias

CLS 115, Bloco C, Loja 14

Tell: 61 3345 4182