Coffee was never one of my go-to drinks. Don't get me wrong I like the warm and cozy taste, but the dependence that people have on the drink wasn't something that I wanted for myself. A couple of years ago during summer I was working on my thesis and got this obsession with iced almond latte's. For three days straight I would drink about three large coffees a day - I made them in this mason jar that I had - and I felt like the typical student, sweating away over uni work and drinking coffee to keep going. On the fourth day I woke up feeling the grumpiest I have ever been and immediately stopped. I think that's the closest I have gotten to having that 'I need my morning coffee' feeling that people always say they have. Plus I felt like it didn't give me more energy at all so I switched back to water and tea.
Fast forward to me stumbling upon TOKI. A small café near the Haarlemmerdijk in Amsterdam. Usually when I am out and about I always order a chai latte, turmeric latte or green tea, but at TOKI I wanted to give it another shot - mainly because they serve the coffee with a tortoise spoon and it would look so good in pictures. I ordered an oat latte and a slice of their banana cake, and sat down in their airy space full of terrazzo tables. It was a Friday after all so I opened my laptop to do some work - it was a Covid free world back then - and observed the people around me. It's a proper local café where you can do bit of work on your own, meet friends for a chat or grab a quick coffee to go. When the latte and cake arrived I wasn't disappointed at all. I LOVED the coffee, which was surprising to me and the cake was the cherry on top. The creamy topping and moist cake go so well together and I enjoyed every single bite as I sat there typing away.
Since then - this was december 2019 - I have been back a couple more times and always go fo the same combo: an oat latte and a slice of banana cake. I know they have plenty of other baked goods and lunch foods, but once you try the banana cake you honestly don't want anything else. The staff has been super friendly and helpful every single time I've been there and even when it's busy - people in Amsterdam love coffee -they pay attention to every little detail.
I'm very sad that I cannot visit Amsterdam as much as I used to, but when I am there I always pay TOKI a visit. On your own or with friends, I'm sure you will love this gorgeous space as much as I do. They also opened a café in Berlin which has the same kind of relaxing atmosphere as their big brother in Amsterdam. So if you are ever in Amsterdam - or Berlin - don't forget to go for a coffee and banana cake break at TOKI, I'm sure you won't regret it.
Have you ever been to TOKI?
This place looks so good! I'll have to go when I next visit Amsterdam. x
ReplyDeleteZoey | www.zoeyolivia.com
Oh I cannot wait to visit Amsterdam again x
ReplyDeleteLisa | lisaautumn.com