Coffee Encounters

As opposed to my last post about the ten best bars in Santiago, now here's a list of nine cafes to help us survive winter.

How many of these have I visited? Not as many as the bars, but considering that I only drink decaf, which is almost impossible to find here, and that I drink it at home in the mornings, I'm surprised that I've actually visited three out of these nine.

Two of them are in my neighborhood and, if I'm honest, I didn't drink coffee there. At Colmado, I've had lunch and at Bon Bon Oriental, they serve delicious, gooey Turkish delicacies.

The other one I've investigated is in Barrio Italia. I went to Xoco Por Ti, which is not a café but a chocolate bar. I was also in Rende Bú, not the one on the list, but their location in Barrio Italia, which was known as the "cat café" during the month of June because it operated as a cat adoption center. At both places, I drank hot chocolate.

My own neighborhood is teeming with cafes. Many of them have buenda onda, a nice vibe, but I cannot vouch for their coffee. Now a caffeine teetotaler, I'm still buzzed from 1983.

~~Sally Rose
Author of Penny Possible & A Million Sticky Kisses
iamsallyrose.com

What Next?

Marmite, beloved by Brits across the globe, will soon be available in convenient, airline acceptable jars.

Starting July 1, these babies will go on sale at some stores in Great Britain, and there is talk that a mini-Bovril is in the works, as well.

This should make for some happy travelers, considering that jars of Marmite are one of the most confiscated items at the London city airport, second only to jam.

For us non-Brits, maybe someone could package small jars of Nutella or peanut butter for those long flights, though I'm pretty happy with just taking chocolate onboard. There's no restriction on that unless I try to travel with...oh, say...40 or 50 lbs. of it.

In the past couple of weeks, I've discovered two new chocolate places here in Santiago. One is not strictly a chocolate store, but I had a delicious cup of hot chocolate there when I went to visit the "Cat Café," otherwise known as Café Rendebú, in Barrio Italia.

The other is also in Barrio Italia. More like a chocolate stand with a few outdoor tables, Xoco Por Ti is tucked away in one of Barrio Italia's many hidden passages. I had a frappe there and I can highly vouch for the quality of the chocolate.

When I lived in New York, I was a member of a Meetup for chocolate lovers. I went on chocolate tours, and I made it my business to visit any and every new chocolate shop within the five boroughs. Though the list in Santiago would be shorter, I am thinking of doing the same thing here.

Anyone else game for chocolate discovery in Santiago? Marmite and Nutella are optional.

~~Sally Rose
Author of Penny Possible & A Million Sticky Kisses
iamsallyrose.com