Saturday 16 April 2016

Eating Coffee with a Spoon
Memories of Bar Latour in Rome

Caffè con la panna
Espresso with whipped cream

Déjà-vu
Yesterday, while getting ready to order coffee at Demel's,
I felt all of a sudden taken back in time, to another place,
to Rome, to a long gone beautiful Art Nouveau coffee bar
in Via Cola di Rienzo, the unforgettable Café Latour.
My friend Silvia and I used to sneak out of the house
and head to Latour for coffee with whipped cream.

The barista would brew dark hot espresso
into a cup big enough to hold the panna.
He'd put it in front of us
on the counter and we added sugar
to our heart's content.
Only then would he pull the bowl of whipped cream
from under the counter and top the espresso with
a big dollop of the best whipped cream
I have ever tasted.
Slowly savouring coffee and cream,
spoonful by spoonful,
we'd talk about
cosa faremo quando saremo grandi.

Yesterday, I let go of my usual coffee melange,
and ordered espresso with whipped cream instead.
I spooned coffee and cream out of my cup,
and with each spoonful, more memories of the past
would continue to fill the room.

Images and Text © by Merisi
First published 2012

15 comments:

  1. How nice!
    But yesterday, déjà-vu?
    No :(
    Maybe tomorrow :)

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  2. Please may I have one?

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  3. You know how to describe decadence very well. :)

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  4. I'd love to join you. This looks wonderful. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  5. Amelie,
    do you think a feeling of 'déjà vu' followed by a Proustian madeleine moment is not possible?

    Hexe,
    yes, of course, my pleasure! :-)

    Charles Gramlich,
    and there I was worried you'd say that I give in to decadence pretty fast! ;-)

    Mary,
    it was, wonderful memories and another great place to savour coffee at its finest. ;-)

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  6. You would like the place in Perugia that I showed in a b&w photo a while ago: they serve both espresso and cappuccino with panna on the side. I am planning to write a post on it soon.

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  7. Orgasmic pictures again!!
    STOP!

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  8. Hello Merisi, I don't know anywhere in Cambridge that you can buy coffee with such a delightful whipped topping. x

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  9. Delicious espresso with whipped cream indeed!

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  10. Simona,
    I am looking forward to hear more about that bar in Perugia!

    Paris Breakfasts:
    Carol!!! :-)

    Ellee,
    they don't know what they are missing! ;-)

    Pietro,
    I'll have to make it to Torino yet, to check out the cafes your fair city is renowned for!

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  11. {{ what a fine story
    which I can almost taste!
    Is the Bar Latour
    still there
    in Rome? }}

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  12. Delicious espresso photos, Merisi!

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  13. Somepinkflowers,
    unfortunately, Bar Latour on Via Cola di Rienzo (nei Prati, walking distance to Piazza Cavour and Castel Sant'Angelo) is no more. In its place, a shoe store.

    The barista at Cafe Latour looked a bit like James Dean.

    Sonia,
    mille grazie! ;-)

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  14. Beautiful shot.
    And I would love to be there right now.

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  15. i just gained 5 pounds reading this .....

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