The Faculty coffee shop was on my radar for a very, very long time, and I have finally visited it.
It kinda happened on a spur on the way back from the closed Library.
"Shall we pop in into a cafe I wanted to check?"
"Sure, why not?!"
The Faculty is an artisan coffee and tea specialist cafe/shop. I know it was open for ages, sitting in the Piccadilly Arcade passage, which connects Stephenson St with New St. But it turns out, it has been here since 2013! For a tiny place like this one in the city's central part, you must be doing something right!
So, if you wonder how small it is:
- 2 long benches along the walls
- 2 short benches outside the shop
- 6 tables for two
- a barstool?
Obviously, the pandemic has changed the way we interact at the moment. So the above is purely based on my observation in 2022.
I have walked through this passage so many times, admiring the ceiling, floor, and curves. Perfect architecture for this rather industrial city.
Let's return to the Faculty, though. Stepping in, we had no choice but to take the last option - a bench. Not an easy task when you have to stack your face into a slice of a cake. But as the only option, we took it.
The cake display was cleverly organized in a square box, offering in-house baked goodies. The coffee menu is perfectly honest and straightforward, without the need for syrups and crazy names and season specials.
After paying and collecting our cakes, we sat down. Waiting was longer than, say, Starbucks or other mainstream cafeterias. So there was time to look around. The design has not been at the top of the agenda, but I did enjoy the industrial look.
I am not sure what was taking the barista so long, as drinks were coming one by one. And I really wish I would have looked at what has been done. When we left, I was wondering if the barista had rinsed the jug for the milk? How has the coffee been ground? All the things coffee.
What about the coffee? It is different to the mainstream. At first, the taste was nutty and sweet but turned quite saur with the last sip. Unfortunately, my choice falls for a bitter grind, so it wasn't to my taste.
I usually grab americano with a dash of pouring cream. But there wasn't poring cream, so I went for the oat milk cappuccino. I think this blend wouldn't marry well with the pouring cream. My other half enjoyed a long black. And my kid gobbled a foam from the hot chocolate but refused to finish it as it was too cocoa-like.
We left through the New St. Someone was waiting for our bench!
