Tummy Prosperity: Coffee at Louis, Nice Spot at the Heart of the City of Heroes

Having multiple unrealized holiday plans and numerous cancelled Surabaya trips, finally this impromptu one came when I randomly browsed for round-trip ticket to Surabaya. So here it (FINALLY) came, the long awaited short sweet weekend escape! Time to get reunited with my besties <3

Yes, Surabaya might be my so-called third home after my real hometown Makassar and my current residence Jakarta. I went to university at this city of heroes and I always called it my most livable city in Indonesia since it's not as hectic as Jakarta, yet more metropolitan than the city where I was born and raised. Nonetheless, the reality spoke differently that I haven't gotten the chance to stay permanently here. OK let's move on as it's actually not as miserable as it sounded since I could still visit Surabaya as it's just 90-minute-flight away.

Reaching to the airport of this most-probably hottest city in Indonesia I'd been, nothing had changed much since my last arrival here which was approximately half-year ago. WOW! Time did fly too fast guys, that I had long long list of places to visit which honestly weren't all newly established.

Cut the story short though it's apparently already quite long *giggling*, for this visit I picked central area to stay at, which would give me the best accessibility to most areas.

Starting the culinary rally from the same spot as well, my first stop was Coffee at Louis, a petite coffee shop located just 2 kilometers away from the long well-known Catholic high school in Surabaya - St. Louis. I had no idea if it's just coincidence or the name intentionally represented this case.

Spotting the venue from the outside, it immediately popped out Sydwic in Bandung into my mind, looking very similar from the outside with mainly white theme combined with green plants. The outdoor space, which was also the area you met first when entering the coffee shop, was a cozy one with natural ambiance from those hanging pots. Nonetheless, it might be not the best spot to sit when the weather was as dry and sunny as at my time of visit.

The indoor space did offer nice setting with minimalist contemporary homy concept. Semi-transparent ceiling, book shelves on the walls, and unique made-of-espresso-cups flower pots; such spoiling view for the eyes.

Despite the fact that the place wasn't a gigantic one and it might look like simple coffee shop, it wasn't the one to be underestimated as they did offer various selections of dishes, ranging from the savory to sweet ones, from light-bites to heavy-meals; simply said the portfolio included appetizer, main course, and dessert.

Being the kick-starter of the day, we didn't take any main courses at this place. Well, another reason was it's still quite early in the morning to go for something in huge portion. Besides, the showcase next to the order point was like calling us *ehemmm* or perhaps me particularly to give its content a try. Ok, I gave up and you got me as I had a dynamic duo from the display.

Banana Bread (IDR 20k)

The first one was their own house made, something classic to accompany the morning caffeine cup, Banana Bread. Coming with the common size, it was a pretty affordable one, at least compared to the similar one in Jakarta. Texture wise, it was slightly too dry, which I guessed might be due to being re-heated before served. However, the taste was actually not bad with fragrant banana aroma and slightly salty butter flavor of the edge part.

Chocolate Black Forrest Danish (IDR 24k)

The second was the pastry sourced from Corica, which was also the most gorgeous one in the showcase in my opinion. The dark chocolate toppings on top of the danish were beautifully arranged in blooming flower petal shape. This flaky pastry got me hitched at my first trial, coming as a couple with the smooth vanilla cream filling. The palatable pair was further complemented by the scrumptious chocolate on top and overall, there's none of the element being overly sweet for my palate.

Hot Cappuccino (IDR 32k)

The maestro of the short light breakie session finally came at the end to give a flawless closing. Same as the opening, the ending was also sourced in-house, serving their own house blend with beans roasted by Foresight. I fell in love with their secret recipe as it did offer bold coffee flavor with light acidity and smooth finish in this double-espresso-shot cappuccino cup.

If only this coffee shop resided in Jakarta (which might be my secret wish and prayer currently), I could picture myself sitting there for hours repeating the cycle of sipping-working-relaxing-munching. Thanks for being a delightful opening for my short trip!