Review 1: The Moka Bar

 

1 atmosphere, ****

2 the food & drink, ****

3 price, ***

4 hospitality, **

5 reading potential, **

6 clientele, ***

7 location, *****

8 busy-ness, *

9 professionalism, **

 

Ah, the Moka Bar.  Ritual courting ground to so many Sixth Form and Cathedral School couples.  Home to some of the finest looking cakes (haven’t tried them) in all Hereford, and some of the best coffee.  Look at the first paragraph – sex, cake and coffee – you can tell this place is going to do well. 

 

Seriously though, the Moka Bar is a fine joint.  I really like the atmosphere, although the Honourable Tea-drinker 2 doesn’t like the chairs and tables.  It’s a little 50s (not diner bar!), and a little Continental, and quite green in many ways.  The backroom exudes a pleasant feeling of intimacy (cf the 1st paragraph), and has this crazy mirrored pillar to be vain in front of.  And what a cool name. 

 

Unfortunately theMB is the Mordor of gorgeous blonde sirens and robot waitresses goosestepping around and making you feel small.  And, Esteemed Tea-drinker 2 tells me, they often get orders wrong, hence their meagre professionalism star rating, ha ha. 

 

I suppose it would be a good idea to tell Our readers where these places are.  In this case, however, only a fool would trust his life to a … er, would not know where said café is.  Look at the location rating and work it out. 

 

I think another useful regular to include in these reviews would be a best drink / meal.  I have not checked with Magnanimous Tea-drinker 2, but they serve a mean standard coffee for the same price as everywhere else, and she bounces back down Church Street when she’s had an espresso there.  Perhaps most importantly, for a little extra you can have a melange … I mean, cinammon shot added to your coffee.  And some others, I think.  Unfortunately We can’t really afford to buy much apart from a drink at the places we visit, so until We start rolling in the profits Our inspiring journalism is sure to attract, or at least start getting stuff gratis, I’m afraid these really are going to be articles about tea and coffee. 

 

All in all, a big thumbs up for the MB.  It’s perhaps the best known of the Hereford cafés, and largely deserves this status.  As Delightful Tea-drinker 2 says, “It’s almost a benchmark in Hereford”, and has quite a “feeling of solidarity”. 

 

So, overall ****.