The Place
A smiling cup of coffee, pissed-off croissant and sandwich proclaiming its mixed feelings – these are the images that came to mind before we actually visited Emotions (and no, it’s not the name of a children’s cooking class). Instead, the cafe offers top-notch coffee and unrivaled chocolate mousse, two of the reasons you should visit.
Located on the second floor of Kingold Century Plaza right above The Happy Monk, the snug cafe with semi-delicate decor opened a few months ago without much fanfare. Most days, crowds can be seen spilling into the corridors outside of eateries like Hoi Fan or Luk Show, while Emotions sits empty.
The Food
A disadvantaged location, however, isn’t enough to hamper Frenchman Eric Laurent’s ardor for coffee and chocolate, nor his desire to bring the finest among them to Guangzhou. One of the ‘emotional’ owner’s goals, we learned, is to create a “high-level” cafe serving “high-level” food. We’re not sure what that means, but the pasta with chicken and mushroom (RMB45) proved plenty hearty and aromatic. The lunch-set price also includes a soft drink, or with an extra 10 kuai, a cup of coffee.
Other light meal options include French specialty sandwiches such as the croque monsieur and croque madame (RMB32) and, voila, more pastas.
The prestigious Parisian supplier, Café Richard, is the sole source of Emotions’ coffees (RMB28-34), which are brewed with quality Bolivian beans. It is vast improvement over, in the words of Laurent, “Starbucks’ ‘black water.’” French brand Valrhona Chocolate provides the magical contents of the cafe’s very rich, sugarless chocolate mousse (RMB24). Sweet as its crispy base made from pure chocolate might taste, an order of expresso (RMB16) will offer balance. It’s a textbook match and your default emotion will be joy.
The Vibe
Undisturbed and filled with Starbucks jazz, Emotions is the kind of the cafe in which to immerse yourself in the passages of a book, especially in the afternoon, when sunshine spills in.
Price: RMB60
Who’s going: the French consul, white-collar ladies
Good for: chocolate mousse, laid-back lunches in the sunshine
Nearest metro: Zhujiang New Town (Exit A1, 5 minutes)
Open daily, 9am-10pm; see listing for Emotions.
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