Kafe B

If you think that having a drink outside should always be an awesome experience on its own, I know the perfect place for you! A few years ago, I was a different person. For me, it would not matter at all where would I drink my coffee. It could even be a dirty bar in a rather dangerous neighbourhood. But things have changed when I started going to university, and until then, I have discovered quite a lot of interesting places, where having a drink feels like spending a day in a wellness centre.

The place I am about to describe now, is somehow different than the others simply because it is situated in the middle of the Qlandia shopping centre in Nova Gorica. Its name is Kafe B and it has become one of my favourite places to have a drink when I am in that area.

How to get there?

I have already given detailed instructions about how to get to Qlandia shopping centre in one of my previous entries (for the Mladinska knjiga bookstore), and therefore I would not like to repeat myself, so I will just briefly tell you about the way there.

When you arrive to Nova Gorica, follow the Industrial Zone (Industrijska cona) signs. They will take you right in front of the Qlandia shopping centre.

Once you are inside the shopping centre, it will be very easy to find the Kafe B bar. It is situated opposite Mueller, and it is the only bar in this shopping centre, but luckily, it is still never too crowded.

How does Kafe B look like?

In my opinion, all aspects of the Kafe B are interesting, and its appearance is definitely one of them. The place itself is divided into three main  parts. The first part is the one where you can choose ice creams and cakes. Second one are the tables outside, which are almost in the middle of the hall, and the third part is the seating part inside the bar.

The decoraton is simple, but yet very effective. The thing I liked the most, is the pattern on the chairs – beautiful silver roses. And those are some of the most comfortable chairs I have ever had a privillege to sit on in any bar.

Despite the simple decoration, sitting in the Kafe B will give you a friendly, nice feeling. At least I feel like that everytime I go there to enjoy a couple of drinks during the shopping spree. And this friendly atmosphere is one of the reasons I keep going back there again and again.

Food and drinks

Kafe B is a bar, but if you are hungry, or you would just like to eat something sweet, this is definitely a place to go as well!

First of all, you can have some very delicious pancakes there. My favourite ones are the nutella pancakes and the ones with ice cream by your choice inside, and a loooot of whipped cream on top. Usually, you even get a couple of strawberries with it, and chocolate syrup on the top of the whipped cream. The portions are huge, you get five pancakes for three Euros, which is more than a good deal, if you ask me. Actually, this amount is like a whole meal for me.

The next finger – licking thing, worth trying in Cafe B, are the raw cakes. Honestly, I have never been a big fan of raw cakes, but I have changed my mind when trying them in Kafe B. Actually, I liked them so much that I even started making them at home. Of course, they are not as delicious as the ones in Cafe B, but I think you get the point.

I have visited Cafe B quite a few times in the last year, and I have tried a lot of raw cakes. My all – time favourites are definitely:

• Sacher: I am sure that we have all tried the famous Sacher cake at least once and we definitely all loved it. And I know most people think that raw food cannot taste like ordinary food. But trust me, I have tries this raw Sacher cake, and it tastes just like the original Sacher. Or maybe even better. It is made out of dried apricots, cocoa and cocoa butter.
• Coconut: the taste of this cake reminds me of the Pina Colada cocktail. It consists of coconut unsweetened coconut chips, dried figs and fresh lemon. And it tastes like heaven.
• My third favourite one was the lemon grass with mango, which might seem like an unusual combination at first, but I guarantee you that any doubts will disappear with the first bite. This slice of heaven is made out of lemongrass and mango only. You almost cannot believe that only two ingredients can create such a masterpiece.

But, as I said, those are just my favourite ones and the ones that I have personally tried. I do not want to list them all, so I will not spoil you all the surprise. Once you decide to visit Kafe B, you will find a small book on each table, where it is shown, which raw cakes can you try. Yes, there is so many of the that they fill up an entire little book!

Then, other than raw cakes, Kafe B also offers 'ordinary' cakes. For example, you can choose between:

• Princess cakes, which are made out of dough, which is baked, and then filled with delicious creamy filling, with a lot of whipped cream on the top. The princess cakes that you can get in Kafe B, are fairly big, and you might be full after eating one or two of them.
• Sacher cakes, not the raw ones this time. But you can make a fun experiment – try to order one ordinary sacher cake and one raw sacher cake, then compare the tastes.
• Different cheesecakes with fruits. My favourite one is definitely the lime cheesecake, followed by a strawberry one. The cake slices are very generous, and they are very tasty.

If you are not convinced about visiting Kafe B yet, there is more things they offer! For example, ice cream. Their ice cream is home made by an italian specialist, who indeed does a very good job. The ice creams have a very strong and creamy taste, and you will definitely be surprised about the amount of flavours that you can choose from. My favourite flavours in Kafe B are definitely panna cotta, ferrero rocher, kinder pingui and, the best for the end, pizza. Yes, pizza. When I saw it, I just had to try how it tastes. And before trying, I can honestly say that I imagined this ice cream will taste like a very cold pizza. But of course I was wrong. Actually, I did not even sense the cold, because this ice cream tastes like the best pizza ever!

Another freezing refreshment that you can try in Kafe B, is the granita. There is not much choice, because they usually only have two tastes, but the flavour is excellent. You can choose between orange and blueberry and both are made from fresh – squeezed juices. But sadly, granita is only available in Kafe B summer months.

Still not good enough for you? Then feel free to keep reading, because I am not finished yet. Have you ever tried to put ice cubes in the hot tea? Maybe it sounds like something you would not want to try? But trust me, it tastes awesome. In Kafe B, this drink is called 'crushed ice tea' and it is basically an ordinary tea with crushed ice inside. The taste is the same, but it really is interesting how you can taste cold and hot tea at the same time.

If you like to drink tea, you will definitely be impressed if you order one in Kafe B, because the tea that they serve, is really good, and you do not get it served in filter bags, which is awesome. But the most interesting thing is how they serve it. I have never seen such an innovative cup before. Actually, it is the kettle and the cup at the same time. The bottom part is the cup, and kettle is above it. So when you are ready to start drinking your tea, you just take the top part away, pour the tea into the cup and put the top part away. Besides this interesting feature, this item is also useful – it saves some space.

Another interesting offer at Kafe B, that I like, are the cocktails for kids. Of course, they are non – alcoholic, but kids seem to love them, and I have once tried one just out of curiosity, and they are really good. So basically, those children cocktails are just different fruit juices, mixed together but what makes them particularly interesting, are the colours of those drinks – blue, rainbow, several other colours,… seriously, they almost look like ordinary cocktails! I think that they are using some of those colours for food to make such an interesting colour combination. But who cares – it makes the cocktails an eye – candy and people love to buy them.

Besides all the things that I have listed above, you can also choose from different alcoholic and non – alcoholic drinks, which are not interesting enough to be listed, because you can simply find them in every other bar.

Prices

After reading all the things that I have written above, you might think that this is some sort of a jet – set bar and therefore it must be very expensive. But believe me, it is not expensive at all! By reading some of my previous entries, you can guess that I am not a big fan of paying for overpriced things, food and drinks included. Of course, I am not going to list all the prices here, but only the prices of the food and drinks that I have mentioned above, since I know exactly how much those things cost. After all, I have paid for them.

I have already mentioned above, that five pancakes cost three Euros.

Raw cakes cost 3, 90 €, which might seem a lot, but it is not if you consider the following: first of all, the preparation of the raw cakes is not that simple (I know because I have tried it at home), the ingredients are not cheap, and, last but not least, the slices that you get, are very big. Also, if you thinkk that this in a very expensive price for a raw cake, please compare it with the prices of raw cakes in some other bars. I guarantee you that you will rarely find one that costs less than five Euros!

You can find a wide range of the ordinary cakes in Kafe B, and their price, of course, varies, but all of them cost from 1, 50 € to 2, 50 €.

Next, a ball of icecream costs one Euro, and you can also choose from various toppings for it, such as hazelnuts and chocolate pieces. Each topping costs an additional ten Cents.

Granita costs one Euro and a half for a small portion, two Euros for medium portion, and two and a half Euros for a large portion. If I were you, I would always choose a large option. After all, the amount of granita that you will get with the smallest portion, is really enough just for a few sips. But, on the other hand, this is more than enough to refresh yourself a bit on a hot summer day.

Crushed ice tea costs one Euro and a half, which is just a little bit more than the ordinary tea. But still, in Slovenia, this is still considered something new and innovative, so the price is more than low if you keep that in mind. After all, I have only seen crushed ice tea in one other bar so far, and there, the price was almost one time higher.

Random facts and features

This bar would not be nearly as perfect as it is, without a friendly and accommodating staff. Although it might happen that you have to wait for a few minutes more than usual to be served, it is woth the wait. The staff members speak several languages and they will gladly assist you with choosing a snack or a drink.

At the back side of the bar, there is a wide collection of newspapers and magazines. Most of them are new, and some of them are also older. You will find them mostly in slovenian language, but from time to time, you can also spot some english, italian and german ones. The choice varies from travel magazines, magazines for car fanatics, fashion addicts, to boring daily newspapers. If you particurally like the magazine you have found there, you can ask the staff member if you can take it home. They will most likely allow you, because I think they are trying to get rid of some of them, but they would not like to throw them away.

Also, I have seen some people (probably ourists), leaving some books and magazines in foreign languages at this bar. I think that, same as the staff members, they would not like to throw them away, but just find them a new 'home'. And somehow, I am expecting that, in the future, Kafe B will start organizing book exchanges, which would be awesome.

A few words for the end…

If you would like to try something new, or just need a short break from shopping, then Kafe B is a perfect place to go to. Situated in a strategic location, in the middle of the shopping centre, it is very well known, but still not full of people, which makes it a perfect place to enjoy your drink and a cake or two.