Vida e Caffe

'Vida' started as the little red and white coffee shop on Kloof Street. That is one street up from where I studied. A group of us who lived and worked in the area met there daily and at those pavement tables one hour would often melt into the next and one “mei-de-lait” would easily lead to another.

Standing in the queue to order one passes by a number of ingeniously put together muffins like the savoury Quattro(4)-cheese, the Sweet-pepper-feta and of course the Blueberry/white-chocolate. If one manages to resist the muffins beware the passing parade of sweet and petite pastries (pasteish de nutta) and the uncomplicated, surprisingly delicious Portuguese sandwiches. You pass by the entire menu in a well-lit display cabinet before ordering from a friendly, often dreadlocked cashier. “Mei-de-lait, short, skinny, wet” is what I’d order. Translated it means a single shot of espresso (short) with a slight yet generous (wet) pouring of steamed skim milk (skinny) and a dash of mysteriously perfect foam. Yum Yum.

I’ve never had a cup of coffee which competes. When family and friends would visit I’d take them to Vida e and inevitably they would agree; it’s just the best coffee in the world. They would ask (beg), “when is Vida coming to Jo’burg?” That was four years ago. Now I’ve moved on and so has Vida e. With their new blend of coffee (slightly less superior) coffee shops in the colours that made Coke and Santa 21^st Centaury icons are rolling out all over the county. Except in Durban. You can barely escape them in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but here in Durbs we wait, patiently, desperately. I have recently noticed a Vida e van on Florida Road, which would be an ideal location for them, but maybe it’s just one of the Durban boys who started the company visiting mum.

So now when I visit family and friends in Cape Town and Jozi and they take me for a cup of the best coffee in town, it’s me who asks (begs) “when is Vida coming to Durban?”