Koffie & Ik, Utrecht

Coffee is about diversity.

Opened by Robbie van Luijn, who had previously worked at 30ml (another awesome specialty coffee shop in the Utrecht Centraal area), Koffie & Ik has a bit of a little United Nations ambiance. Part of the reason for this is the neighbourhood the café is located in: Lombok, named after an island in former Dutch colony Indonesia, has a colourful and diverse populace.

Koffie & Ik (which means “Coffee & I” in Dutch) is a bright, sunlit corner coffee shop. Blocky wooden chairs and tables line up outside for when the weather is fine; inside well-worn wooden floors lend some texture and contrast against white walls adorned sporadically with paintings.

For sipping, expect specialty coffee (both espresso and filter) and fine loose leaf teas. If you’re hungry, try some of Koffie & Ik’s homemade cakes and sandwiches. An open-faced sandwich with squares of goat cheese and walnuts drizzled with honey makes for a light but satisfying lunch. Sometimes heavier brunch fare is simply too much.

All that’s left to do after the last bite is to lean back, order another cup of coffee and people watch. The diversity of the customers – from grandmothers to construction crew to coffee fanatics – is part of Koffie & Ik’s charm. And this is one charming Dutch coffee shop.

烏特勒支Utrecht是荷蘭烏特勒支省人口最多的城市。
在這座古老的城市里，中世紀留下來的古跡處處可見。
我選了某個秋高氣爽的週末，到那裡去逛了一天；
除了去看看古老的教堂、建築外，也順道去拜訪了幾家咖啡館。
其中一家就是Koffee & Ik。
Koffee & Ik翻譯成中文是咖啡與我，
這的老闆曾在其他咖啡館工作習藝，
藝成后在遠離市中心的龍目島區這開了這家咖啡館。
（是的，這區以印尼的Lombok龍目島為名，別忘了印尼可是荷蘭的殖民地之一呢。）

咖啡館位於街角處，空間十分寬敞。
刷的粉白的墻壁配上木質桌椅和地板，讓人感覺舒適自在；
尤其是微寒的秋天，看著陽光透過落地窗灑進來，
手裡捧著杯熱咖啡，整個人暖洋洋的，
再加上一本心愛的書；就算是一個人，也是一種享受。
而咖啡店外也擺了好些小巧可愛的木桌椅，
天氣好時，約幾個朋友到外頭喝咖啡擺擺龍門陣；
不然就偷偷觀察路上的行人，也是件趣事。