Memphis Belle, Wellington

Coffee is rock ‘n’ roll.

That, plus jazz and the blues spill out from this corner coffee shop along Dixon Street. Whether it’s Etta James or Johnny Cash, the music feels right. You half expect the Mississippi River to flow by but this is Wellington, not Tennessee.

Memphis Belle may not actually be in Memphis, but it’s definitely the belle of the Te Aro neighbourhood, serving awesome blends and single origin beans from local roaster Flight Coffee. Cheerful and award-winning baristas will suggest the best brewing method for each coffee – be it espresso, Chemex, V60, siphon, Swiss Gold, or cold drip.

Current owner John Matias first started as a dishwasher with Memphis Belle four years ago before taking over from former employer Elias “Bink” Bowler (who now pulls shots at his new café Black and White Coffee Cartel in Christchurch).

The café subscribes to a charming and eclectic cool décor (and somehow pulls it off without feeling pretentious or hipster-ish): well-worn and mismatched furniture, retro music, vintage-cool posters and postcards on scarlet-hued walls, and even an enormous globe tottering precariously on a high shelf.

The verdict is in. Memphis Belle is the epitome of Kiwi coffee cool, and deserves every accolade it’s received. Sweet.

從Dixon街這裡看我們不到密西西比河，它也不在美國；
但這裡卻有家叫做Memphis Belle的咖啡館。
Memphis Belle是一部老電影的名字，
內容講述二戰時期一群年輕飛行員駕駛轟炸機完成任務的故事，
裡頭的主機就叫做Memphis Belle孟菲斯美女。

紅色的墻，塗鴉過的天花板，混搭的家具，
這咖啡館給人一種不拘一格、不造作的感覺。
藍調、搖滾、爵士；在這裡就是那麼隨性自在。
懶洋洋的午後，點杯咖啡，
看著陽光從落地那揮灑進來，是一種享受。
這裡的咖啡豆子來自當地著名的豆子烘焙商Flight Coffee，
而無論咖啡師還是咖啡館本身，都曾在當地的一些咖啡賽事中獲獎。
不拘的氛圍，對待咖啡的嚴謹；
就是大家喜歡這裡的原因吧。