I was hooked when I saw the sign for free books on the patio and a painting of a cat drinking from a straw.
A caramel macchiato seems right, a pastry filled with cheese, and a cookie that looks like it has chocolate and nuts in it.
The two young female servers are fluent in English, friendly, and efficient.
The cafe is spotless and they are quick to clear and clean the tables.
The patio has a bohemian feel, with mismatched metal chairs and cozier sitting chairs of various bright colours.
In the corner are a couple of tables filled with books, plants, and blocks of wood, under a hanging bird cage, which is empty.
On the wall are a half-dozen paintings of a female face in various levels of completion, from an outline with long hair to a fully-completed face on top of a bicycle.
The bookshelves contain not only books in several languages, though primarily Turkish, but also several ceramic cups of various colours and designs, an old alarm clock, and a couple of small posters, one of which reads “Keep calm and drink black coffee”.
I am the only male among the dozen females on the patio, who are all smoking cigarettes.
On the wall behind one lively group is a poster – “les Bicyclettes” – displaying numerous pictures of the evolution of the bicycle.
There is Turkish music playing, but it is soon drowned out by the frequently-sounding horns of the scooters and automobiles climbing the road behind me.
I stand up to leave, take only a few steps, and already one of the servers, efficient to a tee, is clearing and cleaning my table.
