It’s not a place to visit for the quality of the food and coffee.
A cafe americano should take more than four seconds to prepare.
The croissants? Meh.
And why must I return, wait in line again, just to beg for napkins that are locked behind the counter like Crown Jewels?
Is there really a problem with the theft of napkins that disintegrate on first touch?
Alas, no, I do not come to the Wombat for the flavour of the coffee.
I come to the Wombat for the ambience.
The music, jazz with a beat, is perfect to ease one into a morning.
The decor? Difficult to describe. BoHo maybe?
Lights of many styles hang from the ceiling or along bars hanging from the ceiling.
A floor lamp that looks to be a hundred years old is tucked in beside a concrete column.
Large plants are scattered around the room, some hanging, some placed in window alcoves, most sitting in wicker pot covers.
In one window alcove, three giant pillows, where one young customer sits reading something on her phone that makes her smile.
One can sit in every type of seat – there are traditional two-chair breakfast tables, a bar table with chairs of wood and steel, a rocking chair, inverted box crates with cushions on them, a long bench covered with cushions and large chair pillows, and over-sized chairs of various styles.
I, myself, am sitting on a pillow on top of a leather couch that has the stuffing coming out of it.
It’s right beside an outlet where I can charge my phone.
On one wall hangs the slatted cover of a crate, on which is written, “Live every moment, laugh every day.”
Further along the wall, near a piece of floor art filled with faux candles, is a postcard-sized framed photograph of a single tree, with mountains in the background.
The floor is in three tiers, a concrete floor with two wooden platforms, each covered with various types of carpets that give a Moroccan feel.
The room is half-filled with customers, most of whom are taking advantage of the free WiFi, playing on their phones or working on their computers.
We are dressed in every style, from business casual to trendy bohemian, but primarily wearing jeans and sneakers.
We are of every age and every race.
And we are collected here at this moment at the Wombat in Vienna.
