Bubbles Cafe, Ludwigsburg

Last Sunday, while the rain continued to fall, my other half decided to do some of his own research into the most atmospheric cafe or coffee bar in our town - Ludwigsburg.  Settling down on the sofa with his notebook, he googled and found that the most popular cafe (at least from the reviews online) for good coffee and atmosphere was... drum roll please.... Bubbles Cafe.

At around 4pm we decided to brave the rain and wind so we rugged up and equipped with our travel scrabble, set out to see if Bubbles Cafe really does have it going on.  Unfortunately, after a 10 minute walk through the miserable weather we discovered that they don't open on Sundays! But yesterday I had enough time to pop out and see for myself just how good their coffee is.

It's fair to say that the place does have atmosphere.  Most cafes and coffee bars, and infact most restaurants and cocktail bars in this region of Germany, lack atmosphere.  By that I mean they are designed without creativity and don't have their own personality or charm - they aren't unique and there is nothing that makes you want to return - very run-of-the-mill in both their decor and their menus.  But Bubbles has charm!

As you walk into the cafe the first thing you notice is the unusual and very unique shiny silver coffee machine sitting smack bang in the middle of the service counter.  The decor is a mix between modern and old school with funky standing white bar tables and benches to 1960's era armchairs and tables.  There was music playing in the background - instrumental with what I thought was an oriental influence.   Unlike many cafes, the staff at Bubbles make the coffee, rather than just pressing a button on a fully automated coffee machine which pours the espresso, froths the milk and pours the entire thing into a cup so the waiter/waitress simply has to place it on a saucer, add a teaspoon and run it out to the customer.  At Bubbles the glorious silver giant pours the espresso and the staff heat and froth the milk and pour it into the cups.

I ordered a cafe latte - not to be confused with the very popular latte macchiato here.  The latte macchiato is a standard shot of espresso topped up with a huge amount of milk that hasn't quite been heated to the right temperature - so the overall effect is a weak, lukewarm and very milky coffee, topped off with about 2-3cms of airy froth.  The standard cafe latte is still served in a large cup but not as big as the latte macchiato glass, and the froth should be creamier.

The Bubbles cafe latte was quite good.  Not quite hot enough for my liking, and there was still too much milk, but the coffee wasn't bitter as it often is here in Germany, wasn't too watery and the best aspect was the froth - it was creamy, not airy and only about 0.5-0.8cm thick.

The staff were friendly, personable and relaxed - no rushing around with their electronic gadgets, one employee taking orders, another one issuing bills and taking payment and all in an uninterested and unfriendly manner.

I will definitely be dragging my hubby along on the weekend for a second trial, and will be sure to sample some of their other coffee beans and styles.

http://www.bubbles-cafe.de

Rating
Atmosphere                                       4.5 / 5
Coffee bean                                          4 / 5
Milk                                                    3.5 / 5
Overall coffee experience                  4 / 5