Melissa Nazareth sips on Bahrain’s first 3D coffee at VIII Cafe while savouring a spot of breakfast.

The island has been swept by the coffee culture wave over the last few years. Numerous cafés have sprouted across the Kingdom, each vying to offer a unique, unprecedented experience; VIII Cafe is the first to serve 3D coffee – cute little teddy bears made of milk foam floating on your cup. We headed to the branch at District 1 Mall – there’s one more at Askar – to see what it’s all about. The café’s simple interior has been cleverly spruced up with indoor plants, repurposed pale wood fittings, white faux leather seating and aesthetic décor pieces such as a big wall clock with Roman numerals and books about coffee. There’s ample natural lighting, which the woodwork seemed to reflect, making the space look brighter. The coffee station is on the ground floor. An open-riser staircase leads to the loft. Climbing up the stairs, we were met with wall foliage against which hung a lit logo of the café – VIII – the Instagram backdrop, I felt.

Soon after we settled down, the breakfast dishes started flowing. First, came Scrambled Eggs & Cheese Croissant. Nothing fancy, just a basic dish cooked to perfection. The scrambled eggs were fluffy and creamy and the melted cheese took them to another level. The croissant was flaky, buttery and oh so light and airy. Next, we tried Eggs Florentine – another hit at our table. The eggs were poached with spinach and creamy cheese, served with a side of toast. Our eggs were well done but you can go for soft or runny if you prefer – this applies to all the egg-based items. I personally love the combination of spinach and cheese and found the Florentine to be one of those comfort breakfasts you want to tuck into. The sharp cheese taste against the earthy spinach made for a good flavour mix. Further, it offered a great contrast of textures when smeared against the crunchy toast.

After this, we ate Avocado Toast, which is sourdough bread topped with avocado mix and poached eggs, drizzled with tahini sauce. Sadly, the tahini sauce didn’t do it for me. However, the velvety avocado mash spread on a sturdy slice of sourdough brought the best of both worlds together. Add to that some hearty eggs and you have a breakfast classic! We recommend you ask for runny eggs specifically for this dish.

Having had our fill of the savoury items, we then moved on to the sugar fix. The Banoffee comes under All Day Breakfast on the menu. Giving French toast vibes, it’s a big slice of toast soaked in homemade dulce de leche topped with banana slices and pecans. The caramel flavours of the dulce de leche are subtle yet potent and pair well with the sweet banana and nutty pecans. The nuts also offer a bite to every fork full.

We also tried some desserts including the regular cheesecake and San Sebastian Cheesecake. The former was a basic cheesecake with vanilla cream cheese and a biscuit crust with a side of raspberry coulis. Like they say, you can’t improve on a classic. Offering a delicate balance of flavours – tart, sweet, creamy and tangy – it stood out among the desserts for me. San Sebastian Cheesecake was similar to a crustless cheesecake, which I thought felt quite a bit like bread pudding texture-wise.

Our coffees poured in (pun intended) around this time. First, we tried 3D ART. It was fun jiggling the foam bears in our cups and we were impressed by Barista, Hadi Sucipto’s craftsmanship; we almost didn’t want to destroy it by drinking it. Same with Coffee Painting, which had a beautiful sunset painted onto the coffee. Both, the 3D figures and paintings are made using milk foam and food colour, so, it doesn’t affect the taste. Having a common espresso base that’s machine brewed using VIII Cafe’s house blend of different beans, they can be ordered as a cappuccino, latte or caramel. The house blend is made with speciality coffee beans from countries including Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya and Indonesia.

We also tried a V60 variety, Mood; V60 is the brewing technique so named because the funnel is V-shaped with angles of 60 degrees. A 100% pure Komodo Dragon Coffee – a fine low-acid type with hints of fresh tobacco, cocoa and floral notes – it was refreshing and gave us a much-needed caffeine boost. Also, it was interesting to watch Hadi brew it in front of us. I’m no coffee connoisseur but if you are, then you can choose from a wide range including Sunrise, Dusk, Moonlight, Morning Blessings, Summer Breeze and others, all made with specific speciality coffee beans. ✤

GO: CALL 1766 5550 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO MAKE A RESERVATION.