Thursday, 19 February 2015

The Caffeine Club - 7/10 Cups

The Caffeine Club - 7/10 Cups

                Two things may come to mind when I say Caffeine club. The first being a techno club, where every drink is laced with caffeine and red bull and you are more likely to dance yourself into a heart attack than survive the night. The other is a prestigious member's only VIP club where only the most exclusive individuals of society may enter and enjoy the richest forms of extract from the bean of a coffee plant. Neither are farther from the truth.


                The caffeine club is located in Plymouth, England… There may be others in the world, but the one in Plymouth England, is the one I am addressing at the moment. Deal with it. Ahem… Literally on a corner right across from the Plymouth university campus, the caffeine club is where you want to go for all your caffeine desires and more. Even better, and probably catered to students during exam season, this establishment is open 24/7… except for maybe Christmas and likewise holidays. Nonetheless. This constant availability of caffeine and other goodies leads this place to have a high score in my book.

                The interior resembles a make shift wannabe colonial/tropical shack, with straw/branch like decorations, fake and real palm trees and loads of old woven coffee bags. Parts of the wall are plastered with random advertisements, old sayings and cute phrases. It really is a mix and match place and it gives the whole club a unique feeling. It reminds me of Colonial England, without the redcoats. The inside is all heated and there are two floors, and a porch, but in the winter, when I visited Plymouth, it seemed pretty useless with rain almost all day every day, but in the summer, I'm sure it would be more accessible. 

                 Another unique design in the caffeine club that I absolutely adored and spent 20 minutes staring at with my girlfriend, was a full wall length mural, which depicted the faces of over a hundred well know, mainly historical, but also modern day individuals. I don't mean celebrities, but people who have in one way or another shaped/changed history and the future. From Putin and Mother Teresa, to Hitler and Pavarotti, this wall had dozens of people, and just trying to name them all was a fun chore in its own right.

                Admittedly however, even though this coffee bar promotes caffeine in dozens of styles and fashions, I did not have a caffeinated beverage. I was brought there at first to try one thing. The 2 pint Milkshakes. Now two pints is equivalent to about 1 liter. Which in reality doesn’t sound like much. But these are not normal milkshakes. These beasts are filled with excessive flavorings, goodies and topped with a mountain of whipped crème which is often garnished with a distinctive ordered flavours. From chocolate syrup to cookie crumbles. I admittedly went back for the Cookie Monster at least three times during my stay in Plymouth. The shake was great but the little bits of cookie dough that was hidden inside made me jump with joy whenever I caught one. All and all, 5 pounds for a 2 pint milk shake, definitely worth it.

                The food offered is rather basic however. Hamburgers, French fries (chips), some finger foods, varying wraps and sandwiches and a few other bits and bobs. On different occasions I took part in trying the French fries (chips) and a few burgers that they had to offer. Nothing spectacular. The burgers were made from frozen patties and then spiced up a bit more (which is a good thing) and it had a side of simple salad. Whilst the food is nothing to rave about, the food is not the reason one would come to caffeine club. The food is the side attraction compared to the variety of drinks you can consume. And the availability of this food, 24/7 makes up for its basic quality. The focus of this joint is to entice you in with its promises of caffeine highs and sugar overloaded drinks and in that, is a success.
                On a final critique, the establishment offers several different cocktails, most of which are available with a special price, buy 2 for a discount and that sort. Which is an incentive for couples to enjoy drinks together, which is what I did with my girlfriend. The cocktails were a concoction of some tropical fruits and beverages, and were unique twists to some standard drinks like sex on the Peach and several others. The drinks were…. Interesting to say the least, they often had a strong taste of the fruit juice used, that being pineapple and peach in our drinks. The pineapple made it rather bitter and the drinks felt light (alcoholically speaking). They did come with little umbrellas and fun straws that twisted in every direction of the compass. Sometimes it is the little things that make it fun. Yet in terms of cocktails I would rate them as average.

                Overall, I definitely recommend the caffeine club to anybody who visits Plymouth, especially if you are part of the crowd that finds it normal to go out at 2am to have a milkshake and a bite to eat. Most places would turn you away at 2am but not the caffeine club, oh no. The caffeine club is your friend no matter what time of the day or night it was and it really is the caffeine and milkshakes that make this place an essential to go for, the side drinks and food are just to wet your taste buds and keep you satisfied whilst you engulf sugary goodness or caffeinated liquid heaven.

Atmosphere: 7/10 Cups
Drinks: 9/10 Cups
Alcohols: 5/10 Cups
Coffees: N/A
Food:5/10 Cups

Total: 7/10 Cups

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