“Do you know what the origins of the coffee plant are? According to a handwritten story on one of the walls in Cafe Oophaga, it involves a goat herd named Koldi and a monk together in the highlands of Abyssinia. So now you know.

One more question should also be asked for those unfamiliar with Cafe Oophaga, hidden behind the Colston Hall on Trenchard Street at the bottom of the steep Lodge Street leading down from Park Row. Why Oophaga? For those of us who don’t work in the BBC Natural History Unit, an oophaga is a genus of poison dart frog, notable in the amphibean world for exhibiting a high degree of parental care.

In Cafe Oophaga, a hint of the meaning behind the cafe’s name are the bright orange frogs on the painted sign above the door and a small model of the frog inside. That model of the frog is not the only interesting thing inside the cafe, which is full of nice quirky touches. There are old bar stools and a church pew, an old-fashioned clock, and vinyl record sleeves decorating one of the orange and cream walls. There is also one mystery wood and metal item that owner Alex found earlier this year in a charity shop. Suggest an idea that he likes and get a half-price coffee. Prove what it is and get a coffee for free.

The cafe is a registred BookCrossing zone, which can see people come in and swap books with BookCrossing. There is also wi-fi, for those who prefer laptops to books.

For a small cafe, there is a lot squeezed into Cafe Oophaga, which itself is squeezed into a corner building with a view of the back of the Colston Hall. There is no shiny new gold foyer at this end of the building.

Out of Cafe Oophaga’s small kitchen, the owners hope to work with the seasons, with the upcoming summer hopefully seeing fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, gazpacho soup, iced coffees and crisp salads. When I visited on Friday afternoon last week, the soup of the day was yellow split pea, carrot and cumin. There was also a small selection of pastries and cakes.

Cafe Oophaga is a fun place, and worth a detour to find for some more fascinating facts, curious objects and good coffee.”
17th May 2010

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