Get up and go with a cup of … Mario?
Mother-daughter duo pair adorable latte art with selection of tasty treats at Yonge St. café
Every time I order a latte at Himalayan Coffee House (2552 Yonge St.) I eagerly await in anticipation of what latte art will top my drink this time.
On my first visit, it was Super Mario. Then it was Pennywise from the movie “It” for Halloween.
During the Christmas holiday, it was a bear wearing a toque and scarf. Next, there was a rosy-cheeked baby and, most recently, Totoro, the cuddly cateared forest spirit from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki animated film.
True, latte art is designed for the Instagram age, but it is also a smart business strategy for café co-owners Tashi Choezom and her mother, Pema, who took over the café in 2013.
I first came across the café on my Instagram explore page (their strategy paid off ) and once every few months, I leave work early to treat myself to a latte from the midtown café before its 5 p.m. closing. It’s a brisk 15-minute walk up Yonge Street from Eglinton subway station.
“We were just doing hearts when we started, but I started to teach myself how to do more because you have to stand out against the other cafés in the area,” Tashi says. “I think I’ve done over 400 different designs, but we don’t really keep track.”
The lattes are more than cute. The matcha latte ($4.25) is a balanced blend of bittersweet whisked green tea and slightly sweetened milk, providing a light green backdrop for whatever characters the baristas decide to draw. The blue latte ($4.25), yields a deep blue backdrop from the butterfly pea tea leaves, but note that since the leaves naturally don’t have much of a flavour, this latte tastes like hot milk more than anything. Regular espresso-based lattes can be arted up, but while the café offers non-dairy milks, the consistency doesn’t make for good latte art.
Still, the Himalayan Coffee House offers more than Instagram-friendly drinks. There is Tibetan butter tea, nonarty espresso drinks as well as a light lunch menu of sandwiches, smoothies, wraps and salads. It also sells a sea salt caramel brownie ($3.50), made by local bakery Circle and Squares. Served warm with a gooey centre and just a hint of salt on top to balance out the dark chocolate, it pairs perfectly with the bittersweet and creamy flavours of the matcha latte.
When the weather outside is gloomy, sometimes seeing your latte smile up at you is just the thing to brighten up the day.
“We were just doing hearts when we started, but … you have to stand out against the other cafés in the area.”
TASHI CHOEZOM CO-OWNER, HIMALAYAN COFFEE HOUSE