So let’s kick off this gastro-java-related blog with a good old bad review. But I promise, with dewey eyed innocence and wholesome trustworthyness that I will follow it up with a good review, or even better, the list of best coffee places in Exeter. Yes, we have a top 10.
With all reviews, I will try and do it objectively and fairly. Rating out of five, pros and cons, service and ambience. With cafes, there are a few extras we have to consider as well. Firstly, does it have WiFi? is it free or is it actually free, rather then being connected to BT OpenZone or The Cloud.
So lets kick it off.
The Bank is located in Tiverton (37 Bampton Street), a busy town deep in the centre of the Devon countryside. The town has recently gone through a period of change with many people moving to the area and increasing the diversity of the town. It has moved from a very rural town with a rural outlook on the world, to a place that is adapting to a young professional population drawn by the ease of commuting with Exeter and Taunton.
When you first walk in to The Bank, the decor hits you. That feeling of trying to be modern. Lots of black furniture with white walls, wooden flooring and fake single flowers in the middle of a few tables.
The menu is diverse, prices are average for pub-grub with a lot of appealing sounding meals and a Steak night on Wednesday. More importantly the coffee is produced by a proper coffee machine (the make of it was obscured, and saying that so was the type of coffee).
One thing that made me feel uneasy was the strange amount of glancing from other people in the shop. Now, call me paranoid but I wasn’t exactly dressed outlandishly and nor was I wandering around waving at people whilst dipping my genitals in their coffee. Yet, I still noticed a lot of interest in us. Maybe I had grown an extra arm.
The service was nice and friendly, a friendly lady in a tightight top and a nearly sincere smile. I ordered two latte’s, and left it at that.
We were bought out, what were in fact, two tall glasses of very warm milk. There was no froth, there was no indication that coffee had actually been put in it. If I swilled it in my mouth, I could actually taste some coffee. We decided that in fact, the idea of eating here if the lattes were going to be that bad, might not be the best one.
So my conclusion here is that in fact the Bank might do good food, and do better cappucino’s or even really good filter coffee. I will say that I am willing to give the Bank another go, and would be happy to re-star it, but for now if that is an indication of the coffee, best stay clear.
