MYLO COFFEE CO., LITTLE ROCK, AR
I knew when Doren and I had planned to visit my grandparents I didn't have that much hope would be able to find a coffee shop nearby whether it be in Hot Springs or Little Rock. After some searching online I was able to find a place: Mylo Coffee Co. The shop is situated beautifully in the middle of the Hillcrest district just NW of downtown Little Rock. The owners first appeared at the Hillcrest Farmers Market as a vendor featuring Pour-overs and freshly baked pastries and became popular for their French pastry called Kouign Amann: It is a laminated pastry with sugar folded in and as it bakes becomes caramelized. When my husband and I arrived it was difficult to find a parking spot so we had to walk from the nearby grocer but I didn't mind because as we walked to Mylo I spotted a Charcuterie which made my heart warm and a couple of restaurants that looked full of happy customers. As we walked in the first thing I noticed was the high ceilings and then the bar where all of the mouth watering pastries lay behind a short glass barrier. There were breads, soups, sandwiches, and last but not least pastries that made me feel as though I were in France again. We were greeted by one of the employees as we walked up to the counter and asked if we would like anything to eat. Doren ordered a Kouign Amann and I ordered a Pain au Chocolat. As he plated our pastries the employee at the register took our orders and we got a Cortado and Cappuccino. All in all the place had a good vibe and was minimalist without being stoic.
We almost devoured our pastries before our drinks had been finished. My pain au chocolat was a bigger than what I received in France. Maybe they supersized it a bit? It didn't quite have that melt in your mouth quality either but both of the pastries were some of the best we had eaten since we lived in France. When we got our coffees they were beautiful and had great looking milk and I was excited since hadn't had a drink in about a week which is too long for me. But I rushed to take the first sip. The drink wasn't scalding, but it definitely was on the hotter side.Cortado's (also known as a Gibraltar) are 4 ounces of lukewarm heaven.
|
You wouldn't think that a drink at that temperature would be good but you honestly have to try it for yourself. I let it cool but something still tasted off in it. I tried Doren's cap and the milk temp was about the same but tasted better. Maybe my shot was off or something. So I had to taste one more drink before we left. I went up to the bar and ordered an espresso which is always perfect time to get to know the baristas. I asked the cashier how long they had been opened and he said since last April. I noticed the small batch roaster behind him for the first time and asked if they did any wholesale but he replied no and that they only used it for in house.
"Do you live here?" He asked me as I signed my initial on the ipad. I gave him the rundown of everything that Doren and I were doing and everyone who was standing near thought that was really cool so I tried to ask if there were anymore coffee shops in the area and they didn't have any recommendations except that I should go to Onyx in Fayetteville. The Barista's ears perked up a little and he joined the conversation and we started asking each other how long we had been in coffee. He said that he had been here since they opened and did coffee before. I asked how the community had received them since they were really the only specialty coffee shop in the city.
"Since everything is growing up at the same rate and the food culture here is expanding that it has probably been easier as opposed to if we had just opened and nothing else new was happening." He said.
I wondered if it meant more competition (considering they do food as well) but he said everyone has a big sense of community and wants to support everyone. He asked how our drinks had been so I said that the milk was to hot and he made no comment on it. After that he had my espresso ready. A blend of Yirgacheffe and Huehuetenango.
"Do you live here?" He asked me as I signed my initial on the ipad. I gave him the rundown of everything that Doren and I were doing and everyone who was standing near thought that was really cool so I tried to ask if there were anymore coffee shops in the area and they didn't have any recommendations except that I should go to Onyx in Fayetteville. The Barista's ears perked up a little and he joined the conversation and we started asking each other how long we had been in coffee. He said that he had been here since they opened and did coffee before. I asked how the community had received them since they were really the only specialty coffee shop in the city.
"Since everything is growing up at the same rate and the food culture here is expanding that it has probably been easier as opposed to if we had just opened and nothing else new was happening." He said.
I wondered if it meant more competition (considering they do food as well) but he said everyone has a big sense of community and wants to support everyone. He asked how our drinks had been so I said that the milk was to hot and he made no comment on it. After that he had my espresso ready. A blend of Yirgacheffe and Huehuetenango.
I sat, did my typical three stirs and sipped. I'm not an expert in espresso machines, and I do understand some espresso's taste better at higher settings but even after I let it cool it still tasted scalded. High temp plus over-extraction? I can only speculate because I don't know the ratios. But underneath that scalded taste there was definitely potential for that espresso to shine. It had nice grapefruit acidity, brown sugar sweetness and almond notes. For only being open just under a year they were busy, they had delicious pastries and good service.
Cheers, Tripp |
All the opinions expressed were my own and I did not receive any form of payment from this review.