KBCaféshop

Time Out says

KB stands for Kooka Boora, and as you’re quite likely to be served by an Aussie barista or a waitress from New Zealand, most people think that this is another Australian coffee bar implanted in Paris. But the owner is actually Frenchman Nicolas Piégay, who first got the taste for coffee when travelling around the States and then discovered specialty coffee bars in Australia, which is why you’ll see Antipodean favourites like a creamy flat white, long black and mochaccino on the menu, plus a whole host of iced coffees that are served all the year round, whatever the weather. KB doesn’t roast its own beans, working with the dynamic team at Café Lomi, but they change the range every couple of months. They are also very keen on fresh milk for the lattes and cappuccinos, brought in from Normandy.

For the full barista experience order an aeropress, where you choose the type of coffee beans, say Ethiopian or Indonesian, see the barista weighing and grinding the beans, measuring the temperature and exact volume of water, then leaving the coffee to brew a while before plunging the filter through a tube resembling a syringe: be prepared for a serious dose of caffeine. Looking out over Pigalle’s leafy Place Lino Ventura, the Kooka Boora boasts a big sunny terrace of pastel blue chairs, while the bright interior salon resembles a friendly student common room, with customers relaxing round rough wooden tables or looking out from the long window counter. Over at the bar, one waitress handles the food – healthy salads and sandwiches, fresh juice and smoothies – while the barista theatrically performs at a bench by the window, invariably drawing the eyes of curious passers-by.

By John Brunton