Nostalgic in Ermita Part 4: Midtown Inn Diner

Nostalgic in Ermita 

Part 4: Midtown Inn Diner: The Place for a Strong Brew

Feeling a bit down trodden at this point (after seeing the Aroma Café in such a state), I decided to inspect another place where I used to go for straight-black coffee. The Midtown Inn Diner on Padre Faura was still open for business.

These days however I have stopped drinking coffee due to heart burn and acid reflux so all I ordered was an ice tea. The refreshment lifted my spirits and helped me cool down after enduring the heat and the traffic outside.

This diner (see the two photos above) featured a nifty set of Bunsen burners with which they would brew your coffee right in front of you while you waited. I would go here often after having come from Solidaridad to get my caffeine fix to aid me in absorbing the opening chapters of whatever pieces of literature I had just purchased.

The old seedy characters that I would often come across here still inhabited the place. On my left was an intelligent sounding guy pitching some sort of scheme to two ladies. Behind me on my right was a grey haired man who seemed out of place, but then again, looked so comfortable in this setting. When I came in, I got a few stares, and the place fell silent for awhile. Afterwards, as I strode to the counter, everyone returned to their business.

Next--Nostalgic in Ermita (Part 5: Hizon's Bakery)