Coffee and book

I love coffee, coffee is my life. Coffee is so important to me as a designer who need to .These days, new cafes/coffee shops sprout out every other week in Malaysia.
In Manchetser & Salford, there's a whole host of better priced and better tasting coffees in independent shops in the region. We can't go more than four strides down a street without passing a super-chain coffee shop. A quick Google search will tell you that Starbucks has 18 branches in the city centre. Keep walking; the beloved city is increasingly dotted with little independent gems and hideouts. Cool coffee shops that have that little more flair and love for coffee. It's been heartening to watch the growth of smaller coffee establishments... So what makes a coffee shop cool? Independently operated? The atmosphere? Or is it quality food and coffee? How about free wifi? The space, the interior? Cosmo food?

1. Fig & Sparrow
This design-store-cum-coffee-bar ticks two boxes at once; shopping for beautiful gifts, and sipping a well-crafted coffee. The interior is warm and welcoming with a stripped-back, Scandinavian vibe. Fig & Sparrow serves food, including cakes, as well as loose leaf tea. 20 Oldham Street, M1 1JN

2. Grindsmith
There are two Grindsmiths in the city – one is inside a specially-created eco pod in Greengate Square, not far from Manchester Cathedral, the other inside the Great Northern Warehouse on Deansgate. Both serve excellent coffee. Greengate Square & 231-233 Deansgate, M3 4EN

Grindsmith, Greengate Square

Grindsmith, Deansgate

3. North Tea Powder

Almost hidden away on Tib Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, North Tea Power could bill itself as Manchester’s original coffee house, with its tight and wood laden shop usually packed with a mixture of creatives and in-the-know tourists, all sampling the potent aroma of coffee and food, cooked and prepared right behind the counter. It’s a good sign that North Tea Power is, more often than not, absolutely packed. Its focus on food means that it entertains a healthy breakfast and lunch crowd and, though power points are at a premium, it offers a good, vibrant work environment. Oh, and pretty damn decent coffee, too.

4. TAKK
This Icelandic inspired coffee house and creative space in Manchester's Northern Quarter offers free wifi and free refills as well as homemade cakes and fancy sandwiches. Martin Pearson, manager of Takk said: "We set our own roast profile for the beans and we have a strong connection to the roasters. Our coffee shop isn't crammed full with tables and we attract a lot of creatives in the week and the shopping crowd at the weekend. "Behind the scenes, a lot of staff training goes into producing your cup of coffee. We treat the coffee shop like an open kitchen with 'chefs' on show making your artisan drinks."

5. Caffeine & Co
You could easily have walked past the original Caffeine & Co just off John Dalton St. and not realised it – it’s a tiny little store that, though it has its committed fans, is not an ideal place to work, with just a small bench facing a wall able to handle any kind of laptop. However, the coffee is excellent and, as such, Caffeine & Co. has become a coffee-to-go haven for those working in the city centre. Having also briefly had a second pop up store in Spinningfields, Caffeine & Co. recently branched out to open a new coffee shop in what was Granada TV Studios, sat on the ground floor convenient opposite the equally fresh collaborative workspace Hello Hub. Up there with Grindsmith in terms of serving up a decent brew, its new store is the perfect work space for anyone who needs a flat table and a plug – though you’ll need to bring your own Wi-Fi. Also, try the soup. No, really, try the soup.