I’ve visited thousands upon thousands of coffee shops across the world. In every city, in every country — whether on the bustling streets of metropolises or hidden away in quiet hilltop towns — I’ve ordered the same thing. A flat white.
Not just coffee. A ritual. A search for perfection.
The harmony of beans and milk, the texture of the foam, the warmth of the cup — all must balance on the edge of magic. Foam that reminds you of a mother’s milk. Flavor that stirs memories you never knew you had.
And among the countless cups I’ve sipped through the years, only three places have ever made me feel like I was flying:
Obshorka — a modest café in the heart of Kostanay, a small town in northern Kazakhstan. Where the baristas know their craft, and the taste speaks louder than words.
Blooming — a cozy hideaway nestled in the mountains of Daejeon, South Korea. Where the air is fresh, and the flat white tastes like it was made from morning light and mountain breeze.
And now — this place.
The third and final café to join that rare, sacred list. A flat white so balanced, so warm, so comforting — it doesn’t just taste good, it makes you feel. The foam is silky, the espresso rich, and the atmosphere? Unmatched. Even the cakes seem to understand the art of drinking coffee.
Thank you for being one of the very few places in the world that reminded me why I...
Read moreI'm sorry to say this place is not great. We love other Matoka locations but this was very poor. Coffee machine took 15min after opening to 'start working', the food had to be ordered via that app which was annoying given the fact I'd walked downstairs and qued to order. After doing the online order, the wrong coffees were brought and were different sized cups (who wins getting the bigger coffee :) Our 2 X scrambled eggs were brought 9minutes apart. The eggs were overcooked cold and flavourless. My friends late eggs were at least warm. The potato hash browns were very cold (out of the fridge/freezer style) which I was not expecting. Lastly, there was no water working in the men or women's toilets. I get that these kind of problems can happen, but when we informed one member of staff, they said they knew already. I hope staff were just having a bad day and they are normally kinder, but unfortunately the food was too cold and flavourless for me...
Read moreIt’s okay here, the coffee is good and I’d get that again. There is a good variety on the menu for both food and drinks. I’ve previously had the lavender latte and loved it, so I wanted to come back and try some of the food.
We tried the raspberry tea, the eggs, syrniki, neopolitan, and chicken samsa.
The tea and the samsa was cold, honestly they could’ve just microwaved it lol. But the flavour of both was good.
The eggs were cooked nicely but nothing special for the price. It came with a hash brown with cream cheese and olive spread that was pretty good. The portion was small.
My fiancée had the syrniki with cherries, it was okay but not the best syrniki I’ve had.
The neopolitan was my favorite, but overall I’ll only be coming back...
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