So I embarked on the journey with surplus expectations, not forgetting to take along my most objective state of mind as I journeyed through the lousy environs of Obalende and Falomo down to 19B, Adeyemi Lawson street where this branch of Cafe Neo dwells.
Ambiance
Saying what I saw was synonymous to a hideout in a highbrow neighborhood wouldn’t be a misyarn. jeez! ….. if green, simple and classy are the words I decide to use in describing what I saw, you sure will show me your thumb, but in a downward position because those words aren’t at all enough to tell the real truth.

pictures don’t lie

so I proceeded into the cafe to see what’s concealed therein since I have been told overtime that books shouldn’t be judged by their covers.



Cafe Neo Ikoyi is so clean true or true?… this is what the walls looked like.

I wanted coffee but a part of me yearned for a selfie, while another wanted to call Floxy- to inform her about my arrival. I eventually decided to stick with my first instinct, so I strolled to the ordering corner located directly in front of the main entrance.

Service
If you read my review on Cafe Neo Yaba, you’d see how I spoiled the attendant with praises. since I have determined not to be a philanthropist this time around, I maintained a straight face while the more-than-lively dude kept smiling in a way that almost made me returned the same gesture but for my determination.


One amongst the wall designs i really fancied.

My encounter with this lively attendant on duty made me realize 2 things about Cafe Neo:
1. It is either they carefully select the best of all alternatives for the customer service or
2. They spend a lot in training their attendants
At his desk, I told him I wasn’t here to buy anything, that I just wanted a place where one can enjoy privacy with my bae who’s on her way. Instead of frowning, he further lightened up with his smile and pointed a corner to me adding that I should meet him in case the place isn’t comfortable.
This humbled me.
Florence who happens to be a loyal customer came in, we exchanged pleasantries and she headed straight to the counter to place our order after telling her I wanted anything aside cappuccino since that was what I took the last timeout.



Food

Florence came back with 2 cups, but while hers was carrying her name, while mine wasn’t. This made me spring up, headed straight to register my displeasure. He laughed while he requested for my name and poof! mine was engraved too!


Our customized coffee cup

The L+S on my cup indicates sugar has been added to my caffe latte but her own is without sugar. According to her, “you have the choice of either taking your latte with sugar, honey, cream or nothing”. I sipped from her cup and almost spat on the floor due to its bitterness but the clean floor was too precious to be defiled.

I continued with my L+S and sipped every bit from the cup even though it wasn’t really different from the Cappuccino I took the last timeout. or who knows, my taste-bud might have forgotten what my last experience tasted like.



Side Attractions
While we drank, Florence mentioned something about loyalty form, which i wasted no time before heading yet again to the attendant who i was sure will attend to my worries. he didn’t disappoint as he explained thus:
Cafe Neo loyalty form
Any interested customer can fill this form to enable him/her get 10% of any purchase made transferred into his/her loyalty account. What this means is that a customer can decide to buy anything with this bonus at any time and this also certifies you as a real customer. *winks
I signed up and was more than elated I did.

Oh! I almost forgot, remember I told you about my hero whom I met the last time out? I ran into another again. His name is Segun. He owns Amplify– a payment solution company where Florence works. see how small the life we dwell is?
I fell for Segun’s charm since I stumbled upon him at an event last year. he was one of the panelists and his confidence and oratory prowess were what swayed me.
to cut the long story, I shook his hands happily while Florence looked on. Since I already had his card during the networking session at that event, he told me to shoot him an email or place a call whenever I need to talk to him. see how i met two of my heroes in Cafe Neo?

Read about my review of the most popular restaurants in Unilag
Downsides
Though this took me a lot of time, but here are my observations:
– just like the Yaba branch, some customers can be lousy when discussing, so this makes it difficult for someone who really needs a calm place to meditate and work.
– its pretty much easier for a first timer to find the way to hell than finding Cafe Neo. no signpost whatsoever to indicate the location. But google map recognizes it. I feel something should at least be placed outside to help novices like myself as this will save us the stress of asking people up and down the long street for Cafe Neo.

We rounded up around 5:30pm long after I had finished my coffee but wasn’t willing to leave. Florence had to leave me to return to her office (close by) while I sat back to admire the simplicity of the interior.

I suddenly went moody when the thought of abandoning my customized cup crossed my mind. ‘i should have come with a bag” I thought within myself.

When you have to leave your customized cup behind.

I finally stood up, bade my guy goodbye and flagged down a bike destined for Falomo

Here is my verdict

Staff/service= A

Place/ambiance= A

Food= B

Shortcomings= D

GPA= 4.1/5

Assumptions adapted for calculation:

-The first, second and third courses are 3, 2 and 2 unit courses respectively.

shortcoming(s) automatically attract(s) a ‘D’.

Is there a destination you want me to review, feel free to reach out ASAP.

www.nomadicnegro.com the blog that deals perfectly with travel adventures.

Nice piece, feels like I was there, way to go nomadicnegro