The new coffee house makes an excellent latte
A landmark building in Hull city centre has recently reopened after a makeover and it now has an uber-cool coffee house on the ground floor. Daze opened in August at The Monocle in Ferensway.
The landmark building was previously known as Europa House but has been revamped as a modern workspace, with nods to its 1970s heritage. Daze is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.
As soon as I walked through the doors to review eating out during a mid-week lunch break, I was impressed with the spectacular design choices. The atmosphere was laid-back, but also smart and stylish.
The earthy and warm colour palette harks back to the 1970s with burnt orange, rich browns, and calming beiges. Elongated curved sofas, geometric shapes, and clam-shell textures added to the effortlessly cool vintage feel of the place.
It was undeniably cosy to be ensconced on one of those gigantic scalloped sofas while traffic trundled past on Ferensway. Most people around me seemed to be having lunch with friends, but I could imagine Daze as a nice spot for catching up on work or having an informal meeting.
Daze is card-only and you order at the counter before choosing where to sit. Dietary options such as vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free were not labelled, but the staff were knowledgeable of the menu and very helpful.
For instance, if you get a breakfast bowl without honey it is vegan and several hot drinks can be made with alternative milks. The menu offers speciality coffee, matcha teas, house-branded lager, signature cocktails, sweet treats, and healthy food options.
Right away, the double chocolate fudge cake on the counter caught my eye. I also snapped up some pistachio cookies for my loyal colleagues.
While I was deciding on my order, I saw a beautiful breakfast bowl being created and it was too tempting to ignore. I have been on a bit of a junk food diet of late, so a healthy dose of fruit would never go amiss.
It was lunch hour, but I did not wait more than 10 minutes for my order to arrive. I was bemused by the arty presentation of my latte which appeared to be suspended in space.
But all doubts were put out my mind with the first sip. It was exquisite, a truly robust coffee brewed to perfection with no bitter aftertaste and a creamy finish.
The double chocolate fudge cake was vegan and, despite that, beautifully moist and decadent with every bite. It had an intense cocoa flavour and a buttery fudge icing.
I think the highlight for me was the breakfast bowl, which was a layer of frozen smoothie, granola, sliced almonds, and fresh banana slices and strawberries. It felt very London and la-di-da, but definitely a nice shake-up for the Hull scene.
Also, a smoothie bowl is one hundred-per-cent the sort of thing I would never have the patience to make from scratch at home, so it felt like a rare treat. The pistachio cookies also went down a treat, they had that soft, chewy texture of home-baked cookies and the pistachio cream in the middle was pure heaven.
Daze offers something new and original in Hull and it is wonderful to see The Monocle with its new lease of life. I hope it continues to draw a steady crowd.
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