Little Sister café delivers big taste New location keeps focus on coffee and community By: Alison Gillmor Posted: 7:00 PM CST Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/12/2018 (2847 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Coffee houses have always been about more than just coffee.

In the 1700s, they were called “penny universities” and served as gathering places for caffeine-fuelled intellectual activity and rousing debate. Richard Hogarth, the father of the 18th-century artist William Hogarth, ran a London coffee house where patrons were encouraged to converse in Latin. It didn’t do well.

Many recent coffee houses put a premium on design, with several Winnipeg coffee places actually run by architects and designers. They are filled with natural light, beautiful blond wood and covetable light fixtures, but they’re not just good-looking for the sake of being good-looking. These spaces aim to function as neighbourhood hubs by fostering community and creativity.

Little Sister Coffee Maker, known for its flagship operation on River Avenue, has opened a new outpost on south Osborne. This strip of Osborne has become a really happening neighbourhood lately, with lots of food- and restaurant-related action and more to come next year.

Little Sister’s second venue picks up on the original’s esthetic, which is clean but also colourful — with hints of that trademark jadeite green — and even a little bit of whimsy. A panel of wallpaper near the front door looks staid and Victorian from a distance, but a closer look reveals some kooky details. There is also that Little Sister tendency to mix modern design with retro elements, such as granny-chic dishes and vintage souvenir spoons.

The counter service offers grab-and-go options, but the design invites you to stay, with a high-ceilinged, light-filled, bi-level room with several seating options: some small pedestal tables and some counter stools along a wooden bar, as well as movable padded cushions on a stepped platform. This welcoming vibe is picked up by the servers, who are friendly and full of info.

OK, so now to the food and, of course, the coffee.

Java options include the usual espresso-based drinks, which taste good and are eminently Instagrammable in appearance. You can also get “coffee by hand,” which involves the trendy siphon method. Using a combo of the vacuum effect and vapour pressure and working through a two-chambered glass contraption, the siphon method looks a little like a mad science experiment and yields a cup of joe that is aromatic, with a taste that is somehow both delicate and intense. The process is also fun to watch, allowing baristas to exercise theatrical flair.

The baking is good and includes some in-house pastries and some sourced from local specialists. Le Croissant provides very good bread, while Tall Grass Prairie provides cookies and immaculate croissants. There are scones that deserve the name, meaning they aren’t just scone-shaped bits of dough but possess a properly crumbly and buttery texture.

Snacks include small plates that could work from breakfast into the evening, either for grazing or combining into a bigger meal. The menu is tight, but everything on it is good, and some of it is very good.

A sesame bagel with a shmear of cream cheese is paired with smoked trout — rich, subtle, not overly salty and a fresh alternative to the usual smoked salmon. The bread with cacio e pepe is another good changeup. Usually associated with pasta, this mix of salty cheese, cracked black pepper and sweet butter pairs well with crisped-up sourdough bread.

More of that good bread forms the base of a nice croque madame, which layers ham, cheese and a fried egg with a yolk the colour of marigolds and just the right amount of runniness. The grainy mustard is homemade — a nice touch — though maybe applied overenthusiastically.

The spinach and sweet potato salad, finished with chopped almonds and feta, is simple but beautifully balanced and dressed with a light hand. The jhal muri salad is also good, lentil and chickpea puffs paired with chopped cucumber and grape tomatoes — I would have liked a few more — and wrapped in a lime dressing that gets a slight sweetness from tamarind, along with a little low-key heat from complex spices.

Pork meatballs are tasty, with a hint of herbiness, and served in a thick and intense tomato sauce.

For dessert, there is a daily pie. On one day, the crust was flaky and the filling packed with tart cherries, avoiding both the syrupy sweetness and gloppy texture that doom so many lesser cherry pies. Little Sister pairs its pies with lavender soft ice cream, which you can also get on its own. Picking up on the trend for upscale soft-serve, this super-creamy concoction combines childhood nostalgia and grown-up sophistication, the lavender flavour coming off like a subtle, distant perfume. The south Osborne location is also licensed, with a small beer and wine selection.

With good coffee, a considered menu and thoughtful design, Little Sister is doing what it can to continue the great coffee house tradition. Lively conversation will be up to you.

alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.ca

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Alison Gillmor
Writer

Studying at the University of Winnipeg and later Toronto’s York University, Alison Gillmor planned to become an art historian. She ended up catching the journalism bug when she started as visual arts reviewer at the Winnipeg Free Press in 1992.

   Read full biography