RIGA - Tea is tea, however you look at it. And coffee is coffee. Well, no, not really. I suppose there are countless variations of coffee. And one could argue the same goes for tea. The point is, it seems that more and more Latvian entrepreneurs feel a pressing need to accessorize these days. They simply can't settle for a coffeehouse that just sells coffee 's and maybe a pastry or two 's or a teahouse that serves only tea.
So, cafes turn into cafe/bars, which turn into cafe/bar/restaurants that turn into cafe/bar/restaurant/lounges, which then turn into cafe/bar/restaurant/lounge/pizzerias. Well, the recently opened Galerija Istaba has beaten them all. Galerija Istaba: cafe/bar/ restaurant/tavern/pizzeria/art gallery. Now that will take some beating.
The funny thing is, I didn't see pizza on the menu. And I have a hard time distinguishing a "bars"(bar) from a "krogs" (tavern), although I've heard there's a difference. But it's all in the name I guess.
Granted, the downstairs art gallery has its own tranquil charm. A wall of glass mosaics pacifies the otherwise busy room, looking sadly across Barona Street to an even sadder Barona Centers looking back. And, as with most galleries, tables and shelves of post cards, jewelry, elaborate sketchbooks and purposeless but pretty knick-knacks fill otherwise empty spaces. It's the perfect place to spend your money, which you don't actually have, on you don't really know what, or why.
Upstairs, in what appears to be a half-story, one can find this so called cafe/bar/restaurant/tavern/pizzeria/art gallery. And what a cafe/bar/ restaurant/tavern/pizzeria/ art gallery it is!
The floorboards are tattooed with henna. The light sockets and wires have decided to grow on the wall's exterior, rather than interior (bless their self-confident souls). The ashtrays are small works of art (hence gallery), as are the salt and pepper shakers, bowls, teacups and mugs. And every table set-up has a different look, style, texture, and size. Not to mention the fact that the room is more of a balcony, from which you can snugly peek down at the gallery below.
Now lets get on to the bar/restaurant/tavern. There is, indeed a bar. But, then again, it could just be the cashier's workspace. There's room for three, so let's just call it a half-bar. Or "ba" for short.
Likewise, the restaurant menu is more of a half-menu that consists of soup/cheese platter/crepes /herring/pelmeni/salad. And I still don't really know what a tavern is.
I ordered the pelmeni, and what a fine bowl of pelmeni it was. As far as pelmeni goes, one could say it was the Mona Lisa of its kind. It even had a slight smile. This pelmenic masterpiece was almost too lovely to eat. And after I finished the bowl, I really wish that I hadn't. Maybe the pizza that the cafe/bar/ restaurant/ tavern/art gallery/ pizzeria doesn't serve is better.
At least I had my tea. And as I said before, tea is tea, however you look at it.
