THE Fountain area of Belfast has become increasingly trendy in the past 18 months, ever since Roscoff Cafe opened its doors, and two new cafes will only add to the image this little space is creating as the city's answer to Temple Bar.
Both Altos and Caffe Casa are slick, modern spaces, the former appropriately stark and minimalist, the latter marrying a traditional counter space with groovy furniture. Both have lots of Illy coffee, offering not just espressos and cappuchinos of this most wonderful drink, but also the machines and cups and presentation packs which the company produces.
Altos also offers modern Italian food squid risotto, spinach salad, panzanella and so on - and while the risotto proved beyond the reach of the kitchen (why do so many restaurants persist in serving a dish which is not suitable for a busy kitchen?). A tomato and basil soup with pesto was just fine.
The simpler choices - a selection of their carefully selected cheeses and breads, mozzarella salad - may be the best choices, and there are lots of fine Italian comestibles to buy along with the cheeses and the coffee.
Caffe Casa, just around the corner in College Street, is a buzzy place, pitched somewhere between the aestheticism of Equinox Cafe, and the rush of Roscoff Cafe. It is less self conscious than Altos, the food is a more conventional restaurant mix of bakes and pastries and the coffee is truly sublime. Service is smart and fast, which means you can step in the doors, order an Illy espresso, sit down and down it, and step back out, recharged, all in a couple of minutes.
Altos, Donegall Place, Belfast. TUB (01232) 323087 Caffle Casa, College Street, Belfast. Tel (01232) 319900