A profile of a Café-Café Babalú
Posted by Rúna Vala - 07/10/09 at 12:10:52 pm
As I climb up the narrow staircase of this former apartment building the sound of funk meets me. The decorations are very much like you’d expect from an old aunt… in a good and homey way, couches, lamps and knick-knacks.
In the middle there is a bar, used as a kitchen, crowded with kitchen utensils an other useful stuff, and there I find the runner of the place. I ask him for an interview and he gladly accepts. I sit down and take out my mac while he finishes up some orders before he sits down. I notice that there is a cat there, conversing with some of the guests. I see a guy that I know that works there and ask him about the cat. He tells me that he (the cat) has decided that he lives here now.
Glenn comes over and we start chatting.
RV: What is your name and what is the name of this place?
G: My name is Glenn Barkan and the place is called Café Babalú (pronounced bah-bah-loo).
RV:What is the reason you came up with the idea of place?
G: It was already here when we started. It had been here for about four years when the owners kind of lost their interest, they were losing a lot of money and they just wanted to get rid of it. I was working here and saw the potential so me and my friend bought it together. Last March she sold me her half.
RV: What’s so special about this place?
G: The friendliness it generates. I like to greet everyone who comes in and talk to them. People start talking, even though they don’t know each other. It’s cozy and personal. We have a patio which is very popular in the summer.
RV: What is your speciality in eating and drinking?
G: We serve Crépes, both savory, with spinach or ham and sweet, with chocolate and fruit. The New York cheese cake is very popular, it’s my grandma’s secret recipe. Everything here is home made, which makes it special. We also offer all the regular coffee drinks and we make a nice chai latté. David (the one hat I spoke to about the cat earlier) has started making Chamomile latté and everyone likes our hot chocolate too.
RV: What type of people come here?
G: We get a lot of students and we receive groups like amateur photography, Bob Dylan appreciation club and in the evenings a lot of couples come to have a glass of wine or something. This is a place that I love coming to because I feel like the guests are my visitors. People that come here for the first time tell me that it’s so cute and charmed. I love making a place that people come to relax and feel safe. We started off with nothing but I didn’t have to take loans or make big investments. I just built on what I had. I’m not going to be rich by doing this, I just want to have enough to pay my employees and I want to keep the prices down so that the students keep coming here.
RV: What kind of music do you play?
G: A lot of old music, from the 30s and the 40s, jazz, blues and swing. I love Ella Fitzgerald. The employees can play what they like but we try to keep it mixed. I also sometimes play classical music .
I thank Glenn for his time and have an English Scone with jam and butter. It is delicious. I have to leave this relaxed and friendly café sooner than I want to, but I know that I’ll be there again soon.
Café Babalú is located at 22 Skólavörðustígur, the street leading to the big church at the top of the hill in down town Reykjavík.
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