Rumours is a visually uncomplicated space — industrial-looking greys and metals and bare-bone neutrals. At the front counter, a few bar stools and (if you’re in luck) a couple of fresh pastries await, while a smattering of boxy seating — more perches than chairs — populate the space in front of the generously sized front window. There’s a couple of indoor plants and a few blooms artfully dotted around, but that’s about it. You get the sense that the entire set-up is designed to let the coffee take centre stage, whether that coffee is their signature pour-over, an espresso-based brew or their other specialty: iced white with demerara syrup. There’s a simple loveliness to it all that reminds you that the central city is, despite everyone’s constant gripes about orange cones and parking, actually very cool.

While you’re in the area: Unity Books