"Bring us two cups of tea," we asked the waiter. It was the splendid hot tea with the puffs, which come in so many different varieties, you can’t even imagine before coming here.

The next coffee house we visited was Moscow-Berlin (Metro station: Belorusskaya 52/2 Pl. Tverskaya Zastava, phone: 251-22-82), that was open all day and night. There were a lot of cups, mugs, and espresso cups on the shelves. I think February is the best month for visiting coffee houses because it’s still very cold, and there are strong gusts of wind strolling in the streets of Moscow. Sometimes black or white coffee is very neccessary at this time of the year. There are five different kinds of cheesecake here--we have tried them all, and they are all really delicious. Especially good was the apple puff and the cake with fresh grated carrots and nuts. Also, to extend the pleasure, we took several pieces of cake home (confectionary takeout). Everything was quite affordable--under $20.

This brings us to the last coffee house, to which I’d like to draw your attention. It's called Loft (Nautilus Shopping Complex, 6th floor, 25 Nikolskaya Ul, 933-7713) You can get here the metro station Lubyanka. Loft is open Monday-Friday, 5-7pm. The story started in the early spring. I was in down-trodden mood, and then I received a call from my friend . . . Outside it was raining with the puffs of wind, and inside there were raindrops dribbling down the windowpane. There were wisps of smoke emanating from the aromatic sticks. Here you can have a cup of scented tea with sugar cubes or with a squeeze of lemon (as you wish), a small slice of cake, a fresh newspaper, or a heart-to-heart talk with my friend (preferable for me) . . . maybe you’ll keep my company next time?