Le Rêve Coffee expands its French cafe experience to a new location, replacing Southfin Southern Poke at 4321 Perkins Road.

The atmosphere

Le Rêve’s interior has a fairly simple aesthetic. It has a white and mint green color palette with hints of red. There are enough decorations to give the eye something to explore, giving the space an eclectic feel.

I can appreciate the foliated section near the bar — plants are always a big win in the interior design department. The back of the room leans more into a French vibe. The wallpaper in this section features line art of a Parisian neighborhood, and there is a distressed mirror archway that leads to the patio.

While the design is not bad, it does end up feeling like an unorganized Pinterest board. I do like the emphasis on many seating options. Whether you want a booth, chair, lounge chair or a hightop, you can have your pick and charge your phone while you are at it.

Le Rêve’s music selection is not somewhere you will find as much random variety. The playlist consists of safe radioplay hits, which are hard to complain about but will trigger a reaction if you find them overplayed.

The service

Service at Le Rêve stops at the counter, but even then it is still wonderful. Cashiers are friendly, helpful and willing to be patient even when you are not fully decided. Even when I came back to get a napkin, the cashier was attentive and kind.

Workers at Le Rêve foster a welcoming environment. With every new customer, it felt as if everyone knew each other and talked every day. I am sure if you go more than a couple of times, you will have a new group of friends.

All the drinks and food came out in no time as well. Soon after finding a spot to rest, I had to get right back up again after hearing my name being called to the counter.

The food

To get a well-rounded look at the menu, I got two drinks and three food items. I started with a standard drip coffee.

I thought that the coffee was pretty good. The blend is just in the middle of bitter and bland, offering an easy-to-digest and tasty experience with a hint of sweetness.

While I do enjoy the coffee, I am not sure it justifies putting you back $4.65. You are paying for quality, so if you have a bit of extra spending money and you want a decent cup of joe, by all means.

On the signature drinks side of the menu, I landed on the white macadamia latte. This concoction is a mixture of espresso, white mocha, macadamia milk and cinnamon.

It was a bit too sweet for my taste, but I can see why it would hit the spot for somebody else. The flavor is unique compared to other lattes I have had thanks to the macadamia milk, which tasted more akin to a horchata with coffee. I cannot say this is a bad drink, yet it does require one to check their sweet tooth.

As far as good goes, I would be remiss to not pair my coffee with a simple sweet treat. Out of the handful of pastries, the blueberry cream cheese Danish caught my eye.

This is the first must-try from the menu for me. I am a sucker for a Danish and blueberries are my favorite fruit, so combining that with a delicious cream cheese in the center made me quite happy.

The dough for the pastry was angelically flaky, and it paired so well with the blueberry mixture and bold creaminess of the cream cheese. I would have preferred it warmed up, but I did not ask for that option, so learn from my mistakes.

Last but not least, I tried both of the biscuit choices on the menu: the egg and cheese biscuit and the pepper jelly sausage biscuit.

Starting off simple, the egg and cheese biscuit was well done. I added bacon for an upcharge, and I honestly think that is the best way to go. The flavor was good, but it had a strangely thick layer of egg that was a bit much at times.

For the more unique option, the pepper jelly sausage biscuit is an interesting case. I will eat almost anything with pepper jelly, and the one they use for this dish is good. The sausage was well spiced with a pleasing consistency that was not too chewy.

While all of that is good, the problem lies in the biscuit. I am not sure what this biscuit is made of, but they need to discontinue it ASAP. It is just unreasonably crumbly and falls apart in your hands, which is not something you want for such a sticky sandwich.

Overall, it may be on the pricier side, but you will not regret your time at Le Rêve.

You can see the hours for Le Rêve Coffee on its website.