There's an aquarium here, in the center of the place, fairly murky with small dark fish hovering near the bottom and then darting around to the top or after each other. On the bar counter to my left is a little Christmas tree and a pistachio dispenser.

A man with a soft black cap and a rainbow sweater was in here earlier, standing at the bar, with his dog trapped in between his legs to keep it out of mischief. The dog seemed used to it. Its fur looked a bit strange, fluffy in an artificial way, as if it wasn't a real dog but perhaps some kind of animatronic pet instead.

I'm close enough to the bar that the server could just hand me my espresso over the counter without me even having to get up. It came in a black cup with a black saucer and a black packet of sugar cubes. He asked me if I needed an ashtray, and when I didn't answer immediately he put two fingers to his mouth, the universal sign for smoking. "No, merci."