Small but intimate with good service

At first I am a little let down by the small space of Idealism Cafe, which ranked fourth on the list of the "most popular tea break sites" in Beijing on Dianping.com, a Chinese website that allows people to comment on food and dining services.

The cafe is no more than 30 square meters and can accommodate 15 people at the most. A stray cat adopted by the shopkeepers purrs on a cozy cushion. The seemingly casual decoration and garden-variety menu appear to work against the popularity of the cafe, when I go to find out what's behind the online buzz about the shop.

"We Serve You with the Finest Coffee", the shop's motto on the back wall, jumps out at you when you enter the cafe.