Missing Link, Northriding

Thursday, October 07, 2004

Service: * * * * *
Food: * * * * *
Ambience: * * * * *
Babe Count: * * * * *

Firstly, the babe count. Three babes, one in an office, another at the bank of computers. The third is a little scale model of a porn star, with real nipples and vagina. She's on the boss's bookshelf.

The service. That would be Andre. Cappuccino maker par excellence. Hospitality king.

The food. Two items. The little chocolate biscuit, and the trademarked way of consuming it. Chew off the alternate corners, dip one end in the cappuccino, suck coffee up through the biscuit. As soon as the coffee hits the mouth, insert biscuit in mouth, and chew.

Mouthgasm.

They import the biscuits specially so that their clients can do the mouth sex thang.

And then the two slices of cake. Chocolate cake and caramel cake. Yes yes yes.

Ambience. Yup. Definitely a place to lust yourself into. The place looks and feels like a coffee shop. But there's a very big sign up that says, "We are not a coffee shop."

That's because they're NOT a coffee shop. They're a company called Missing Link, and they've got a few operating slogans. "Saving the world, one bored audience at a time." And, "Because you're boring and we're sick of it."

They make presentations for challenged companies. And there are heavy metal music videos playing on multiple screens hanging from the ceilings. And there are skateboards and drumkits in the spare room. And the MD has a little artists' model in chains, wearing a gimp mask. And there are dudes with tattoos and fuck'n hairstyles, and bolts in their eyebrows and nipples and other places. And they're seriously passionate about communicating and about being themselves. No shame. Viva!

Brad and I are here cos we're delving into the world-famous blogsite they've created. They are the dudes behind Jo'Bloggers! (http://missinglink.typepad.com/joblog/) And we're going to be featuring them on the tv series I'm co-directing. Watch this space.

And do drop in and ask Andre for coffee. But be prepared for the little reflex-testing gadget they bring out on special occasions. It's really quite shocking the lengths to which they'll go.