Fred Sirieix, the French TV star best known for his role on Channel 4's First Dates, made an unusual coffee order during a visit to a Merseyside café. The 54-year-old stopped at Love Coffee in New Brighton while filming a new series, describing the establishment as having the 'best coffee in town'.
A Surprise Visit
Fred arrived on Merseyside soil last week and asked his followers for recommendations ahead of his visit to New Brighton. He was spotted soaking up the views on the Wirral. After seeing the queues for Love Coffee while filming in the area, the TV star informed his team he wanted to stop by. Lee Chean, owner of Love Coffee, was completely taken aback when Fred arrived and ordered a coffee.
Lee explained to the ECHO: 'I'd been open as normal on Saturday and we had a little bit of a queue. A lady was in the queue and she was part of the production team and said Fred Sirieix was filming next door. She said he wanted to come and try one of our coffees, and asked if we were okay with them filming.'
The Unusual Order
Fred ordered a small cappuccino in a flat white cup. Lee recalled: 'I remember what he ordered because it was unusual. He ordered a small cappuccino in a flat white cup.' He joked: 'We might put it on the menu and call it the Sirieix special.'
The team enjoyed their drinks and had a chat with Lee and his wife Caroline, who opened the coffee shop together 18 months ago. They finished off by taking some photos outside the kiosk, when Fred took it upon himself to cheers his coffee to the camera while he said: 'The best coffee in town.'
Overwhelmed by the Compliment
Lee and Caroline were blown away. Lee said: 'I get nervous when other baristas come here or other coffee shop owners. For Fred to come and get a drink was such a privilege in itself and when he said what he said I was blown away. My head fell off.'
He added: 'It just makes us feel we must be doing a good job and we're on the right track.'
Community Support
Lee shared a post on Facebook after his unexpected visitor, writing: 'Yesterday was one of those surreal moments we won't forget. From opening our little coffee kiosk in New Brighton to suddenly having Fred Sirieix and a Channel 4 crew filming outside…life works in mysterious ways sometimes. A massive thank you to Fred for stopping by and for his incredibly kind words.'
The couple were met with immense support from people online, with many agreeing with Fred's statement. One customer called David wrote: 'Best coffee by a country mile. A celebrity hangout.' Another called Lorraine added: 'Brilliant, we were a day too late getting our coffee he must have heard you serve the best coffee.'
Speaking about the support, Lee told the ECHO: 'We felt really humbled, we're only 18 months old. For us, we've built this lovely community of people. We're literally around the corner from Costa and Starbucks. For people to choose us and come back is amazing.'
