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I had business to which I needed to attend in the UK, and after a few random stops to relax and caffeinate, I was surprised to hear about quite the vibrant barista community in London – including a world champion. Being an avid coffee [and dessert] lover,

with the help of some friends in Cambridge, I set out to fill my down time with some extraordinary coffee house experiences. Here’s my tour in the order in which it occurred; Hope you enjoy my fifteen interesting British coffee impressions:
Caffe Nero

Our friends at KLM got me safely from Philadelphia to terminal four at London Heathrow, but I needed to get back

on-line (not necessary now with T-Mobile’s data roaming) and find a cost-effective way into the city centre. On the advice of Traveler’s Aid, I hopped the public bus to terminal five. Didn’t find anything helpful for my telecom challenges, I did however find an excellent coffee place, and so I queued up as their sign suggested, at Caffe Nero! 🙂

It was a nice way to unwind from my transatlantic flight, and pass at least the twenty minutes required to get to off-peak period on the underground and save about what my refreshment stop cost on train-fare into London. It also turned out that Caffe Nero is a chain, and that this particular one at Heathrow is a cut above the rest in ambiance, pastry selection, and most importantly the quality of their coffee.
Caffe Nero, claims to be Italian inspired, with an eye toward authenticity, so I suspected they knew their coffee, and my cappuccino was excellent. The Brits know their caramel & shortbread, so I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising that The Caramel Shortbread was even more amazing than the superlative Belgian Chocolate Brownie! Better still it was after 9:30 by the time I was finished, which means that train fares had gone down! 😀 Since my initial visit, Caffe Nero has spread through the airport’s terminals and has even established a toehold in the colonies with a number of Boston area stores. Perhaps we’ll soon see them expand southward to Philly? [This location: 4 stars, St. Pancras 2 stars, others 3 stars]

 

The Desert Rose Cafe

I traipsed all the way out to zone 3 on the tube and took the “overground” to get to the East End burg of Leyton, and then walked about a mile to the tailor shop I sought, only to find it closed! So, what does one do after something like that? The obvious answer, in my case is stop for cake & cappuccino, of course. This is a very ethnic neighborhood, so I took refuge in a lovely little place called, “The Desert Rose Cafe”, to relax and refresh my spirit! 🙂 The people were very nice, the cutely cafeteria decor, with a decidedly Middle Eastern flair was pleasant, the cake was very nice, and the cappuccino was passably good. Honestly it may have been better than that, but it had an acidity that “read” like Turkish Coffee, which though perhaps understandable, is not necessarily desirable in a European coffee beverage. Overall, though my visit was enjoyable and fit the bill of refreshing my spirit. If you find yourself in Leyton, give it a try! [3 stars]

 

Massaros

I took a train to Cambridge and stopped at a place I had been specifically planning to go – and not for the coffee. Yet here I found the first truly wonderful cappuccino of the trip, which after a number of disappointing days in London discovering that the Caffe Nero at Heathrow was decidedly better than any I had since tried, was welcomely refreshing.

The place wasn’t the way I envisioned it (smaller than I thought), but it is nice, and even more cozy. The people are very friendly, and the Chocolate cake [pictured below] is EXACTLY what I expected, perhaps even more dense, and more rich, and more delicious – and BIGGER! The barista put concentric hearts on the foam in my cappuccino, and I don’t know if it’s the usual musical fare, but it was all a pleasant melange of American torch songs during my extended, multi-day experience here. There are surprisingly few coffee houses in Cambridge, and Massaros is head-and-shoulders the best.

On my second visit after a lot of shopping out near the university, I looped back to Regent Street and stopped for cake. I tried their gluten free almond cake, which they strongly recommended. Since I did that, I decided on mocha, and was surprised to be asked, “What kind?” It turns out that they have regular ground chocolate, ground white chocolate, ground chocolate with hot chili, cinnamon & cardamom (what I chose), and rose & black pepper!

On day three, I didn’t feel like breakfast at my hotel, so I headed down Regent Street! 🙂 Worth the walk. I continue to fall more and more in love with this shop! This is their “house mix of fruits, nuts, and seed, with organic yogurt & honey”, and an espresso!

…but I mean you REALLY have to see this stuff close up – and even then the picture doesn’t do it justice!

 

I swung by later for lunch and today’s choice was “ham, egg, cheese & tomato”, with free range ham, Norfolk Walsinham cheese & granary toast – served with fresh squeezed organic orange juice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went, directly, to my third pass down Regent Street, for dinner. A sandwich on Cibata bread with chorizo, goat cheese, and roasted red pepper, along with freshly squeezed organic lemonade. [5 stars]

 

Dose

Other than on the tube, there is virtually no straight line between any two points in London, not on the same block. It’s a maze (albeit a very nice one), and I picked my way around The Museum of London, and across The Barbican Centre and finally achieved my goal! It wasn’t much on the outside, but although the inside was rather small, it was quite inviting!
I ordered the bell-weather, a cappuccino (3 shot one), and asked for a pastry suggestion, and was told i “must” have The Almond Croissant, and so I did! It was so good, I had to go for round 2: Drip Guatemalan Diamante, with spiced apple and cranberry crumble They easily passed the test. Nice cozy place, some edgy jazzy music covering a wide spectrum, knowledgeable & friendly baristas, interesting
pastries and sandwiches – all in all, a really nice place! [4.5 stars]

 

 

 

Nude
Having NOT been fortified with oatmeal or caffeinated, I did some calling around and found a place open until 6, and contrived to go. The TfL Travel Planner said I should take the 156 Bus to, where else?, Liverpool St., where I had been half an hour earlier from the then closed Barbican station. A LOT of busses came by, but not the one I needed. Once it was ten minutes late, I gave up and walked the whole way and finally after passing a cute little Sunday market near Bishops’ Gate, I found the place.

I walked in to a bunch of fluffy, Techno-Lite, Pop music. The place was pretentious in it’s attempt to be “hip”. The decor was spare and all the furnishings are either 3rd tier restaurant furniture or cheaply laminated, mass produced, copies of very simple and elegant modern “art furniture”, intended to be “forward” looking. The place was PACKED, and oddly, the reason seemed to be “The Nude Breakfast”, their take on a full English breakfast! I was at the front of the queue, and a table opened up just behind me, and I motioned toward it and asked if I might sit there (a table for two – as small as they come). I was told to please hang on and I’d be seated by “ksjdhlk”, the mumbled name of some girl who had just departed for the nether regions downstairs. Some couple from BEHIND me was seated at the table near the window and after waiting over 5 minutes, some OTHER girl whisked me away to the furthest table in the back, already occupied by 7 other people and directed me to a seat on a bench facing the back wall. I almost walked out, but I was hungry and their salad looked good.

The salad I ordered, really was lovely, and a good value for the asking price. The British-made still, Sicillian Lemonade (I had specifically ordered & been promised sparkling) was also excellent. It was just difficult to enjoy, facing the back wall of a noisy, lively place, with a bunch of people who were clearly uncomfortable to be sharing a table with me! So my potentially very enjoyable lunch, became a trial. I asked the waitress if there was someplace I might plug my phone battery to charge and curtly told, “No”, which in reaction to my incredulous look was modified to, “Not now; Maybe later”. Her tip rapidly declined further (and later never came). They seem to subscribe to a Chinese restaurant model: ‘git ’em done! It seems to be all about turn-over – no buy a coffee and stay all afternoon at this place! My waitress, who had seemed purturbed that I hadn’t ordered my coffee & dessert stright away, cleared my place, when I was done with my salad, and asked, “So are you ready for pastery & coffee now?” I indicated I was and she informed me, “Ya know what? I don’t think we have any more pastry! (at 1 in the afternoon) and then asked, “Do ‘ya want a cookie?” !!

I told her I had no idea what they had, and she responded, “Well, you’d better come and have a look then!”, motioning for me to follow her up front. I selected 2 items, and ordered a cappucino. She put the desserts on a plate, and handed it to me, saying “Why don’t you take that back with you, I’ll bring back your cappucino when it’s ready.” An Asian waitress making her way up from the back, smirked. I waited over 15 minutes and finally the waitress stopped by and inquired, “Don’t you have your coffee yet?” In a tone of voice which seemed to indicate that somehow I was remiss. I replied in the negative, to which she responded, “What kind was it, then, I’ll check.”, in a tone that seemed to indicate she was doing me a great favour! Tip precipitously declining, she brings “the coffee”. It was good, but as you can see, sloppily presented, with something very gloppy looking on the foam. The dessert items were nothing special. I asked for my bill, which also took forever, and when I got it proceeded to the front to pay. The aforementioned Asian girl was the cashier. I gave her the bill for £12.60, and she swiped my card and handed me a receipt for £30 to sign!! I balked, she apologised rather lightly and made some excuse about mixing up bills and voided the charge. I informed the front counter staff that I was decidedly unimpressed with their establishment, regaled everyone within earshoot with the tail recounted here, and informed her that the slash through the line for the gratuity was meant to indicate that I had not forgotten the tip, but rather, as custom intended, rendered unto them exactly what their service was worth! [1 star] In fairness, the place has a good reputation and subsequently other coffee house owners in London expressed great surprise about my experience and encouraged me to give them a second chance. Had I had the time to do so, I would have and there’s clearly potential here, so perhaps you should give them a chance too.

 

The Department of Coffee & Social Affairs

There was trouble on the Victoria Line, that got me running late, so I didn’t get breakfast. My tailor had coffee waiting for me. He’s a fantastic at what he does, but not very demanding when it comes to coffee. It was scorched. 🙁 So when I left, it was straight on to make my next stop listed on the golden ticket I acquired in Cambridge.

Now this place has techno, and some ETHNIC techno too! It wasn’t overly heavy, but not all bubble-gummy either! The interior has a lot of raw unfinished wood flooring, exposed old brick and concrete work, and a lot of glass at the front with white woodwork lightening things considerably. The minute I walked in the door, a gent named, “Dave” was there to help – really, genuinely, help. …oh, and rush? Oh no – take all the time you like, mate, no worries! 😀 This place is a winner!

By the time I arrived, I was SERIOUSLY hungry. If you look carefully at the last picture, the chalk board advertises a sandwich with “rare roast beef”. That got MY attention. It was incredible, tomato, some leaves and the most miraculous touch, horse radish mayonnaise! Not too crazy hot – just

enough. …and the same with the sour dough bread – very subtle, not, “in your face”. Same British, Sicilian lemonade as the other day. It was WONDERFUL.

After the meal, I had that, for which I had originally come: a cappuccino and a piece of “chocolate cherry cake” – a moist chocolate fruitcake with chocolate icing. It was moist, and delicate, and the cappuccino was excellent, as was the service, which all around was sincerely gracious, friendly, and helpful.

Something caught my eye coming in the door, and since I still had half my cappuchino left, I decided to order it as a second dessert. They are called, as I found later, Afghan Biscuits. They are an epiphany! I sold three whilst gushing to the owner about them! I was speaking with the owner, because evidently I made quite the stir with the staff, who found my choices, opinions, and preferences to be quite very astute. I was asked to participate in an impromptu tasting of some drip preparations of new beans they had just received – shades of what my dad had us doing many evenings, with root beer, when I was a kid! [5 stars]

 

 

 

TAP Coffee

This place has a real “underground” feel to it. Bare hanging bulbs with threaded steel plumbing pipe for conduit. Unfinished wide plank, nailed floors, couches in brown ultra-suede, benches and tables of barely finished planking,

 

 

 

 

and Salsa music! A very friendly and knowledgeable staff made it particularly inviting. The Queen Victoria Cake & cappuccino were both excellent! The front of this establishment is marked only by large text saying “No 26”, so when you see that, you are at the right place! [4.5 stars]

 

Prufrock

Today’s first stop on the espresso tour was near to where I was yesterday afternoon, just around the corner from The
Department of Coffee & Social Affairs, at Prufrock. Prufrock has quite the reputation and is run by a former world’s champion barista. I was determined to find out for myself with breakfast!

The place seems like it is trying to channel The Department of Coffeee & Social Affairs (or vice versa), with it’s all rough wood and exposed brick. On the plus side, it has higher ceilings and seems more roomy. The problem is that EVERYTHING seems overly industrial. The corregated, galvanized roof; the poor fit and finish on some VERY heavy metal casements and soffits; the flooring plank width – neither wide enough, nor narrow enough to be cute; the spareness of the open space and the industrial looking machinery, all conspire to give it the feel of some colonial coffee processor somewhere in the third world. Maybe that’s what they intended, but if so, they got a little too much realism for my liking! :p They played an eclectic mix of classical & jazz, which was fine by me and did a lot to mitigate the industrial atmosphere. The staff was a weird mix of colloquially off-hand, and French restaurant back-offish, but the were genuinely helpful, and the contrast formed some sort of weird balance that did not offend.
I mentioned that I wanted breakfast, they JUST took down the sign for organic porridge when I came in, but graciously offered to make me one anyway. The choices were to have it with honey & banana, or jam (strawberry or raspberry, today). I would have gone with the former, but for the bananas looking greener than I like them, so I asked for raspberry jam. A moment later, whomever was in charge of the shop asked how I wanted that “dressed”, inquiring whether I wanted milk, and if so, warm or cold. I opted for warm, and by milk, they meant the European variety, which is closer to half & half! It was wonderful, as was the cappuccino.

…and of course, being me, there had to be a sweet at the end! They REALLY pushed the banana bread, saying that it was “quite brilliant toasted and buttered up one side.” So, especially with it being breakfast and not sure if I was ready for serious chocolate or anything as heavy
as the German Cheescake (a baked cheesecake with raisins), I took them up on it, and it was quite nice! …and of course, if one dessert is good, then two has to be better! They brought out a marzipan tart, and I couldn’t resist! If they had put it out a few minutes earlier, I would have taken a pass on the banana bread! It was REALLY nice! [5 stars]

 

The Espresso Room

After almost getting arrested taking pictures requested by a friend at a trendy London clothing store, doing some shopping on Oxford St., and making a quick stop back at my hotel to look for the lovely Italian girl & see if SHE wanted to see The LSO, I took off to find the next stop on my coffee tour: The Espresso Room.

This place is SMALL! I mean REALLY small – and spartan – but they seemed friendly, and had some simple but good looking baked goods that they let me have a sample of before buying. They also went through quite a lot of bother to find somepace in this rabbit warren to plug in my charger and phone battery! 🙂 I placed my order, was told to take a seat and they’d bring it, and then Norbert & Kitty struck up a conversation with me. Kitty got so involved with our chat that she ruined the look of my cappuccino by “overfilling” it (really, it was only the barest amount overfilled, it was more a matter of her pour rate w/ the steamed milk being too high). Still flavour-wise it was excellent! Soon, two women – Canadian & American, their suppliers of backed goods came in and things got really lively. I was having a really nice time and would have happily stayed longer, except I had to get to the symphony, and they were closing in 5 minutes.

I had a very lovely White Chocolate Cranberry bar with a delicious cappuccino! I was also gifted with a “Coffee Map of London”. I felt like I was amoung friends here. So, the next day, I jumped on the tube at Piccadilly Circus and headed for Russell Square and beyond to The Great Ormond Street Childrens’ Hospital to drop in again! Norbert seemed pleased, and Kitty, when she turned around lit up like a Christmas Tree and said, “It’s YOU! You came back!” and then asked me 3 times in a row how I was! :p She cleared off a bench behind the counter and told me to sit there so we could talk. While she straightened bins and stocked pantries we talked and talked. She says their porridge is really something special. I told her that I’d love to try it, but I had an early appointment the next day, so either I’d have to come out VERY early indeed or chance missing it (they allegedly sell-out by around 9:30 AM, when I’m supposed to be in Leyton. She told me, “Don’t worry – just promise you’ll come, and I will make huge, MASSIVE amounts so that we will not run out!” She seems really sad I’d be going home on Sunday, and with an offer like that, how could I refuse? Porridge was promised & porridge was gotten, the very next afternoon, dressed with steamed milk, bananas, honey, grains, nuts, and dried fruit! :p Yummy! …and, of course, a lovely cappuccino to go with it, and a chocolate croissant to finish! [5 stars]

Monmouth

After a visit to Shakesphere’s Globe Theater, the closest coffee stop on my list was Monmouth, and I’m so glad our route that day chanced to take us their way! This place has a pleasant hustle and bustle and is pretty chaotic. The offerings on baked goods are rustic but satisfying. I had an apple tart and a very rich brownie. The coffee was not possessed of the same quality of foam art as some of the London outlets, but the cappuccino was excellent. [4.5 stars]

 

 

Fernandez & Welles

This place is small, but not too small. It’s decor seems to balance a happy medium between The Department of Coffee, and Prufrock. It is industrial but in an artsy sort of way. Even things that are rough or distressed seem to be intentionally so, in very well thought-out ways, and carefully and subtly placed to make a cohesive and pleasant whole. The thing that makes this space work so well is it’s artsy-ness and attention to detail, and the really well done lighting, if not for which, especially on a drippy day like today, would be lost. The music here was new-age rock with decidedly international flavours. Not MY first choice, but it worked in their environment and was pleasant.

The very gracious staff greeted me and took my order and couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating. They left my bill open because I planned for cake and coffee after my lunch, and found a spot to plug in my spare phone battery, without hesitation or displeasure of any kind.

Having gotten a late start, I came in the middle of the lunch rush, and I was hungry. This place is clearly NOT just about the coffee, but also pastries, cheese, wine, cured & roasted meats, olives, pickles, juices, fruits and the like. I was hungry, so I ordered a roast pork, manchego, and tomato sandwich on baugette. The barista very nicely toasted my sandwich, to the point of lightly crisping the bread, and slightly melting the manchego. It was wonderful. I had it
with another round of that lovely British made Sicilian Lemonade (which not all that long ago would have been an oxymoron). After the fact, I was a little sad, because I too late noticed, on the blackboard, that they had Citron Presse (a good old fashioned lemon squash)!
There seemed to be a lot of good, home-made dessert choices, so I asked for a suggestion and was told hands down, the pick-of-the-litter was the butter creme & rose layer cake. It was about as rich a butter creme cake as I can imagine, infused with the most fragrant old rose petals conceivable, and it was marvelous!! This is a VERY British concept and the kind of thing near impossible to find in the USA – occasionally in Canada, but rarely if ever at home, in the USA. The cappuccino was excellent and accompanied the cake well. Honestly though, had I known the cake was going to be THAT rich, I may well have opted for strong, black, drip, especially considering the HUGE & generous hunk they gave me (and served to everyone else getting cake). The thing that impressed me, was that the other barista, who happened to be the one to serve the cake, checked it – even though it clearly was fresh today and “selling like hot-cakes”, it is the sort of thing that “stales-up” quickly – and cut a thin slice off of both ends (which she tossed in the trash) before dividing the rest between another patron and me. [5 stars]

 

LJ Coffee House

The next stop was about three blocks along near St. Anne’s Church. LJ Coffee House seems clearly a gay hangout, in a clearly gay neighborhood, which probably explains why this one is more refined than most. it comes off much more like an exclusive club, or smoking room, or something along those lines, than most others I visited. They’ve got a lot of comfortable, brown, couches very reminiscent of those in my dance studio, a bunch of coffee tables to service each conversation pit, and a small counter at the window with some really memorable stools. It is a very nice place and their music was an eclectic mix of American torch standard, jazz and off-kilter traditional music (e.g.: a doo-wop version of “Auld Lang Syne”).

Picking out a dessert here was difficult. There was a LOT of nice looking stuff. Something called “Millionaire Shortbread” (shortbread with a thick layer of caramel, topped off with an equally thick layer of a hard, dark chocolate icing). I asked for a suggestion and was told that that was their “best selling sweet”, but they suggested the “Sticky Toffee Sponge” (pictured), which was lovely. The cappuccino was much bigger than most, and very nice, if not as snazzily finished, but the choice to “dress it” with dark chocolate chunks was ill-advised. Once the heat got to them, and the foam dissipated a bit, they ended up in the coffee, turning my drink from cappuccino to some sort of ersatz mocha. If I wanted a mocha, I’d have ordered one. I also felt there was far too much foam on my drink. Don’t take the criticism as being too harsh. The beverage was still enjoyable and of high quality, but I’ve been to a lot of really good coffee houses, so subsequently the places I frequent are going to have to step it up to get top honors! [4 stars]

“Get thee behind me, Starbucks!!!” >;) The evil goddess of coffee is better than going without, but is the barista of last resort! In our country, I’d go to Cosi before Starbucks, and in the UK, Caffee Nero is a better choice.

 

Foxcroft & Ginger

I was left in Limbo by my tailor by some mix up or another, so rather than head over to the Tate Gallery, I was off to Soho for coffee stop two of my very mixed-up day!
Foxcroft & Ginger has exposed brick, tile bricks, exposed vents, red painted  pipes, very early 20th century industrial lighting, wide wood plank floors.It also has some wood cut from tree trunks and finished with things like the bark still on. They were pleasant & helpful. The music was ALL over the board and the only common theme I could discern was the employment of turntable effects in most selections.

I chose the delicious, Victoria Creme Cake – almost unadulterated sweetened butter, raspberry jam, and sponge cake dusted with confectioners’ sugar – accompanied by a very nice cappuccino. [4.5 stars]

 

Store Street Espresso

Next stop on The Espresso Tour took me through Charing Cross on The Piccadilly Line and then on The Northern Line a stop or two, to a place I hadn’t otherwise heard of, listed in the book I received from my friends at the Espresso Room. Store Street Espresso is a very nice blend of industrial and refined. It’s really busy with students. It’s also big enough to handle the crowd, which tends to hang around for long periods of time. The crowd is very open and friendly – a number of people talked to me, and others made it very clear that they didn’t mind my listening into their conversations, when some debate or another caught my attention. The staff was polite, friendly, and attentive, and again dealt with my phone battery charging without hesitation or complaint! The music is an eclectic mix of off-beat “world music”, including, at the time I walked in, some light Neuvo Mariachi.

My only problem with this place was that they really lacked in the pasty department. Granted, a brownie would have worked in a pinch, and the cinnamon swirl they gave me was nice, but that was as rich & high end as things got! The cappuccino was nice, but perhaps just a touch more sharp than I would have liked. [3.5 stars]

 

The Hackney Pearl

My tailor had an appointment in Central London, and I had a one in the less-than-posh East End, with a full English Breakfast, in Hackney Wick!

I ran down the block and just missed the 48 bus, which turned out to be good, because I realized I had left the bag with my sneakers back at his shop! After retrieving the bag, I just missed the 48 – again – and one of the local shop keepers who had seen me repeat my unsuccessful bus chase down, twice, advised me to take the 55 to the 30. I ended up doing the 2nd leg on The Overground, and at 1:05 PM, reached the last stop on my coffee tour! The cafe is also a bar. They have a lot of snack items, a nice lunch/dinner menu, and cocktails, wines, and also ports, sherries, and the like. The music selections are mostly Celtic and folk. The place is abuzz with conversation – loud, but not too, yielding a very pleasant ambiance. It’s a nice, bright, interesting, space, and the staff was friendly and attentive.

So the reason all the events of this description, and my very specifically 1:05 PM arrival are important, is because breakfast “stops” at 1 PM, and they wouldn’t let me have it, even at a scant 5 minutes after! >.< So, I ordered lunch – a sandwich with Aubergine (eggplant), tomato, basil, and mozzarella, accompanied by some English cider made with two kinds of apples. It was excellent (and probably a lot healthier than what I had come out there for in the first place).

Ok – get it out of your system – say “Eeeeew!”, get over it, and brace yourself for a wonderful treat from their very lovely pastry card: Chocolate Log with Tea soaked Prunes! …and of course a 2 shot cappuccino. They went a little heavy on the cocoa for the dressing, which I did not like, but even so it was not ruined, and remained an excellent cappuccino [4.5 stars]

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