Thursday 27 August 2009

Milk Bar - Soho W1

I had a good feeling about this place when it opened - from the same stable as Flat White, the name reminded me of my Aussie childhood (trips to the milk bar to buy Crunchie bars and underage ciggies) and it looked cool from the outside. I was not disappointed. In fact I love this place - I love the fact you can always get a seat, I love the vibe, I love the staff (but like I've said before - not in a creepy way) and most importantly the coffee ROCKS. My vote for London's primo flat white experience - looks great, tastes great, is great. They also do great food. I had a brief love affair with their bircher muesli, which was amazing - I didn't fall out of love with it, I stopped having it because I liked the way one of the guys prepared it and when he left whoever else made it did it differently, even though I'm sure it tasted the same - proves to me that presentation is half the battle with food. The dish I have consistently loved, no matter who prepares it, is the tuna and green bean salad. I have been trying to get healthy this year and avoid eating so much bread so I chose this first as a "healthy option" but since then I keep going back for more because it's so darn tasty. The main thing I go here for of course is the coffee - the flat whites in particular. Look at this baby...

I always take a moment before diving in to one of their flat whites to appreciate the beauty of the fern leaf and then I destroy it with my spoon, swirling the creamy milk around and separating it from the edges of the cup, mixing it in to the coffee. I know this is beginning to sound like coffee porn, but with this place drinking a flat white is right up there on a par with good sex (well, almost). I think maybe it's also because I often come here when I am a bit stressed, needing to get away from the desk for a bit, so it always feels like a relief when I take that first sip. I suppose what I'm saying is that going to Milk Bar is an all round good experience for me - I just hope it stays exactly how it is, because it's perfect.

Milk Bar on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

  1. Haha you are totally right rob, milk bar/flat white certainly know how to do good coffee! As an Australian living in London, this was always my go-to place. I just hope it stays a little bit of a secret so I can always get a table!

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  2. Harters - you should check out my coffee map, there are lots more places to try in case you need another go-to place (or 10)!

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