I really debated whether to write about
Coffee Plant - on the "for" side it did serve great coffee so seemed to fit (one of) the raison d'etre of this blog, plus it was in Notting Hill, an area I rarely visit these days so gave some variety to my Soho/Bloomsbury fixated travels. However I made a decision when I started this blog that I would only write about places that I liked, that this blog was meant to be about stuff I loved about this great city, so putting in snarky, negative reviews could be left to the majority of food/travel/coffee bloggers out there (and I'm glad these exist - it's just as important to know where to avoid). So back to why I was conflicted on whether to write about Coffee Plant - the service was shite, really, truly shite. The woman serving was the most unfriendly, angry person I have encountered in a retail environment in a long time - it does beg the question, if you hate customers so much why the f*ck are you working in a shop? After barking at us that we were not queued correctly to order coffee (we had to move all of about 2 feet to the left) she flounced off, leaving us to a nicer but slightly sheepish (and who can blame him) fella. Then she was back and some poor sap in front of us asked her for some more milk in his coffee - she almost threw the milk in his cup, slopping it over the sides in the process and then flounced off again. Anyway, on to the positive side the flat whites we had were really good - these guys roast a variety of Fairtrade and organic coffee beans and whatever was being used that day was delicious. As you can see from the photo, it is right in the middle of the food market on Portobello so on the Saturday we were there it was really buzzy and crowded - I imagine it's more pleasant and easier to get a seat during the week. So if you live in the area or are browsing the market, here is somewhere to get great take-away coffee and stock up on some beans or ground coffee - just don't expect service with a smile!
I have always thought this could be a great shop, but is let down by tts general scruffiness. Windwos are always dirty and you get the impression that it's not very well looked after. But the thing is that is is always really busy, even during the week. I don't drink coffee, but I suppose it must be good, as it has quite a lot of regular customers. I had a cup of tea there once and it was truly awful. I'd never go back.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments Tea - I was really in two minds as to whether to write about this place but in the end, a good cup of coffee always sways me! Sounds like you had a pretty crappy experience there - maybe they are just relying on the passing traffic to stay in business. It's a pity because the idea of ethically sourced, great quality organic coffee is a good one.
ReplyDeletenasty piece of work, she was; great coffee though!
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