Prufrock Coffee - Leather Lane EC1

I have been hanging out to visit Gwilym Davies' new Prufrock Coffee location on Leather Lane.  Having already had amazing coffee at the first Prufrock site in Shoreditch High St and having enjoyed many a fine coffee from Gwilym's stands at the Columbia Road and Whitecross Street markets, I was fairly sure I was in for a top notch flat white.  And I was right - it's amazing that now that we are so spoiled for good coffee in London you start to distinguish between "good" coffee and "excellent" coffee.  Just think, a few years ago I was forced to drink double tall lattes at (gasp) Starbucks and now I can take my pick and critique from at least 6 great cafes within 5 minutes walk of my office.  Anyway I digress - the flat white I had at the new cavernous Prufrock space in Leather Lane was sensational.  I am a little confused by the aforementioned cavern though - so much space and so little furniture!  Don't get me wrong - after crowding into many a teensy cafe (yes Flat White I mean you) it is nice to have some space (one of the reasons I really like Notes and Store St) but they don't seem to be using half of it.  Anyway - I am super excited about this opening (snigger) and I look forward to seeing how it develops and what they do with all that space.  Leather Lane is fast becoming the new coffee destination - I am very fond of Department of Coffee & Social Affairs just down the way.  I am surprised that the cafe called "All About Coffee" further down towards Clerkenwell Road still has the audacity to keep that name, given the contrast.  In case you are visiting Leather Lane around a weekday lunch time as I did I can highly recommend the lamb, halloumi and salad wrap stall - man, so tasty.  Also my other "insider tip" (although I'm not sure I qualify as a Leather Lane insider...) is that if you want a quiet spot to munch on your lamp wrap and slobber into your flat white, take a short wander into Dorrington St and find the church of St Alban the Martyr where there is a lovely peaceful courtyard with seats - a great little oasis, unknown to most.

Prufrock Coffee - Shoreditch High St E1

For many years (although it has been about 18 months since I've been there) one of my favourite ways to start a Sunday was to get an egg and bacon roll from the courtyard stall in Ezra Street, behind the Columbia Road flower market.   I could wax lyrical as to how reviving these were to my often hideously hungover state - but I'm sure you get the idea.  Eating one of these messy, greasy, delicious breakfasts while contemplating the morning's wanderings and seeing the crazy all-nighters staggering in and out of the Royal Oak was a small, simple joy that was part of one of my London top 5 things to do - Columbia Road.  Then I noticed the coffee cart next door and smelled the roasted beans and hoped beyond  hope that the coffee was decent - and Deo Gratias, it was.  After having thought I had created the perfect Sunday morning, it had just got even better with the addition of a top notch flat white.  What I didn't know was that the coffee cart was run by Gwilym Davies, as it's only over the last 6 months or so that this guy's name has been on my radar - fellow blogger Tom is a big fan and I trust his recommendations, then Robert (the nicest comment-writer ever) also name-checked Gwilym and recently Time Out (often late to the party) told us where to find good coffee in London and awarded Gwilym No. 1 status.  As I have since discovered he was also UK and World Barista Champion in 2009 so obviously this fella knows what he's doing.  This weekend, as part of an (only partially successful - see below) East End coffee mission, we headed to Gwilym's latest venture, Prufrock Coffee (loving the T.S. Eliot reference) at uber-cool clothes shop, Present in Shoreditch High St. The first thing you notice is the beautiful machine (detail in the photo above) with the traditional pull down handle to make espresso. Watching Gwilym pour milk feels slightly voyeuristic, as if you are watching something private and passionate and boy can he pour.  We started with a flat white and the combo of Square Mile beans, the top quality machine and the expertly steamed and poured milk was sensational.

Gulping that down like the true caffeine-junkie that I am I quickly ordered a cortado as a follow-up.  Great to see cortado on the menu - Fernandez & Wells call it a stumpy, at Dose they call it a Gibraltar but after discovering this "shorter than a latte, longer than a macchiato" coffee in Spain it will always be a cortado to me.  It comes in a tiny take away cup and was poured like a mini flat white, with equal love put into the latte-art on top.  All in all this was coffee at its very best - lovingly made, on the best equipment, with the best ingredients, by people who are top of their game.  Even though E1 is a bit of a trek for me I will definitely be back and I will be checking out Gwilym's Whitecross St cart as well - particularly as I hear that the queues at Columbia Rd are crazy these days.  The only downer to my day was that I made my second attempt to visit Taste of Bitter Love in Hackney Road to find it once again closed.  A very nice Aussie chap was there and was really apologetic and did say they would be opening on Saturdays in a couple of weeks so perhaps I'll give them one more chance...