TAP Coffee - Wardour St W1

Firstly dear readers (if any of you are left), apologies for the woeful lack of blog posts over the last month.  Life, as it does, has been taking me in other directions lately and I have not been able to devote the time I would like to this l'il ol' blog o'mine.  Secondly, not sure if it is as a result of the afore-mentioned slackness but the volume of spam comments has gone up considerably.  I keep getting comments from "Anonymous" in the vein of "Hello dear, this blog is truly an amazing word and changed my life, please visit me here: cheap car insurance".  I feel like London Stuff has suddenly risen to the top of some cyber-traffic-scammy thing.  Anyway - enough about that and back to the business at hand - in particular the exciting news that the lovely folk from Tapped & Packed (or TAP Coffee as they now seem to be called) have opened a new gaff at 193 Wardour Street in Soho.  The TAP formula is a simple but effective one - stripped back decor, excellent, lovingly prepared coffee and great food with lots of gourmet sandwiches and tasty salads - and they have replicated that perfectly in Wardour Street.  The space feels bigger than either Rathbone Place or Tottenham Court Road and perhaps because of this bigger space, they have decided to separate the coffee machine from the food/cash register area, which is a little weird but kinda works.  If I had to level one criticism (and I am kinda jet-lagged and snippy today so feel the need to gripe) it would be that the combination of the high seating and low-hanging lights on the right hand group of tables put me in danger of either banging my head on the lamp or at least scorching the top of my head if I lent in too far.  But you know what, that is a small niggle in what is overall a really lovely cafe, with the usual top notch flatties being churned out and a selection of really yummy food.  The TAP guys know what they're doing so if you are already a fan of theirs, or if you are yet to experience the TAP way, get your arses down to 193 Wardour and check out this welcome new arrival on London's ever expanding coffee scene.

NEW Tapped & Packed - TCR W1

Tapped & Packed in Rathbone Place has been like my mistress.  Let me explain - I was married to Milk Bar and I was very much in love, sure I cheated now and again but I always came back to my main love and I never wanted to stray far or for long.  Then a sexy newcomer entered my life, just that little bit closer to where I worked and I found myself spending more time with them and then one week I realised I hadn't been to Milk Bar at all that week.  After the flood of guilt, the recriminations, the soul searching I decided that that's life - sometimes you meet someone and it is for ever, other times you have an intense, wonderful year or two and then you realise that actually you are better off as friends - catching up with them now and again, always pleased to see them, a touch of poignancy about those heady days when you were lovers...  OK now I've got that off my chest, back to Tapped & Packed, that saucy minx who won my heart.  The combination of excellent coffee, great staff, cool premises and delicious food makes the original Tapped & Packed a winner so hooray that they have decided to replicate this formula at the unlovely end of Tottenham Court Road.  With a great corner location and a more spacious feel than the original, this Tapped & Packed is sure to be a winner - my coffee was totally up to Rathbone Place standards and the same excellent food selection is avaiable.  There was even a face from the mother-ship there to make it all feel very familiar.  So lucky you if you  work around Warren St - you just got a new hang-out.

Tapped & Packed - Rathbone Place W1

So this place has only been open for 2 weeks and walking past all you see is a big "No. 26" on the outside - however I think it is called Tapped & Packed and there is a website, Facebook page and Twitter feed (see here)  and a blog which is so 2010.  Anyway whatever this place is called, I love it and it is within spitting distance of where I work so I am one happy bunny today.  I had an exemplary flat white, made with Climpson & Sons beans and also had a mighty fine bircher muesli-like concoction (although I shouldn't have added honey, it was sweet enough without).  They are also brewing single origin coffees with the added (and unique for London I think) feature of being able to choose the brewing method - filter, cafetiere, siphon or aeropress (the siphon is so cool - like a chemistry experiment).  They also use some Square Mile beans so the variety if fantastic.  The food options are limited for now but are all really good - a selection of pre-packaged sandwiches and salads (but good quality) for lunch and some tasty looking cakes.  So go and check these guys out - they are super new and they are just the sort of place that we all should be supporting.  Down with the chain stores - long live the indies!