Indie Coffee Cart - Church St NW8

INDIE COFFEE CART IS NO LONGER IN NW8 PUT PETER HAS OPENED A REALLY COOL CAFE IN BRICK LANE CALLED FULL STOP.

I love a coffee cart and so was keen to check out Indie Coffee, on the recommendation of my friend Rob who works around Edgware Road.  He had raved about how good this cart was and how it kept him sane during his full-on working week.  So on our trip to Alfies on the weekend, the other half and I sampled Indie's wares.  First impressions were that this must be the coolest looking coffee cart ever - part organ grinder, part Diagon Alley (did I just out myself as a Harry Potter fan...eek), this is a thing of a beauty, particularly wedged in the middle of the Church St market.  And the coffee?  Sensational (so much so that the other half had two in quick succession, on top of the two we had made ourselves that morning at home - caffeine overload).  Brewed with Square Mile beans and poured by an expert, this is top notch stuff.  So hooray for another entry on my Central London Coffee Survival Guide map and long live Indie Coffee.

Alfies Antique Market - Church St NW8

Ah Alfies - what a wonderful place.  I hadn't been there for years - in fact since I lived just round the corner near Sea Shells (London's "best fish & chips restaurant" - yeah right...*cough*...).  The first thing I noticed on the walk from Marylebone tube was that Lisson Grove had snazzed up a bit since I lived there.  The Church Street market was pretty unchanged (except for a great coffee cart...more to come on that) but there seemed to be more swish furniture/antiques stores than I remembered.  Alfie's was pretty unchanged - three floors of amazing vintage/antique/retro (take your pick) furniture, glassware, jewellery, paintings, homewares and general stuff.  I could seriously spend hours there - it's a treasure trove.  We bought a cool 60s stainless steel set with toast rack, teapot, milk jog, sugar bowl etc. all for £20 from a lovely fella on the 3rd floor who specialises in 50s and some 60s stuff, he also looks the part, quiff included.  I also bought an old 60s school book on ancient Britain (don't judge me - it is really interesting).  The only bum note and the one thing that did not live up to my memories of Alfies was the cafe - still has the very cool roof terrace but gone was the trippy piano player and the food and service was pretty dire.  I just love this place though - if you have never been, make it a priority this weekend, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

London Restaurant Festival 4/10 to 18/10

I never get organised enough to particpate in these sorts of things but this looks quite cool - especially as the LRF food market at Spitalfields has coffee from the wonderful Caravan.  So check it out: http://www.visitlondon.com/londonrestaurantfestival/

Crossrail and the end of a Soho block (or two)

I have ranted about Crossrail before - I mourn the passing of the Centrepoint fountain, don't even get me started on the Astoria and now I am faced daily with the destruction and complete removal of a whole block of Soho, specifically the block bordered by Oxford St, Dean St, Great Chapel St and Carlisle St.  Gone forever is the Bath House pub that used to be on the corner of Fareham St, the cool old building that housed the Black Gardenia bar just opposite and the amazing red brick warehouse on Fareham St with the arched windows (if you look closely at the photo above you can see the arches coming down).  You know what's kinda cool about Google Street View is that it's all still there - obviously their cameras went around Soho some time ago so you can actually see what it used to look like, which is sad...but cool.  And what will we get in return for losing this chunk of W1?  From the looks of the drawing a Canary-Wharf style station entrance for the new Tottenham Court Road tube and Crossrail station.  Is that worth the loss of a piece of "real" Soho?  I dunno - for me it's a definite no, but perhaps I am just being resistant to change/evolution.  What do you think?

Hooray - Brewed Boy is back

My favourite mobile coffee dude Rob, aka Brewed Boy is back on Rupert St in Soho after a short absence.  Gone is the dinky grey cart and in its place is a bigger, more permanent looking structure (even though it's not permanent so prob a bad description...) that gives Rob more room to stretch out and work his caffeine magic.  Apparently there is now also food, in particular some super-tasty sounding brownies but unfortunately they are so good that when I went by this morning they had sold out (twice no less).  Rob is also sourcing croissants so soon Brewed Boy will be your one stop breakfast destination.  Rob is also now part of eat.st which sounds intrigiung, check it out.  As readers of this blog will know, I love my Milk Bar, I am also fond of Lantana, Kaffeine, Tapped & Packed and others but without doubt the nicest overall coffee experience in London is Brewed Boy - great coffee, well made, served by one of the nicest fellas you'll ever have the pleasure to meet.  So get down and re-acquaint yourself if you are an old customer and if you are a newbie, do yourself a huge favour and become a Brewed Boy regular, it will get your day off to a great start.

Hatchards - Piccadilly W1

It was a tough call as to what was my favourite bookshop in London - I love Daunt Books in Marylebone High St and I am very fond of Foyles (and have blogged about it before) but I think the winner has to be Hatchards in Piccadilly.  It is the oldest surviving bookshop in London, operating since 1797, but it has no sense of stuffiness that usually goes with that "oldest surviving" tag.  In fact the staff are so lovely that you feel like you could hang out there all day (I would so love to do that, maybe popping down the road to the Wolseley for some sustenance now and again).  I feel sorry for Waterstones a few shops down - because who in their right mind would go there when Hatchards is nearby?  Having said that, Waterstones always seems busy (I don't buy books there but I do use their toilets sometimes!) - maybe I'll stand outside and make sure people are aware that if they just keep walking for another 50 metres they could be in one of the world's best bookshops.

Ginger & White - Hampstead NW3

I don't often get up to Hampstead and whenever I do I am struck down with a severe case of suburb-envy.  Oh it is lovely up there.  I had to go and pick up my friend Neil and I was a bit early so decided to park (only possible because it was a Sunday) and seek out Ginger & White, as I had read such good things about it.  Located in cute Perrins Court, which runs off the High St, just near the tube, my first impressions of Ginger & White were "looks cute" then "oh crap, it looks really busy" and it was, heavingly so.  I always think it is the test of a cafe how they deal with too many customers and these guys seemed to be doing...OK.  I hate the feeling of ordering something and then standing around feeling more and more awkward waiting for your coffee/salad/long island ice tea and at G&W I was just beginning to think "for f*ck's sake get a move on" when the coffee came.  And it was delicious, really good in fact - they use Square Mile beans and the over-worked barista poured an exemplary flat white.  I also (and those that know me will be surprised by this) enjoyed a lovely friand - although I had well and truly devoured it by the time my coffee arrived.  Sometimes I think there are just way too many people in London, at least at the places that are good - anyway at the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, if you are wandering round the leafy streets of NW3 make sure you take time to pop in to Ginger & White, they make great coffee.  Just try and pick a quiet time.

Lots Road Power Station - SW10

I have an obsession with derelict power stations (what does that say about me I wonder?)  Battersea Power Station is my favourite building in London and Lots Road Power Station in Chelsea also floats my boat.  There are developments planned and that always makes me nervous - but I suppose it is better than demolition.  I just love that you can really get a sense of what this precinct was like when the power station was up and running - obviously with the planned shopping/residential development, including I believe two high rise towers, this will all change.  So get down there while it still has its derelict charm!

Byron at The Intrepid Fox - W1

I always used to be a bit intimidated by The Intrepid Fox in Wardour St when it was a goth/metal pub - scary gargoyle hanging over the door, moody goths jostling you out of the way as they shuffled in, I was never ballsy enough to go in and see what it was actually like - which now I regret because it was a Soho institution that is no more (although they did move the crowd, the vibe and I think the gargoyle to that weird bar underneath Centrepoint - not quite the same).  Anyway - I thought it was going to be turned into flats (and maybe it is upstairs - I haven't noticed) but what actually transpired was that Byron, famed hamburger joint, opened a Soho outpost there.  Everyone raves about Byron's burgers and I had never been - given this location is a 5 minute walk from my work I'm not sure what has stopped me, perhaps because it is always so busy.  Anyway - today I went and man did I enjoy.  I had a blue cheese burger and it was SO good - it was lighter than most burgers and the meat was cooked to medium perfection.  The bun was great (often a let down) and I love a place where you get a pickle on the side.  The courgette fries were a nice touch and made me feel like I was edging towards that 5 a day.  The other half and I have been regular customers of the Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Battersea for over 6 years now and unfortunately we have experienced the quality go steadily downhill - particularly since it got bought and became a rapidly expanding brand.  It wasn't until I took my first mouthful of my cheese-burger at Byron today that I realised just how shite the GBK burgers are now in comparison to Byron's little beauties.  Whatever faceless conglomerate owns GBK now should be forced to dine at Byron so they can realise the many ways they are screwing up.  Anyway - go to Byron, it rocks (and you can drink a cream soda float with your burger, bonus!)

Nude Espresso - Hanbury St E1

So after recently visiting the Nude Espresso guys at the Rapha pop-up store in Clerkenwell I finally got around to visiting their cafe in Hanbury St in Spitalfields.  And very nice it is too - on Tom's advice I tried some of their cakes and had a lovely friand (the fact I am getting comfortable with ordering friands says a lot about how I am mellowing with age).  The coffee was spot on and the whole vibe of this place is great.  So as expected, a winner and in one of my favourite parts of London - I am a sucker for the Huguenot houses and wish Tracey Emin or Gilbert & George would ask me round for tea.  Having said that (oh cripes - I feel a rant coming on) on my visit to Nude and my wanderings around the area on that day I couldn't help but feel that Spitalfields has lost something.  I know I rabbited on about this in my post on Fournier Street but it struck me anew last week - in particular as I was walking through the market and was confronted with a Gourmet Burger Kitchen, a Wagamama and a Real Greek.  Why did we need that?  Wasn't there enough food on offer in the market already?  I didn't mind when the Square Pie Company moved in but why did we need every chain restaurant to follow suit?  I dunno - it just made me a little bit sad and a little bit wistful.  Having said that the area still rocks and perhaps you just have to go a bit deeper into Shoreditch or Bethnal Green or Hackney to recapture the Spitalfields of old? 

Cafe at The Bathhouse EC2

Surrounded by high rise office buildings behind the lovely St Boltoph's church near Liverpool St station, The Bathhouse is a weird one (in a good way).  I haven't been down to the basement restaurant/bar but it sounds cool - would be interested to hear any reports.  I have however visited the cute cafe, which is the only part of the venue above ground.  This place is actually an old Turkish baths - one of those built in Victorian times all over London (now mostly gone with the two remaining being the Porchester in Bayswater and Ironmonger Row in Shoreditch).  I realy liked the cafe from the moment I walked in - Motown vinyl playing on an old turntable, a friendly barista making coffee and delicious looking biscuits on offer (I had a chewy, gooey Florentine).  The coffee was good - not amazing but good (the milk was too hot which is always a big no no for me).  The cafe sees oddly out of place with the suity/city vibe of the area and that is part of it's charm - it seems like a slightly hippyish impostor in stuffed-shirt land and as such long may it proposer!

Just because...

http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/coffee/