In the previous post, I was harping on about London's coffee revolution. It comes as a disappointment then, that a recent trip to one of London's independent coffee stalwarts, Grind Coffee Bar (not to be confused with Shoreditch Grind). Grind has a new outpost in the epic temple of mammon that is Westfield in Stratford. Stratfield as I like to call it. The great thing about this is that I can be guaranteed to grab a fantastic coffee to see me off on my merry way to the land of Kent for a parental visit as it is a stone's throw from Stratford International Station where you can catch the high speed service and be in the depths of Kentish countryside in under an hour.
The particular Saturday of my visit, I was in a foul mood. I was very tired and very grumpy indeed, coffee was needed. The strongest coffee, the richest milkiest coffee, something that would really satisfy me and caffeine jolt me out of my grumpity grump. I had just the thing in mind, a Herculatte. Yes, the Classics geek in me enjoys the reference to the eponymous hero, Hercules, but I needed caffeine in Herculean proportions and little else would do. My discovery of the Herculatte occurred in Toronto last Autumn. It was a true beauty to behold after a horrible all-night bus ride from Montreal. It was early and after a particularly disastrous order in Starbucks proved that their stuff just wouldn't cut it, we consulted the trusty guide book and made a bee-line to The Moonbean Cafe around the corner from Kensington Market. What could be better a better caffeine jolt than a triple shot latte? It was some of the nicest coffee I've ever had, this lovely little cafe roasts their own and they know their stuff. After drinking it, I came back to life and was no longer the zombie-off-the-bus-from-outta-town.
So it was on this particular Saturday that Grind Coffee Bar was my salvation, they would surely understand my need!
I know what I want and when I'm grumpy, don't mess with me. Especially if I haven't had coffee and you're the person who I'm expecting to provide me with the coffee that I want. On the menu was a flat white. Perfect, they do it in large as well - brilliant. Most places will only do a flat white in small which is something to do with the quantities or maybe just trying to differentiate it from a latte. Grind however does serve a large flat white but only if you're staying in and not for take away which I just find pointless if they have the large takeaway cups. So, I asked for it. A herculatte. Ok, they probably wouldn't have known what that was so, I asked for a triple shot latte. But no. I was to be let down, they don't 'do' triple shots. To which I just frowned at the guy behind the till (like I said, I was grumpy).
"All our coffees are double shot" as though this would be enough and make it all ok.
"I know, I've had your coffee before. Can I have a triple shot latte?"
"We don't do triple shots."
"Alright fine, I'll just have a normal flat white"
"I'm sure you won't be disappointed"
Well, I was because I wasn't drinking a triple shot latte which is what I wanted! No, the flat white was seriously nice but what is more irritating is the cafe's inability to listen to the requests of the customer. It wasn't until after I had left that I realised I could have just bought a latte and added my own espresso shot but the cafe should have offered to do this. I realise it would have made my coffee more expensive but I had pounds in my purse for caffeine purchasing purposes. Even if they'd bothered to ask me why I needed three and not two shots, they might have realised that I'm not a luddite who thinks that the coffee at Grind is going to be weak, I was just in need of that level of jolt. It's a customer service thing. It's also a matter of personal taste, I wanted everything that is a triple shot latte, the caffeine (did I mention that I needed caffeine?), the milky goodness, the coffee coffee taste. It also probably stems from too much time spent messing around with my own coffee machine and making really strong coffees.
Someone, anyone needs to start selling a Herculatte before I have to go back to Toronto and get one, but that would be an expensive cup of coffee.
Friday 18 May 2012
Tuesday 1 May 2012
They like to grind it in Shoreditch - Shoreditch Grind coffee
London's had a well documented 'coffee revolution' in recent years, with a seemingly ever increasing number of independent coffee shops cropping up all over the city. Good news for the independent businesses and good news for coffee loving Londonahs. More recently and somewhat controversially, the big chains have been upping their coffee game as well, which is no bad thing either but I think a big proportion of Londoners would rather opt for their local indie joint than generic chain.
We're so lucky to have the variety that there is in London and I quite often find myself on a coffee pilgrimmage of a weekend. This has been made much easier since lovely T bought me a beautiful book, 'The Independent Coffee Book' (London edition). This fantastic little book has info on over thirty of London's independent coffee shops, helpfully divided into London regions with maps included too. What's more they also tell you the type of coffee machine each place uses and whether the company roasts their own beans or not. You don't get much better than that. It's also perfectly handbag sized so I've made a habit of taking it with me of a day when I'm out and about. Keep an eye out for it as it's well worth the purchase. T even wrote little notes in mine giving reasons why we need to go and visit them, which is just amazing. Folks, take note - the book is an excellent gift for the coffee lover in your life - added notes make it so much more personal. I'm hoping that they're able to release an updated version very soon as it seems that there are many cafes that have opened since its publication that could definitely be featured.
Recently, a particularly hungover Sunday called for a bike ride and some fresh air. Then it started to rain. As everyone in the country knows, it hasn't stopped since. It's rained all April and we're STILL in drought apparently, how can this be?! Anyway, as one not in the know about the ins and outs of our ground water levels, my mantra of 'we need the rain, we need the rain, we need the rain.' is beginning to wear thin.
So it was that shelter was needed and nourishment, well, a bonus as it was the perfect opportunity to visit Shoreditch Grind. Though not featured in the aforementioned book, it's a great little coffee shop just off Old Street roundabout, perfect to dip into if you're waiting for a friend at the maze that is Old Street station. It's housed in a old building, apparently called The Roundhouse and I really like their old cinema style sign in front, I think they change the message every so often too which is nifty. I'm pretty sure it used to house some kind of mobile phone store before being empty for some time and the cool coffee joint took over in timely fashion because it's slim pickings for decent coffee around there as far as I'm aware.
Promoting themselves as East London's favourite coffee shop, I had to investigate this bold claim, and if the expansion plans mentioned on their website (into the courtyard at the rear of the building) are pulled off, then they may well clinch it. They don't roast beans themselves but have them roasted to their own specifications and they have a beautiful La Marzocco coffee machine for those who know how this can make a world of difference between coffees.
The coffee was really great and well-crafted as expected and the service was very friendly. They are clearly enthusiastic about quality coffee AND pastries. A vital mix! My only (minor) issue was the weird stools by the window. Not comfy! They look cool and are an obvious design feature but what happened to nice squishy seats in which to sink and hide from the downpour outside? The decor is spartan but that does work with the whole feel of the place and the 'normal' chairs probably do better on your behind but are still lacking in desired squish factor. I think it's a trait of East London coffee shops to not have sofas... but correct me if I'm wrong. That said, it's worth perching on those ridiculous stools for some of the best coffee in the area. The desire for squish was likely stemming from my hungover state after all. Shoreditch Grind is definitely well placed to serve a wide crowd from Shoreditch hipsters to the local office types and long may they continue to do so, it's definitely earned a place on my mental map.
We're so lucky to have the variety that there is in London and I quite often find myself on a coffee pilgrimmage of a weekend. This has been made much easier since lovely T bought me a beautiful book, 'The Independent Coffee Book' (London edition). This fantastic little book has info on over thirty of London's independent coffee shops, helpfully divided into London regions with maps included too. What's more they also tell you the type of coffee machine each place uses and whether the company roasts their own beans or not. You don't get much better than that. It's also perfectly handbag sized so I've made a habit of taking it with me of a day when I'm out and about. Keep an eye out for it as it's well worth the purchase. T even wrote little notes in mine giving reasons why we need to go and visit them, which is just amazing. Folks, take note - the book is an excellent gift for the coffee lover in your life - added notes make it so much more personal. I'm hoping that they're able to release an updated version very soon as it seems that there are many cafes that have opened since its publication that could definitely be featured.
Recently, a particularly hungover Sunday called for a bike ride and some fresh air. Then it started to rain. As everyone in the country knows, it hasn't stopped since. It's rained all April and we're STILL in drought apparently, how can this be?! Anyway, as one not in the know about the ins and outs of our ground water levels, my mantra of 'we need the rain, we need the rain, we need the rain.' is beginning to wear thin.
So it was that shelter was needed and nourishment, well, a bonus as it was the perfect opportunity to visit Shoreditch Grind. Though not featured in the aforementioned book, it's a great little coffee shop just off Old Street roundabout, perfect to dip into if you're waiting for a friend at the maze that is Old Street station. It's housed in a old building, apparently called The Roundhouse and I really like their old cinema style sign in front, I think they change the message every so often too which is nifty. I'm pretty sure it used to house some kind of mobile phone store before being empty for some time and the cool coffee joint took over in timely fashion because it's slim pickings for decent coffee around there as far as I'm aware.
Promoting themselves as East London's favourite coffee shop, I had to investigate this bold claim, and if the expansion plans mentioned on their website (into the courtyard at the rear of the building) are pulled off, then they may well clinch it. They don't roast beans themselves but have them roasted to their own specifications and they have a beautiful La Marzocco coffee machine for those who know how this can make a world of difference between coffees.
The coffee was really great and well-crafted as expected and the service was very friendly. They are clearly enthusiastic about quality coffee AND pastries. A vital mix! My only (minor) issue was the weird stools by the window. Not comfy! They look cool and are an obvious design feature but what happened to nice squishy seats in which to sink and hide from the downpour outside? The decor is spartan but that does work with the whole feel of the place and the 'normal' chairs probably do better on your behind but are still lacking in desired squish factor. I think it's a trait of East London coffee shops to not have sofas... but correct me if I'm wrong. That said, it's worth perching on those ridiculous stools for some of the best coffee in the area. The desire for squish was likely stemming from my hungover state after all. Shoreditch Grind is definitely well placed to serve a wide crowd from Shoreditch hipsters to the local office types and long may they continue to do so, it's definitely earned a place on my mental map.
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