LOOK MUM NO HANDS!

49 Old Street / Tube: Old Street, Farringdon

Website: www.lookmumnohands.com

Price: £11

Food:

• Beef & Chorizo Croquette
• Chicken, Ham & Pea Croquette
• Side Salad (Potato Salad, Red Cabbage, Chickpea and Cauliflower

What we thought

As some of you may know, there is a strong theme running throughout this coffee shop, and that is cycling. You may think that this is nothing to shout about? Bicycles and coffee shops tend to come hand in hand nowadays, and you wouldn’t be wrong to think this. Look Mum No Hands should not be associated with these shops though, and i’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate it either. These guys are completely dedicated to cycling and the cliental proves this. You’ve never seen so many cyclists sitting down for lunch, this place always seems to be busy.

It had been a long day of failed trips to a number of eateries and coffee shops for our usual Sunday brunch, we had always said we should make the trip to Look Mum No Hands and it seemed to be the only place still serving food. The walls are covered in huge photographs of famous cyclists with wheels hanging from the ceiling, it’s a large space and they have used it well, there is also outside seating away from the busy main road and plenty of space to lock up your bike.

We weren’t looking for our usual breakfast items as we had planned to have a big dinner in the evening, so we were looking for a light snack. Being huge fans of the Croquette we couldn’t resist trying theirs, we went for the chicken, ham & pea and the beef & chorizo, along with this we paid a little extra to get a side salad. We went and took our seat and waited for our lunch, it was immediately clear that the service lacked structure and organisation. There was one guy preparing all of the food, and i say preparing lightly. Our food arrived and we were pointed in the direction of the cutlery, and water, i’m hoping this wasn’t their regular service and that they were just understaffed. We bought this lunch to share, half a croquette each, this proved a little difficult though as one plate was twice the size of the other. The croquettes were soft and had obviously been warmed up in the microwave, taking all of the texture away from that lovely golden breadcrumb crust. The beef & chorizo was lacking seasoning and sadly chorizo, we cant understand how such a big flavour could be lost? The the chicken and ham was also very disappointing, the problem within both croquettes was the balance of flavour ingredients to mashed potato, every bite left a coating of potato on the roof of your mouth which was rather unpleasant. The salad was average, the cauliflower and chickpeas looked anaemic and lacked any flavour at all. Overall we found that the potato salad was probably the highlight, which after paying £11 was a pretty disappointing.

We understand that this place has it’s great qualities, highly regarded for coffee, according to the London Coffee Guide anyway, and somewhere for cycling enthusiasts to rest their aching limbs, but when looking for great food, this won’t be a pitstop we will be making again anytime soon.

Rating

Food: 6.5

Atmosphere: 7.5

Service: 7

Value: 7.5

OZONE

11 Leonard Street, EC2A 4AQ / Tube: Old Street, Moorgate

Website: www.ozonecoffee.co.uk

Price: £34

Food:

• Eggs Benedict on Bubble and Squeak Cakes with Bacon & Bearnaise
• Smoked Fish Kedgeree w/ a Poached Egg, Fried Shallots & Salsa Verde

Drink:

• 2x Flat White
• Raspberry Milkshake

What we thought

That time of the week had come around again, trying to decide on the venue for our Sunday breakfast. Having scanned through our ever growing list of places to eat breakfast, we decided on Ozone in East London. Luckily for us Ozone, like many others coffee shops in London, and have an all-day breakfast, making that morning lie-in that little bit longer, which i never a bad thing. Ozone is a fast growing company and brand, recently voted ‘Best Newcomer’ at this years London Coffee Festival, Ozone is a well-established speciality coffee roaster, offering single origin, that express their “unique region, variety, careful harvesting  in every cup”. Their shop on Leonard Street is not only a great place for a coffee, but also holds a great reputation for top quality food. Boasting a menu that is interesting and enticing using a fine selection of produce creating some truly delicious food.

Un-suprisingly it is busy when we arrive, we are offered a seat on the bar but decide to sit downstairs. They have really made the most of the space they have available, with the focus of upstairs being the kitchen and the beautiful Synesso coffee machine. The downstairs seems to be split between the roastery and more seating, making this an interesting environment to be in, with lots to look at. We took our seat on the end of a huge wooden table in what looked like a barista training room, and ordered 2 Flat whites to start. The menu is split into 3 sections, ‘Wake up’, ‘Lunchy things’ and ‘The eggs’. All contain classic dishes such as eggs, tomatoes, bacon and mushrooms, whiles also offering slightly more unusual choices such as fatuous with crispy pita, beetroot, radish, labneh and sumac. We decided on a fairly safe choice of eggs benedict and kedgeree. Given how busy Ozone was we were pleasantly surprised how quickly our coffees arrived, which were well up there with the likes of Kaffiene.Full of flavour, with the milk holding perfectly, right up until the final sip.Our breakfast was with us within 10 minutes, having not eaten anything that day we were very glad of this. The eggs benedict looked beautiful and was elegantly presented, slicing into the eggs the yolk oozed out over the bacon and potato cake perfectly, there’s nothing we hate more than a badly poached egg. The bacon was smokey, complimenting the sharp vinegary béarnaise and creamy yolk, the cut was thick so wasn’t as crispy as it could be, but added a certain meatiness which gave the dish real depth. The bubble and squeak potato cake sat in place of the traditional English muffin, this was crispy and soft inside, although we felt they were a little under seasoned but this may have been down to personal preference.  Having had an excellent eggs benedict at The Modern Pantry we had high expectations and felt Ozone put up a pretty good fight, serving a delicious take on a classic which we happily ate every last bit of. We also ordered the smoked kedgeree with a poached egg, crispy shallots and a salsa verde. This was the perfect breakfast for a cold winters day, full of warming spices and smokey fish. The poached egg was sat on top like a jewel, and once broken wept over the rice like velvet. The portion was very generous, more than enough for just one person and easily shared between two. The crunch of the shallots and spring onion worked perfectly with the soft fish and tender rice, making this a pleasure to eat. As one of us finds it rather difficult to avoid temptation when it comes to a milkshake we could help ourselves and ordered one in raspberry, which was a first. This was served in a large chrome cup, probably the cup in which it was made. This was sweet, but verging on being almost to sweet. I would love to see how these are made and what they are putting into their shakes compared to Dirty Burger and Creperie Du Monde, either way it was pretty bloody good.  We left Ozone very satisfied, feeling that our money was well spent and that we would definitely be visiting again. The standard to which everything at Ozone is delivered and executed is very high, we would recommend it to anyone who cares for great food and coffee.

Rating

Food: 7.8

Coffee: 8.5

Atmosphere: 8

Service: 8

Value: 7.8

 

GINGER AND WHITE

4A-5a Perrin Court, Hampstead / Tube: Hampstead

Website: www.gingerandwhite.com

Price: £24

 

Food:

• Eggs & Soldiers
• Bridge Farm Free-Range Sausages, Slow Roasted Tomatoes in London Bloomer with Onion Marmalade
• Carrot & Walnut Cake

Drink:

• 2x Flat White
• 2x English Breakfast Tea (Pot)

 

We have always been spoilt for choose for breakfast and boutique coffee shops whilst we lived in East London, however after a begrudging move to North West London we found ourselves a little lost for a new breakfast haunt.  On Saturday we decided to venture up to Hampstead village and see what offerings it could make, if any.  It would seem luck was on our side as we stumbled across Ginger & White, a beautiful looking café located on a cobbled side street which would look more at home in a costal town. Considering it was an absolutely hideous day the café we full to the brim but luckily 2 spots became free along the window seat.  The decor is comfortable and welcoming, a huge wooden table takes center stage, resembling a study desk in a library, covered in magazines, books and mugs of tea. This a perfect place to be on a rainy Saturday in London, 3 alcoves with comfy chairs lined the back wall, making this the ideal spot to sit, read a book and have your breakfast.

We went ahead and ordered two flat whites and to our pleasant surprise Ginger and White also stocked Square Mile Red Brick, which was a favourite of ours at Kaffeine. The coffee was rich and creamy, and we found here as well as Kaffeine, that Square Mile coffee appears to be a stronger and fuller bodied espresso compared to it’s competitors.  We are shown a small menu with a selection of breakfast treats and light brunches, we really like that breakfast is served all day meaning there is no rush to leave the house on a lazy weekend.  The menu is full of British classics such as eggs and soldiers and fish finger sandwiches and it is clear that the emphasis of this place is top quality British produce served in a simple manner allowiing them to speak for themselves.

We must have been feeling particularly patriotic on Saturday as we went ahead and ordered the sausage, roasted tomatoes and onion marmalade sandwich served in a London bloomer. The sausages sourced from bridge farm were perfectly cooked, soft and still juicy in the middle. Seasoned with mixed herbs and leeks, the flavour of these sausages created a strong foundation for a great breakfast sandwich. The marmalade was sweet and slightly tangy, which went perfectly with the roasted tomatoes and the sausages. The disappointing part of this was actually the bread, obviously a rather vital ingredient in a sandwich…It would have benefitted from being slightly toasted, to make it easier to eat. We also would have liked the sandwich to have been cut for us as using a butter knife to cut through a bloomer is like using a spoon to pierce a whole in an old belt.  Additionally we decided to order the childhood provoking eggs and solider served with the option of Marmite or Gentleman’s Relish. Being such a simple dish it would have been easy to spot the flaws. However, when the eggs arrived and we performed the bashing ritual, the eggs were perfectly cooked with running yolks and the toast was toasted to the point where it was crisp. We were served 2 eggs with the second egg sporting a mini egg cozy, which made us both smile.

There was no doubting that we were fitting to burst after our breakfast but the cake selection displayed beautifully on the counter had been whispering our names since we had arrived. Giving in temptation….yet again, we decided on the carrot and walnut cake. This was a deliciously moist example of a carrot cake and had added texture from the walnuts. The icing was sweet and with a hint of cinnamon running through it.  Over all a lovely cake, which of course could not be eaten without the addition of a pot of tea. The cake selection, although beautiful and clearly all homemade fresh that day were a little on the expensive side with a small bite size muffin costing £1.75, however we felt our cake was a big portion and worth every penny.

We ended up staying at Ginger and White for a good 2 hours, we felt comfortable, well fed and of course dry! There is no doubt that we will be going back for our lazy Saturday breakfast again.

Rating

Food: 7.5/10

Coffee: 8.5/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 7.5/10

Value: 7.5/10

KAFFEINE

66 Great Titchfield St / Tube: Oxford Circus, Goodge St

Website: www.kaffeine.co.uk

Price: £12

Food:

• Prawn, Mango, Tomato & Avocado Baguette (Toasted)
• Banana Bread with Butter

Drink:

• Flat White (Origin Coffee)
• Flat White (House)

What we thought

We have been meaning to come here for a long time now, their strong reputation for consistently great food and of corse, coffee, makes this one of London’s finest and most sort after coffee meccas. Founded in 2009, Kaffeine has been at the forefront of the cities coffee and food boom over the last four years. This is a cafe that prides itself on ” excellent, professionally made espresso coffee and loose leaf teas, our seasonal, fresh food and baked items, and service standards that are based on genuine hospitality” and it delivers exactly that. The decor is what you expect, hanging lights and lots of wooden tables which evokes a Scandinavian vibe  very simple but comfortable and easy on the eyes.

We took a seat in the window, and are shown the menu for the espressos that are available, this is something that we found unique to Kaffeine, it is rare that you get offered a menu offering a range of beans and origins. We decided to go for one of each, a guest single origin expresso from Sweden  and the house Square Mile Red Brick. The single-origin blend was fruity and sweet, where the house blend was smokey with a really smooth finish. Luckily we both preferred our own, meaning no sharing for once! The one thing that we found frustrating was the water, which sounds petty I know. We ask for two glasses of tap water and they arrive in what could only be described as thimbles, two sips and it’s gone. Meaning at least three trips back and forth to the jug for a refreshment.

As always we were were feeling greedy and let temptation get the better of us, and ordered a couple of things from the food menu. We decided to share a baguette, we have always found that baguettes are a bit of a risk, if they have been sitting there all day, they become stale very quickly, like floury cardboard. They gave us the option to toast our baguette, so we took it, on reflexion we felt the option to toast bread was maybe an indication that this sandwich had been made first thing.   The filling was prawns, tomatoes, avocado and mango, a little un-adventururous but still very pleasant. We also ordered a slice of banana bread, this was slightly crisp on the outside but rich and soft in the centre, this was served warm with butter and complimented the coffee beautifully. The portions were very generous and we left feeling very satisfied with our brunch.

Overall we really enjoyed our first experience of Kaffeine, the menu changes weekly and we will definitely be going back again. The coffee is by far the best we have  ever had anywhere, let alone in London, they understand coffee but don’t shout about it, ending up with a perfectly modest and humble flat white.

Rating

Food: 7.5/10

Coffee: 9/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

TAP COFFEE

193 Wardour St, Soho, W1F 8ZF / Tube: Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus

Website: www.tapcoffee.co.uk

Price: £10-15

Food:

• Chicken & Bacon Sandwich
• Chicken, Lemon & Garlic Ciabatta
• Lemon & Blueberry Cake

Drink:

• 2x Flat White

What we thought

We are regular customers to TAP on Wardour St, and is our favourite place to get a coffee in soho. TAP have three shops within central London, Rathbone Place, Tottenham Court Road and Wardour St, and each one is as beautiful as the next. The decor is easy on the eyes, nice big wooden counters, and those lovely big hanging lights that every one is lapping up. It is the attention to detail that we really love about TAP, the drinks are displayed in a big white Belfast sinks , and the sugar is served in Lyle’s Golden Syrup tin’s, with little trinket spoons from tourist destinations around the country.

The choice of sandwiches and baguettes at TAP is great, lots of fresh ingredients whilst also offering a range of salads, patisserie and homemade cakes. We decide to have one chicken & bacon sandwich, a chicken lemon & garlic ciabatta, a slice of lemon and blueberry cake and two flat whites. The sandwich’s are perfect, the bread is soft and most important of all at room temperature, there is nothing worse than a freezing cold sandwich, garage food comes to mind. The chicken is still moist and the bacon still has great texture, couldn’t have been better. The ciabatta is fresh and has a slight crunch with a lovely soft centre. The lemon and the garlic is a classic combination with chicken and it does not disappoint, with just the right amount of sauce. The cake is sweet and gooey, and falls apart in your fingers, the perfect way to finish lunch. As great as the food at TAP is, it’s the coffee that keeps us coming back, they roast they’re own, which you can also buy at the counter. There seems to be two guys that have been making the coffee whilst we have been visiting, we have found the quality of the flat white varies depending on who is making it, which can sometimes lead to disappointment.

This coffee shop has everything we look for, great coffee, great food, great service, and it also plays great music, can’t go wrong with that.

Rating

Food: 7.5/10

Coffee: 7.5/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

SHANE’S

62 Chatsworth Road, Lower Claptop E5 0LS / Tube: Hackney Central,  Clapton

Price: £16

Website: www.shanesonchatsworth.com

Food: 2 x Sausage with Duck egg on Sourdough Toast

Drink: 2 x Mug of Tea

What we thought 

There comes a moment every Sunday at around 11am when we turn to each other in bed and deliberate over whether we should go out for breakfast or stay in and cook but have to deal with the dreaded washing up. One Sunday, more likely after more than a few drinks the evening before we decided that washing up would be too much so we headed out. With Chatsworth Road market at the end of the street our journey to find breakfast never not takes long. Over the last 6 months we have become frequent visitors of the market, the small array of food stalls and an abundance of fresh local produce it is what I can only imagine Broadway was 5 years ago.

Shane’s can be found half way along Chatsworth Road, it’s a small unassuming place, simply decorated, invitingly cosy and a perfect fit for the eclectic mix of shops and eateries found ether side. A nice touch at Shane’s is there is 2 tables outside, luckily the day was barmy so we decided to take our breakfast outside. The breakfast come brunch menu offers a simple selection of typical breakfast dishes and some slightly less usual brunch dishes, the menu changes with the season and there is real emphasis here on fresh, top quality ingredients. We both choose the same breakfast dish, free range sausages served with a duck egg on sourdough toast.  The dish arrives and sadly there is only one egg, but that said, duck eggs are larger than a typical egg, so we are not too disappointed. The egg is well cooked, but not perfect, over done by about 30 seconds which is always frustrating.  The choice of sourdough is as always the right one, tough enough to create a good texture and with that distinct flavour which compliments the egg beautifully. The sausages are full of flavour and add meatiness that gives this dish heart and substance.

Over the last 6 months we have sampled a variety of breakfast dishes from an array of establishments, we find at the end of every meal we ask ourselves the same questions, ‘do you think we could have done better at home?’ Sadly Shane’s falls under the ‘Yes’ category. The breakfast was prepared to a good standard but really we could have picked up some beautiful bacon from the butcher on the market, some fresh organic vegetables from the green grocers and knocked up something that was fantastic at home. If you want to save on washing up and grab a good hearty breakfast than Shane is great but if you think you can do better at home, save the pennies and give it a go.

Rating

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Service: 8/10

COOPER & WOLF

145 Chatsworth Road,  Lower Clapton , E5 0LA / Tube: Hackney Central, Clapton

Website: www.cooperandwolf.co.uk

Price: Around £10

Food:

• Scrambled Eggs on Sough Dough Toast
• Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake

Drink:

• 2x Flat White

What we though

Over the last year we have both grown to love Hackney, and all of the wonderful eateries it has to offer. Luckily for me I managed to find a flat just 3 minutes up the road from the up and coming Chatsworth Road Market, see HERE to find out more. On a Sunday this little high street quickly becomes a bustling street party, and home to some of the best food stalls in London.

If you walk the street, past all of the stalls and shops you come to a little junction and sitting there on the corner of a quaint terraced street is Cooper & Wolf, always alive with people sitting on the benches outside.

Cooper & Wolf was established in 2012 so is fairly new, but in this time it has gained all of the respect it needs from the local community. Specialising in Scandinavian cuisine, they are offering something a little different to the area, the menu can seem daunting and confusing at first, but dont be scared to take a look over your shoulder and see what everyone is eating. Inside it is simple but beautiful, mismatch furniture, lots of colourful flowers in the window and an upright piano in the corner, this is comfortable place to sit and do work, or read a book in quiet.

It was Sunday morning and feeling to0 tired to cook something up ourselves we were looking for the next best thing. We decided to go with the scrambled egg on sour dough toast, which is reasonably priced at £4.40, although still at this price we really don’t want to be disappointed, as we know that we can always achieve a perfectly exceptable scrambled egg at home. We were far from disappointed, I would go as far as saying this was the best scrambled eggs I had ever had, buttery but not sickly, and as yellow as the sun in the corner of the window. Topped with chives, this added freshness and slight texture to the eggs. Sour Dough is the perfect choice of bread to accompany this, it toasts perfectly, is robust and full flavoured. You don’t want toast that is either goin to get soggy and fall apart, or be so dry it crumbles into a mess. To go with our breakfast we both had a Flat White, the coffee in Cooper & Wolf is amazing, and this might have something to do with it being supplied by our favourite roaster Caravan, for more details on Caravan see HERE. There are only two guys that make the coffee here, this keeps your experience consistant, a flaw that a lot of coffee shops seem to have.

As we went to go and grab a card for the book as we always do, we are instantly caught off guard by all of the beautiful cakes and patiseries on display, just taunting us. We decided to buy a slice of the Lemon & Poppy Seed cake with cream and berries, to take away, take a stroll down the canal and very quickly but elegantly finish off our brunch with this lovely spongy cake.

I highly recommend Cooper & Wolf, the service is great and the staff are always smiling.

Rating

Food: 8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 7.5/10

Coffee: 8/10