Recently in London Category

Two things I love: cycling around town and coffee. During my week off work I got to indulge in both quite a lot. Sure, I did other things (saw the film Synecdoche, New York and Don John the musical, found my local library, splurged on a session at an expensive Yoga studio, went to the seaside) but mainly I did a whole lot of cruising and drinking. Here is a short list of what I consider to be the best places in London to enjoy a really good cup of coffee (you don't even have to cycle there). It’s by no means a complete map of good coffee places in London, it is particular to me. If I find someplace new I may even come back and add to this post. Also, let me know if you know of any really good spots.

Tinder Box - Islington [Angel] - Their espresso and macchiatos (machchiati?) are perfect. Their espresso is a rich and warm roast. They do put too much milk in their steamed milk drinks for me, and their pastries are bland. But the coffee is a good enough reason to go there and have a look down on the shoppers in the N1 Centre.

Dose [Smithfield's] New coffee shop that serves Square Mile Roasters coffee, my new favourite brand. Small place but very friendly. Haven't tried the food there yet though…

Monmouth Coffee [Covent Garden, Borough Market] Consistently roasting fine coffee for years, their espresso and milk drinks are still very good. Espresso is quite syrupy. Don't do large gallon-sized drinks, which is nice. Pastries from French chain Paul, are hit and miss. Cookies and Macaroons are quite good.

Above: Cafetiere at Cafe 79, Primrose Hill

Café Seventy-Nine [Primrose Hill] Serves Monmouth Coffee in a cafetiere, which is an enjoyable way of enjoying good coffee as long as you have to clean up the grounds later! (At home I use filters for convenience more than anything else - I don’t feel the paper spoils the taste). The vegetarian breakfasts, salads, soups and cakes are excellent too.

Orange Pekoe [Barnes] When I lived in this area I went here as often as possible. Although the focus is on tea, they do excellent cappuccinos. The dark Valrhona chocolate shavings they add on top is the perfect touch (as normally I don’t go near any 'chocolate' on top of a cap.) The sandwiches, breakfasts and cakes also really good.

Other places that get a mention: Konditor & Cook [soho, borough market, other locations], Milk Bar & Flat White [soho] , Brill [Exmouth market].

And … Coffee Chain: EAT If you are stuck someplace without any independent coffee sources, you can do far worse than EAT. They use organic milk, and their espresso is good enough without it.

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Above: Flyer for Nocturne event, Smithfield Market, Clerkenwell.

And since this post was mainly about coffee, in order to get some cycling bit in: There is an evening cycle race around Smithfield market coming up next month, it looks cool.

I don’t have enough money to travel at the moment. But I have decided that should not encroach on my right to take a holiday. So I am looking at next 9 days without work, but also without flight or hotel reservations. I used to believe that a vacation always meant going away. But that idea was borne out of necessity, as when I used to live in America I only got the standard 2 weeks of vacation a year. Over the past few years, mandatory travelling on holidays has meant sometimes spending money on places I can’t really afford. As I don’t have any family close by, I can’t just drop in for a visit so I don’t have any economical choices for going away. And I don’t really enjoy hostels or camping or even cheap hotels. (Yes, I am a snob!)

Taking time off without a place to go at first felt bit strange. I used to think people who had nowhere to go were a bit sad. They would say they were planning on gardening or DIY-repairs or rearranging their closets. That never sounded like a holiday to me. But after a half-hearted attempt to find someplace to go that was interesting and affordable, it dawned on me that staying at home is much more appealing in many ways.

For one thing, home itself is a much better place than it used to be, as I now have a home of my own again after many months of renting rooms in other people’s flats. From on top of a hill in Islington, I now have a fantastic view from a west facing lounge with large windows, best enjoyed from my own custom made comfy couch. I don’t have to share it with a virtual stranger, however nice they may be. I don’t have to look at their naff art or photos of their dead dogs. I can cook a three course meal and leave the Le Creuset soaking in the sink till morning. Plus, if I do want to go out, I am within walking distance to very yummy espresso or amazing Spanish tortillas, two of my favourite things in my neighbourhood. Now I will have time to discover more favourites.

My decision not to go anywhere is also trendy. The recession coupled with the downturn in the pound has made staying put fashionable! (ha). And in a way, it’s a relief. Sure, there are so many places I want to visit, but I’m not a very good traveller. I hate being a tourist, not knowing where the best things are, not having a nice cup of coffee in the morning and my comfy bed at night. Much better to stay at home where there is mostly a known quantity.

I live in one of the best cities in the world, and there is so much here that I still have yet to explore. I will break in my Tate membership card and see a film at the ICA as well as do shallower things like get a makeover at the Bobbi Brown makeup counter at Selfridges and quaff lovely wine at the newest wine bar. And also spend some quality time on my couch watching the sun set behind the London skyline.

Yesterday afternoon I decided to get out of the office and take a walk in the lovely spring sunshine. I like walking around Soho, as it’s mainly tourist free (compared to nearby Oxford street) and is also (mainly) free of shops to lure me in. It even allows the opportunity to spot the odd British celebrity. (I have only run across Suggs and Bill Bailey, possibly not the best looking Brit celebrities, but certainly odd.)

On my walk, I passed an interesting cafe and stopped, debating on whether I wanted to add another shot of caffeine into my system. As I hesitated outside, two men walked hurriedly up behind me and pointed to the wall outside the cafe: “There, there it is!” exclaimed the man in nerdy-yet-trendy thick specs. Both the bloke sitting outside the cafe and I looked up at the wall where he was pointing. At first I didn’t see anything, but upon closer inspection I saw it. It was hard to see at first because it was painted the same muddy brown colour as the wall, but it was definitely there: it was a nose. Hanging just above eye level, on the outside wall of the cafe, was a life-sized nose.

The Nose Knows for the Guess Where London group on flickr

The bloke asked “what is it?” and the nerdy-yet-trendy guy replied: “it’s one of the seven noses of Soho.” His friend excitedly added, “Yeah, there’s another on Meard street, and one on D’Arblay street” (and one on another street whose name I have forgotten). The man went further to explain, “If you find all seven noses, you will attain infinite wealth.” Hm, sounds dubious to me. Still, I thought the nose was cool. The man asked the guy how he knew this information, to which he replied that he knew because he had done a documentary about it. (Big deal, I thought, feeling the doc thing had an air of Nathan Barely about it.) The man was equally not impressed, “yeah, he said, but how did you know about it before you made the documentary.” The trendy-nerdy guy was a bit deflated, replying that it was a rumour. He had no idea where it had come from.

This piqued my interest, not in the documentary, but in the origin of the story. So I asked the Internet, and like always, it delivered big time!

Flickr provided a few shots of various noses in and outside of Soho, like this one on Admiralty Arch, and also the answer. If the folks on Flickr can be trusted, the more mundane fact is that in 1996, a sculptor named Rick Buckley “decorated many London landmarks with casts of his nose.” Why, they don’t say, but I think in the name of art is enough (for me). There was nothing online about infinite wealth, nor only seven noses, nor the noses being restricted to just Soho. I suppose if you really wanted to check your facts, you could get a hold of Rick and compare his nose to the ones in the street!

I wonder how rumours like this get started. Maybe it spread because its a good tale, it has those fairy tale qualities: the lucky number seven, strange signs hidden in a maze (Soho), a fortune cookie “infinite wealth” promise. Surely this story was fabricated, perhaps by the artist? It’s a good one, I feel bad for possibly outing it, but maybe I got my facts wrong. The good folks on Flickr have been wrong about strange landmarks before, but the truth does seem to come out in the end. I love the Internet! Without it we would have to trust people like this to give us the facts.