A Very Good Read

To begin with this photo is a bit misleading, as this was actually my parting shot. But considering this is how most people will probably approach it, I thought this would be a nice thing to show you. Plus it gives you a sense of what else is on this block -- i.e., a rubber stamp shop, which is awesome. AWESOME.

When I first approached the London Review of Books, however, it was through the dark doorway you can barely see at the left side of the photo above (behind the car). This doorway actually leads into a charming courtyard, comme ça:


into which I planned simply to peek, snap a delighted photo, and move along down the street. Except I looked around the corner to the right and discovered this:


Double delight!

I should point out that while this shot makes it seem as though sitting on the patio is a fantastic idea, only the most desperate of smokers would prefer such a fate, as it was about 10ºC. Not exactly balmy. I imagine it will be ideal on a rare summer or autumn day, however, both for café patrons and those enjoying a meal and a pint at the pub next door.

After a fortuitous post on Lantana's blog the other day, I decided only the day before I went that I wanted to pay a little visit to this bookshop -- or, more precisely, to its Cake Shop. I'm always eager to find new Coffee 2.0 sources, and most particularly ones near school. This little gem was ideally situated: 7 or 8 minutes' stroll through Bloomsbury Square and next to the British Museum, tucked into a quiet block and ensconced in books. Even discovering the café within the bookstore was a treat.


Having both worked in a (struggling) café and done much studying in many cafés, I have a complex opinion of the etiquette around inhabiting such places for hours at a time. Perhaps one day I'll write a treatise on such things; in the meantime, I shall say that I was very pleased from a student's perspective to be allowed to sit at the large communal table with one cappuccino for about two hours without being bothered, reading a couple of articles on my laptop. It felt like borrowed time, particularly after my experience at Fleet River last week.

The Cake Shop itself is truly lovely. I'm sure my impressions were tinted by the bright afternoon light streaming in the large windows (see below), but even if had been a leaden-skied day outside I feel certain the well-crafted cappuccino, array of sweet and savory treats, and respectably large menu of teas would have had me swooning. I successfully resisted the temptation presented by a rhubarb, almond, and orange blossom tart, the first thing to catch my eye and the last to leave my mind, but I am determined to make my own attempt soon.



I suppose I should say a bit about the coffee itself, no? Well, it was wonderful! I had a cappuccino -- in the true style of my friend A., who considers it a real test of a café -- and it was delicious. The espresso was earthy, making me think of African coffee from Rwanda or Ethiopia. At first, I thought the milk was too thin, but I changed my mind later and decided it had been too hot when I took my first sip, as the texture seemed to thicken a few minutes later. As you can see from the photo below, cappuccini here come with a generous sprinkling of dark chocolate...bits? It's not sweetened cocoa powder, my friends. This is like very fine grating of nice bittersweet chocolate. Really the only way to go, I think.


You may also notice the Elegant & English shortbread biscuit tucked betwixt cup and saucer. Yes, that is a complementary and -- may I say so? -- utterly stylish detail.

Cappuccino: 8.5 (£2.20, including tea biscuit)

(P.S. I returned a couple of days later, accompanied by a friend. This visit confirmed the excellence of the coffee -- and we also sampled the latte, which was equally well-executed.)