I caved in and decided to finally try Ella Woodward’s (Deliciously Ella) Mae Deli, situated in beautiful and quiet Seymour Place. I have read many raving reviews about the place as well as other ones stating that it is overpriced and overhyped. I love an occasional sweet treat but would rather avoid the sugary/fat option; so I am trying to discover as many as healthier alternatives as possible. I have to admit, as I don’t follow a vegan diet, I am generally skeptical on the vegan sweet options offered these days mostly as I have been overly disappointed too many times by what I have tried so far. To summarise: I really liked this cute little deli.
London is one of the most interesting and exchiting cities in the world. It has been my home since 2005 but not a day is gone by without discovering something new. I feel on a ‘permanent holiday’. The pages below will guide you through my special/favourite places in the city. And tips on what to avoid!
I don’t think a cup of coffee and a bun ever managed to depress me before. Nordic Bakery, this hyped and praised by Time Out and Zagat alike coffee shop, succeeded in doing so today just fine.
I have been a bit lazy reporting back on independent coffee shops. But I have been doing my ‘research’. To compensate I will report on two cafes I have been recently and got my approval stamp.
I wouldn’t do The Life Goddess any justice if I just called it a ‘coffee shop’. This is a coffee shop and a restaurant and a deli – but all three are providing a little taste of delicious Greece. This is the story of three fellow Greeks from my homeland of Macedonia and the city I spent a good chunk of my life, Thessaloniki.
Off Edgware Road’s madness and lack of any decent coffee loungers here lies The Borough Barista. The space is not very big but it has a feeling of an old cottage sitting room with large windows on both walls (taking advantage of its corner position), clean wood deco and cute little furniture. Continue reading The quest for London’s independent coffee shops – the borough barista→
What can I say about Bottega Friulana. From the cosy interior, the delicious cakes and strong coffee, the music, to the late closing times (10 and 11pm) this place ticks off all my boxes.
I am in love with this coffee shop. I could sit and write, read here for hours and people-watch Soho’s trendy crowd passing by. Although, the Yumchaa coffee shops are expanding (already now four in London, practically a small chain) this still pretty much feels like an independent, neighbourhood café. I love the combination of industrial brick, softened with romantic silver flowery paper wall and a mix and match country chic furniture.
How much London changed on this front since I first moved here. While still independent coffee shops are not exactly bursting out of the streets like other European capitals, we definitely have considerably more choices these days. I am getting so excited (I know it doesn’t take much to make me happy does it?) each time I discover a new coffee drinking hole that has individuality and doesn’t come under the name of Costa or Starbucks.
taksidin 