Always find it hard to deal with routine reality after my trips to Latin America. Happens every single time. The colours, the music, the atmosphere feels so much like a dream and busy London comes to land me back to planet earth with a bang! Only thing to do is try to hang on to the Latin vibe a little longer… And these are my favourite London haunts. This is as good as it could possibly get after the real thing.
Glorious day today in London! Here are my favourite spots to treat yourself to a Friday traditional Afternoon Tea experience.
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.
Continue reading The quest for London’s independent coffee shops – TAP coffee & Timberyard
On my second trip to Trinidad I found myself in town on Mother’s Day. Like everywhere else, it is also a very special day for Cubans and it celebrated in a big family way. The day before Mothering Sunday, streets and shops are busy with fathers and children making the shopping for the big family feast that is to follow and bakeries are producing in frenzy oversized, sugary cakes to be offered to celebrated mothers.
Continue reading Finding ‘family’ away from home on Mother’s Day at Trinidad, Cuba
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.
Continue reading The quest for London’s independent coffee shops – The Life Goddess
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.
Continue reading The quest for London’s independent coffee shops – Bottega Friulana
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.
Continue reading The quest for London’s independent coffee shops – Yumchaa
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.
Continue reading The quest for London’s independent coffee shops – Goswell Road Coffee
taksidin 