I really like Leather Lane over lunch hours, because it converts into an electric street market, overflowing with people. It’s like a crack in the universe peering into an alternate world, where Holborn is cool, eclectic, and entirely down with the kids.

It is especially special to me, because it’s also home to a very awetastic permanent mobile food cart, which – in my opinion – serves one of the best steak burritos in London. Mucholy hot if you get the burrito with hot salsa. Yowza. Lunchtimes in Leather Lane can get very cramped, extremely bustly and chocked full of life. Topless construction workers woo at passerbirds, women haggling over pashminas, and whatever garments that catches their eye. Legend has it that the Leather Lane street market has nearly 100 years of history.

On the topic of history, London was once the capital of coffee sniffing accompanied by a good dose of gentlemanly debate. Affectionately, these coffeehouses were called Penny Universities, as it only costed patrons a penny to enter – referring to the total egalitarian nature of its clientele – which meant anyone from whatever societal class were able to exchange minds on whatever issues they wished to talk about.

Of course, not very long ago, the very concept resurfaced when Square Mile roasters decided to create a pop-up brew bar, calling it the Penny University last year.

I didn’t manage to write a post about it, but I did wish for a permanent version. Who knew filtered coffee was so addictive, delish and education.

Of course, it took an Antipodeon influence to kickstart the London coffee renaissance, yes, I am speaking of the devilish milky sensation that is the Flat White, and now we’re all well schooled with the cuppa. The better half always rolls her eyes everytime I marvel at the Jesus pattern in my flatwhite “We had those ten years ago. Turkish flat bread hasn’t made it here yet. Nor has blueberry bagels.”.

But we do have great burritos. This side of the Atlantic. I think.

While the cafe revolution is really only just beginning, and I’m not talking coffee, I mean proper airy, anti corporate, properly indie, properly cool, totally whack with full wi-fi access and furniture that looks IKEA, aeropress and anti-cafetiere revolution, but it is here.

You may or may not know I am a Tapped and Packed fan, the space is beautiful, the ever changing artists works on the walls are always inspiring, and I am only ever so very glad to find Gwilym Davies – World Barista Champ ’09 – has expanded his previously modest coffee cart in a men’s clothes shop in Dalston Kingsland to the crack in the universe that is Leather Lane.

The new establishment is heartwrenchingly beautiful. Elegantly stripped down designs, expansive, creative, mind opening, it is anthesis to franchised coffee. Observing this shift in the industry is like watching James Bond reboot himself into a sleeker, sexier, contemporary and ultimately enjoyable version of a coffeehouse.

I don’t know that much about brew coffee, I’m still learning and appreciating the art of the medium, though I have seen the magic of siphon coffee makers, what with the science of hot steam pushing water up and down a siphon and all, and the less fancy, mechanical equivalent of the aeropress, or simply just a straight up filter. Essentially it’s different ways to force hot water through (freshly) grounded coffee beans to make a brew. I think.

Alright, alright, so shoot me, I came here to savour a flat white, milk in coffee, and didn’t ask the wonderful staff to brew me a real cup of coffee. I will be back of course, and I hope to bump into you (with your Times subscribed iPad) there, spreading yourself across a table. This will be one of the greatest coffeehouses in town. Well, at least I really want it to be.

Cue the photographs. All shot on Portra 400NC, and a single 35mm lens.

Happy Easter folks. (I checked they are open)

The Gist of It

Prufrock Coffee
Coffee, cafe… lazy, special ,£3pp.
23-25 Leather Lane EC1N 7TE
Gwilym +44 (0) 7852243470
Tube: Holborn / Chancery Lane

Reviews: The Faerietale Foodie

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You might think that something as modest as a cafe on the side of a towpath, used by neighbouring residents as a jogging and cycling route, would always remain hidden and truly a gem. That can no longer the case in the internet age. This sort of concept that oozes on-the-fringe appeal is exactly the kind of thing that would – and has – inspire tens if not hundreds to blog about it online, and then tell their friends the old fashioned way, offline.

Towpath Cafe sprang up sometime in the 1st quarter of this year (my,my how the year has flown by) , and since, it has won many a fan, from nearby Shoreditch and further afield. The quirky little caff was started by food writer Lori de Mori and her award winning food photoging hubby
Jason Lowe (great portfolio!) and in the last nine months or so, have garnered the love of the internet. I have a feeling this project is here to stay for the long run.

I’ve been planning to visit Towpath a few months now, but given its remote (to me anyway) locale and my other commitments, it’s taken me until now to finally get there. If you follow my photoblog, you’ll know how much I love Leicas, for their compactness and high image quality. I’ve always thought Leicas could never do food photography since it doesn’t get close enough (0.7m focusing limit), but last week, I found a way around it… and so I thought I’d try an M9. Hence the protracted picture essay (more on the flickr set.).

Derelict buidlings, large heaps of rubble, which ordinarily may be beauty undone, becomes a strangely fascinating backdrop for this towpath side cafe. Especially with a bevy of ducks gently paddling up and down the canal (which never turned into a badelynge). On a chilly Sunday afternoon, I met with Markus Aurelius (made in China), and walked down the tranquil canal, taking in the murky waters. Upon arrival, we noted how popular this place seemingly was, during lunch hour, and also how modest things were. Tables, benches, heating lamps, cushions, blankets, dogs and people who looked much more fashionable than me.

It must be the strange serene quality the murky waters of the canal exudes, it must make people feel calm. You could hear pins drop, a little too cold to be outdoors during this time of year, but I’d imagine the caff would be rammed on sunnier days.

Note the tilting tumbler of red wine. It opens at 8am on weekdays and for elevenses on weekends serving breakfast, lunch and snacks into dusk on a seasonal, and all too brief menu – and I assume – , cash only, and food does run out.

Behind the counter, toasters, a grilling machine George Foreman might endorse and a coffee machine. I sniff out the wonderful grilled cheese sandwich melting in the background. Sadly, they ran out.

Quiche, approx £5.

Homely buttery and crispy pastry, with rich custard-like egg mixture over it. I won’t hype it up, it was merely a quiche, but it a delicious one.

Polenta, Parmesan and New Season Olive Oil, approx £4.

We needed this. It was served piping hot, thick, soupy, porridge-like in texture. But it was beautiful, so warming, and so tender as it went down. The parmesan was genius, the sharpness teased out the sweetness of corn, but it was the olive oil that had stimulated the palate. Again, not to hype things up, as this was just hot polenta with abit of cheese and oil, and it was tasty.

Lemon curd and Chocolate Brownie, approx £6 for both.

I’m not really a fan of puddings made with lemon, though I enjoyed the melting gelatin-like texture of this particular pud.

A nice getaway from reality, and it was especially delightful just to reflect on the year that has past us by. We probably spent £15 between us for the food, wine and coffee. Needless to say, it’s cheap. It is difficult to write something definitive about this type of caff, for one, the menu is ephemeral, but then again, this is also the sort of caff, where it isn’t about conventions nor comprehension or exposition, but rather it is about its incalculable qualities. There is something about Towpath that makes it special. Something about the combination of location, the concept and the modest, homely style cooking. Ultimately, I think that the reason why Towpath is loved, is because it feels, human.

More photos on my flickr set.

The Gist.

Towpath Cafe
Cafe, Lunch, easy.. £10pp (cash only)
Regent’s Canal Towpath
42 De Beauvoir Crescent N1 5SB
Tel: 020 7254 7606
Bus: 149 from Liverpool St Station to Haggerston rail.

The Path : Yelp! ; Time Out London ; Crockery, cakes and caffs; Daily Vitamin D ; ST CLAIRE AND THE NOTES FROM THE DREGS ; The London Review of Breakfasts ; Tired of London, Tired of Life ; London Expat ; Urban Junkies ; Greedy Diva ; How to project manage your life

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It has taken me about a year to visit Bea’s in Bloomsbury, but I’m glad I finally made it. This tour de force bakery, cake house, coffee & tea shop produces top notch sugary things from their massive kitchen on site on a daily basis. Needless to say, their cupcakes are superb, personally I quite enjoy the pillowy buttercream Bea uses, a uniquely ethereal texture, slicker than your usual icing. I really enjoyed the peanut butter cupcake I ordered.

The heart & soul behind this operation is none other that the super woman herself, Bea Vo. Notable Nobu alumnus, who had turned down the chance to head the pastry-works at Nobu (spot the Nobu cookbooks in her shop) for a shot at making a name for herself, which as of 2010, in my opinion, she has gracefully achieved. An inspirational story, in itself. I am led to believe that she spends half her life at her labour of love, and when you eventually visit and meet her, you’ll be glad to find she’s an energiser bunny of abundant joy – probably a sign of a woman who relishes every moment of working on what she is most passionate about.

Bea is slated to expand into the City soon, so things must be going well for the petite baker, critics, bloggers and women – in general – love her work.

This is one of the few times I feel there is no need to pontificate about the steadiness of cream. If you are yet to visit this cafe that looks as fabulous as the cakes sitting on the counter, then I believe you should put this on your list. Inside the shop, one can sip coffee at a table next to the open ended kitchen, read his raunchy novel (which has won numerous bad sex awards) and occasionally look up and watch the chefs scoop icing onto cake. Life could not be more perfect.

A photo essay for the girls.

Note: We ordered afternoon tea set with scones, cupcakes, assorted marshmallows and meringues for £9.90.

Even more photographs from Bea’s on my flickr stream.

The Gist of It

Bea’s of Bloomsbury
Sweets, cakes, coffee & tea £7pp
44 Theobald’s Road London WC1X 8NW
Tel: 0207 242 8330
Tube: Chancery Lane

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All text and photography on this blogpost is copyright and belongs to Kang Leong, LondonEater.com. If you repost this without my permission, bad things will happen. So please don’t do it.

Are you melting in the English summer yet? I’m surprised how humid the weather is so far, I went to Uniqlo to get new shorts so I can let the wind blow me dry…

…. So there is a new gelateria in town, the same group behind the excellent tour-the-Italian-regions restaurant, Bocca di Lupo, and how very timely too. The gelati are pretty unique rather than just offer a standard selection (such as stracciatella or fiore di latte), there are combos such as ricotta, coffee and honey (which was excellent) and avocado & honey (which was a little off kilter, was a little sour).

What I really enjoyed however, were the sorbets, the melon in particular tastes just like frozen cantaloupes, sweet, sugarly, stringly and fresh, just what one needs to cool off really. Even better were their granitas, we tried the watermelon, icy, syrupy and quite literally chipped frozen watermelon. Other granitas on the menu include coffee, blood orange and almond.

The only things that disappointed were the cannoli. On paper it sounds interesting, stuffed with pistachio ice cream, fresh pistachios and a dark chocolate icing. It did taste freshly fried, but as it was stored in the freezer, the pastry dough became soggy. If only they fried and stuffed the cannoli (with gelato of choice, and as an alternate choice to wafer cones) to order, that would be a hit, perhaps in the near future, and a suggestion?

There are other sorts of gelato-stuffed products too, including stuffed melons and pineapples (flesh scooped out) as well as gelato cakes. I also hovered over the small selection of Bocca di Lupo pasta, sausages and sauces, available frozen to buy, but didn’t commit to anything. Canned tomatoes.

Tall stools, tables by the walls and marbled furnishings brightens up the blue-themed gelato bar and deli, if you’re searching for an alternative to Scoop! in Central London, give the Gelupo granitas a try as I think you might like ‘em. Although beware, visual satisfactory will be minimal as the gelati are hidden within deep stainless steel wells as opposed to being shamelessly naked on show behind glass counters…

The Gist of It

Gelupo
Gelateria, £2 per scoop
7 Archer Street
Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Tel: 020 7287 5555

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All text and photography on this blogpost is copyright and belongs to Kang Leong, LondonEater.com. If you repost this without my permission, bad things will happen. So please don’t do it.

I say this with full confidence in my testosterone-charged manhood : I enjoy watching romcoms on the silver screen – the cheesier the better. Especially when the protagonist is a successful, young creative (but played by an older dude) who lives in an English speaking metropolis (aka NY) drives a dream car (or bike) and owns a penthouse. And he always manages to hang out at the coolest cafes in town, and the sun is always perfectly warm and vibrant – the image of a perfect afternoon cuppa… does it exist, or does it? Oh and there’s always the girl, this one girl especially. Swoon…

And then one day, while me and my dreamgirl was strolling back from the park, we bumped into this heavenly spot which looks exactly like a hollywood set. Now all I need is Matthew McConaughey’s torso.

CC’s belongs to the Hugo’s empire, which are in itself a handful of uber-cool neighbourhood brasseries.

In fact CC’s is situated right next to the Hugo’s in Queens Park, and the latter of which features jazz bands on weekend dinner service. The coolest aspect of CC’s is of course it’s awesome space: Just one open kitchen/food presentation/cafe area, you can literally watch the girls put the icing on the cakes. The walls are painted with a pleasing beige (or white or whatever..), along with fragile looking wooden furnishings. The picturesque cafe is completed with barn style fold out doors fitted with large windows. When the weather is good, the doors are pulled back to reveal the cafe it in entirety to the elements allowing all that wholesome baked goodness to be bathed in golden light…. smiles.

Cakes, pastries and baguettes are all freshly hand-made in the cafe and the smell of the cake mix and sugar and hot oven… oohh, heaven. I’ve visited the cafe maybe 5 or 6 times in the past few months, and on every visit there is always something new on offer. Cakes include coffee, carrot, oreo chocolate cheese (if memory serves me), victoria sponge. Everything is delicious, wholesome and seemingly baked with love. The last of which – I’m told – is the most crucial of ingredients in baking. The cupcakes in particular are nice. Portions and sweetness take a more sensible ‘less is more’ approach and I think it’s a great alternative to the super-rich, super sweet, super icings of the branded cakes currently taking over the capital. Don’t get me wrong though, I do enjoy Hummingbird creations, but there is a time for rich cakes, and then there are times for something less ceremonial.

While I am the biggest fan of Ginger Pig’s awe-inspiring sausage rolls (undoubtedly the best in the Smoke), the CC’s version is actually pretty good as well. Buttery, slippery and deeply meaty, it’s definitely something which stimulates extra endorphins production.

Ok let’s go to a ‘real world’ tasting of one of the cakes, this one is the victoria sponge, and a cappuccino.

First of all – I love the long table. I had just developed some B&W prints and I chose to spread out my prints all across the table to view them (think flickr, but physical). The environs were so comforting that it felt better to do my photo work here, than at home. Coffee isn’t going to break records, but the cappuccino is still a sterling one. As for the sponge cake – moist and light is the best way to describe it. The sugar levels are subdued (which is good), but that’s only because all the goodness is hidden in the foamy icing. As I said, it’s not super-rich, but I like it because its so simple.

So I hadn’t spoken about the baguettes yet. As you can probably tell, I visited on a Sunday and decided to mix my savoury and sweets. I chose a ploughman’s ham & cheddar option, not bad. I had also tried more exotic selections including a hummus one, chicken and pesto, mozzarella salad. According to my research, they only do the sausage rolls on weekdays. I recommend them over the baguettes, they really are brilliant.

If you’re in North West London, then you should definitely give CC’s a try. It’s a stone’s throw away from the Sunday Farmer’s market, and also just a few extra steps away from Queen’s Park, meaning to say that it’s perfect if you are visiting the area on a weekend. It’s a very pleasant, family oriented part of London. Plus, you’ll regularly run into Cillian Murphy at the park …. or a really believable lookalike. I suspect CC’s is abit of a lifestyle side-project from the Hugo’s owners, and I hope they keep going and going for the long haul because I’m a regular and being there makes me feel like Patrick Dempsey. Damn, I wish I had his mullet.

Enjoy the weekend folks.

More photos on the flickr set here.

The Gist of It

CCs £cheap.
19 Lonsdale Road NW6 6RA
Tube: Queens Park
Tel.: 02073721232

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So, everybody knows that I have a sweet tooth, right? Alright, I declare I have a thing for good macarons. I Qype-d this one from me iPhone while in Saarf London and its true, this place has no shop sign that spells out its name, and you do need to look for the giant pink ice-cream cone by the front door to find it.

The Caff.

Can we call this Caff week?

I’m just about sick of freebiesgate at the moment. There is now a provisional ‘need’ (mostly peer induced) to declare what I did/did not pay for, here goes: I paid for the macarons, the coffee, the tea, the camera, my watch is a gift from dad (oh my god! Kang didn’t pay for his watch! He must be condemned to hell forever! I can no longer read his work because I feel so dirty!….. I’ve been catching up on my Family Guy.)

Oh wait, must I also check to see if half the internet has not already written about Macaron? (Oh my god! Kang’s writing about something somebody else wrote about in another foodblog, which I have probably read, hence I must negate the existence of this write-up and treat as a piece of junk!….I’ve really been catching up on my Family Guy.)

On the bright side, if people care enough to read and criticise my work, it must mean I’m doing alright. (pat, pat) (Oh my God! Kang uses far too many brackets and he’s egotistical enough to self pat himself, twice.)

Too soon for jokes?

I’m treating this as a natural break from the usual heavy duty restaurant reviewing; I can’t remember the last time I wrote about the magic of a quiet caff, tucked away in the farthest reaches known to man (Oval tube station), I was glad to chance upon this French outfit, after a fated meeting with one of my culinary heroes in Sarf Londres (John, it was bloody meant to be, and tell your producer to change the camera guy, because you’re Hugh Jackman in person, but Hugh Hefner on Masterchef).

Love is in the air.

Clouds for ceiling and are you admiring all the antique looking teapots at all? How about the wood varnish finished walls, this place is a bona fide beauty isnt it? I wouldn’t say that it’s Paris in London, because, let’s face it, London will never be as sexy as Paris. But it does come quite close (no it doesnt, but we’ll pretend anyway). Fresh pastry beautifully arranged on the marble tabletops, with a window open to the kitchen area, you could sip your brew and watch the chef knead his dough. Ahh, I felt about a million miles away from the draining political humdrum that is ‘Life’. It was easy to relax, as I sank into a deteriorating metal chair and ironically started reading my copy of Monocle.

Glee

Amazingly, this is one of the few times where I’ve failed to jot down any taster notes. There are a variety of flavours (the macarons I mean) , but its not all encompassing, if memory serves me right, I remember, raspeberry, blueberry, orange passionfruit, chocolate pistachio, bergamot, coconut. Hmm, I think that’s about it. I distinctly remember not seeing vanilla, or something dairy, as most of the flavours were fruit based, perhaps they change to reflect the seasons? My choices were blueberry, raspberry and orange passionfruit (I have a sneak suspicion, it is more that just orange passionfruit..). It is about a week since, and memory tells me that they were pretty able macarons, soft but not so mushy soft that it sticks to your teeth; with but just a slight crunch, ever so very light and fresh tasting. Hmprh. Not legendary, although it did leave me feeling a lot of glee.

On the whole, this was a charming little place. I stopped in the French caff for about an hour. It was tranquil enough to clear my mind. Political reading quickly turned to watching bread kneading which in turn, morphed into people watching. Sipping tea and watching the world go by; For a brief moment in time, Life was beautiful, once again.

The Gist of It
Macaron
22 The Pavement SW4 0HY (020) 7498 2636
£3 for a macaron

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I finally made a trip out to this much talked about cafe, and it was awesome. I need my breakfast, and this review is now a guest post on the blog A girl has to eat. 

[Read the full review there...]

It’s Saturday and you’ve just found the bargain of the year in a Paul Smith suit on sale for £171. On the bus ride home, you decide to hop off a few stops early and walk the rest of the way. A few minutes later, drops of rain start coming down on you. You quicken your steps but before you know it, it turns into a mini rain storm. You’re now running and you happen to see the bright lights from a cafe up ahead. In an effort to save your newly bought prized possession, you step into the very green themed Brazilian cafe. You are met with an Edgar Davids lookalike owner with the dreads, staring at a drench soaked you while you stare back.

You know that feeling you get when you find a hidden gem in the city?

Brasil in Londres

I didn’t take a picture of/with the owner, but maybe I should do the next trip there.

Barraco is very well hidden away. It’s in Kilburn – not exactly foodie central but the urban surroundings and the backstreet location gives this place a kind of understated romanticism ( if you romanticise places that is ) ; It’s easily one of those places when people visit London and ask you to take them somewhere only locals know about.

Well, this would be one of those ‘I’m not a tourist’ spots.

As I alluded to earlier, Barraco is a Brazilian cafe/eatery and the menu is a medley of Brazilian grilled meat & fish with side dishes such as beans & rice & chips. The cafe is very modest looking, the wood is run down and looks like it hasnt been repainted in years. The table clothes are these square pattern ones, vinyl or a plastic and they stick to your elbows ( elbows off! ) and there’s a LCD hanging off the wall showing a dvd of live brazilian music. Not very flattering decor – but I like it, the exposed kitchen doubling as a till/bar with hanging pint glasses and chilled out Brazilian staff ( an diners) give it a very authentic atmosphere which harks back to a much more innocent time.

Try it.

With the pouring rain outside, I am in the mood for some hearty food.

“Have you ever tried Brazilian food before?” said the waitress in her sexy portuguese accent

“Nope.” said Mr London Eater.

I started out with the ‘Kibe’ which is described as minced beef, with wheat grain and mint leaves. It tasted like a pretty bog standard s and p seasoned minced beef and the fried shell is seedy. A squeeze of lemon lifts the flavour a little. It’s got a nice crunch and it’s slightly herby, I’m no expert of Brazillian food but at £3, it’s like eating a minced beef gyoza at Wagamama’s. So far, I like.

I forgot to mention that if you are reading this to music, you really should tune your itunes radio to Bossa Nova@Sky.fm. Because, this is a modest Brazilian with a twist: it’s got its very own one man Bossa Nova jukebox – with a spanish guitar and nothing else.

Surf and Turf

Music starts at 8.00pm though and its only just gone half past seven, so I’d do well to take you through the mains first.

I take back the square patterns I mentioned earlier – it’s more like flowery patterns.

Food here is rustic, homely, easily made: don’t be expecting fireworks but do expect simple good tasting grill. I believe there was abit of a cock-up with this order as it was suppose to be ‘The White River’ which was grilled white fish seasoned with lemon juice and rock salt ; instead what came out from the kitchen was a pan fried breaded fish. It was seasoned with salt and I actually quite liked it to be honest.

I like breaded fish.

Food is really affordable here. The big chunks of fish fillets only costs £8. I also order the £8 grilled ribeye with rice and beans ( more on beans later). All the dishes come with this bog standard raw greens in cucumbers, cabbage, shredded carrots and tomatoes. The grilled beef is nice here – I can only assume they’ve got a huge charcoal grill turned up to 500C in the kitchen and it’s come out looking and tasting really great. For £8 and a rib eye cut (my fav by the by) , its really great value.

Samba Beans

The £8 steak included this bowl of beans on the side. Served in a crouset style pot, I really liked the beans. The waitress also brought over a large glass bottle filled with this yellowish powder which is made from cassava (farofa). The beans were abit like a thick red wine gravy infused stew. I thought that the cassava powder really brought out the umami in the beans. Brazilian staple of rice and beans, very hearty indeed.

Introducing the One man Bossa Nova Jukebox

The front of the cafe is actually quite small, accommodating no more than 5 tables, but through the back there is a door that leads into a pretty big space. In that space, there are a further 10 tables ( or so ) .. and in the front of the room is the live music. Ok, I must warn you, the room is completely devoid of atmosphere whatsoever. It is REALLY bright. It’s so bright, you can hear the fluorescent light flickering  in the background.

Which is a bit of a shame really, because the music is really, really good. The dude hails from Brazil, he’s got a great soulful voice, a cross between Sam Cooke and Taylor Hicks, except everything is in Portuguese. His Spanish guitar reverberates with a romantic hollowness, and even though I couldnt understand a word – the music was pitch perfect.

After he finished his performance, I tapped on the gentlemen’s shoulder and inquired on the genre “Latin Jazz?” I quizzed. He grimaced as if he stepped on a nail and rebutted by describing how all the popular Jazz that we hear on the radio has been wrongly uncredited as modern Jazz owes it’s roots to Latin music in Bossa Nova, Bolero and something known as P.B.M. – Popular Brazilian Music.

Potential

Order a pint of sagres to go with your steak and you’ll have a nice meal. It’s hearty, it’s tasty and it’s really cheap. The music usually plays on saturdays and sundays till 10.30pm and on my visit, there were lots of women in the modestly small crowd. If only the cafe would utilise their low lamps, turn OFF the harshly white fluorescents and place candles on the tables; coupled with the music it’d be the perfect hideout for a romantic date, an excellent chilled out end to the week and a great way to duck out of the rain.

The Gist of It

Barraco Official Site
10 Kingsgate Place, Kilburn NW6 4TA 020 7604 4664
£4 starters £8 mains £2 puds and £2 for live music

Verdict: Cheap, great grilled meat and great music; if you can overlook the bright lights, you’ll find this a pleasant detour.

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