Tag Archives: cafe

Bean & Wheat by Adam Handling Launching Today

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Opening just around the corner from his successful restaurant The Frog E1, Adam Handling is currently making his mark all over The City with his latest venture Bean & Wheat opening just round the corner in Liverpool Street. Bean & Wheat will be a more casual affair serving coffee roasted in London and breakfast and lunch to eat in or take-away made with local artisanal produce. The best thing about Bean & Wheat is that they have a ‘no waste’ philosophy with the selection of sweet and savoury toppings made with the off-cuts and by products from the kitchen at The Frog E1 meaning the fillings will be changed daily. To give you an idea, salads served in the café will be made with cauliflower stalks, which are usually thrown away by kitchens. Cakes will be baked fresh every morning and Adam will be serving his very own cold-pressed juices, Black & White. Again, his range of juices uses only fruits and veg which are slightly misshapen so therefore would have been thrown out by restaurants.

So let’s save the fruit and help to reduce food wastage by supporting Adam Handling and Bean & Wheat

Monday to Friday

7am-5pm

www.beanandwheat.co.uk

Gastronomic splendours of Canvey Island – good eating in Thames Estuary

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Labworth cafe Canvey

Labworth Cafe – based on the bridge of HMS Queen Mary

Canvey Island is one of those places that Londoners have heard of but never visit. An island in the Thames Estuary, it was popular as a resort – primarily for caravan holidays – between the wars. In the 70s it attained a sort of fame because blues bands such as Doctor Feelgood emerged from the area. There are some lovely houses by the sea front, but the area has always been seen as a bit common. Last week I went there, and I can tell you it is worth the trip.

The only famous restaurant there is the Labworth Cafe. This was built in the 1930s in the modernist style. It was designed by the famous engineer Ove Arup and was intended to look like the bridge of the the liner – The Queen Mary. It’s now a sort of bistro. You can buy a full English breakfast, but we ordered the grilled skate and chips and salad. And my son had roast pork belly.

Actually, it was very nice. I won’t go any further than that. After all, you don’t go to Canvey Island for cordon bleu cookery. It’s the sort of place where almost every house has a St Georges flag – largely because of the football – and where Asian women in saris go paddling in the sea. It’s not upmarket, but it’s not completely chavvy.

My skate was well cooked – a little more than I’d like. The chips were obviously out of a packet and salad was fresh and well dressed. My son’s pork was very soft and tasty and his roast vegetables weren’t overdone. It was simple food and cost us about £12 each – including soft drinks for my son and a beer for myself. It was very good seaside fare.

And if you’re feeling in the mood for a snack in the afternoon, can I recommend The Welcome Cafe – a snackbar on the seafront. Tea is made in a pot and the locals buy cooked chopped up sausages to feed their dogs. The only thing I didn’t like was the mugs. These all carried headlines from the Sun newspaper. Mine had the delightful headline: ‘Elton takes David up the aisle’. Canvey is a lovely place to visit, but it’s not exactly a centre of high culture.

Canvey-cafe

Mugs of tea at Canvey

My son attacking a plate of pulled pork

My son attacking a plate of pulled pork

NOMI Cold Brew Coffee

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So summer is finally here and it’s time to start indulging in a refreshingly cool beverage but we think you should reconsider that Frappucinno guys because Cold Brew Coffee is making a stand and we’re going to tell you all the reasons you should swap your regular iced coffee for a cold brew instead.

What is cold brew I hear you say…?

Unlike many iced coffees which are brewed hot and poured over ice, cold brew is well… brewed cold for more than 16 hours and then filtered. We think that is serious commitment to coffee and whats more, the process of cold brewing ensures a less acidic, naturally sweet coffee no added sugars and no nasties. Take note when you’re looking for a cold coffee which won’t insult you with a sugar rush.

NOMI KYOTO (MILK)

We recommend NOMI’s range of fantastic Cold Brew Coffee with a range of 3 fantastic bottled brews to try from inspired by founder, Kieran Goodacre, and his discovery of cold brew coffees in Japan.

NOMI Tokyo (Black)

NOMI Tokyo Black – Standard

NOMI Kyoto Iced – with milk

NOMI Osaka Almond

Boxed Subscription-2

What’s more if you’re thinking about ditching the coffee machine for a longer term Cold Brew option, NOMI have got it covered. Subscribers to the site can enjoy a box of freshly prepared Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate which can be delivered straight to your office or home.

Our verdict is that NOMI is refreshing, subtle and versatile. Perfect for mixing in with cocktails and if you really do miss the warming comfort of a hot coffee, add hot water and Bob’s your uncle.

NOMI coffee is available by the box via their website www.nomidrinks.com

Individual bottles available in a range of café’s and deli’s across the country.

Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar Review

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Few building in London are as iconic as Somerset House. Staggering in its beauty, it really is the perfect setting to eat, drink and be merry. We headed to the Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar. It has only been open since November in the New Wing.

The Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar is as beautiful and classy as the rest of the building. It is the perfect setting for dining and catching up with friends.

Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar cola Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar wine

We take our seats and decide on the pre-theatre dining menu. This consists of a sharing board of Mushroom on toast, Beefeater salmon with pink radish, Egg and ham on toast and Fudge. It costs £25.50 per couple and comes with a glass of Prosecco per person. It is available Mon-Fri 5pm-7pm and Saturday all day.

Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar review pre-theatre menu

Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar salmon Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar mushroom toast Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar review] Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar fudge

The beefeater salmon with pink radish is glorious, just very superior salmon. It goes well with the radishes, the egg and ham on toast is delicious and the parma ham is perfectly seasoned. The mushroom on toast is also good and has cheese on top. The bread itself is good and everything works well together. The fudge is also yummy. It is in a bag for the pre-theatre crowd, making it handy to take away with you.

I had some curiosity cola and my colleague had a glass of prosecco. We loved the food, the ingredients were very high quality and everything was perfectly seasoned. Everything worked well together and this was definitely a first-class meal. Our only complaint is that there was not enough of it and we were still hungry after the meal.

The Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar also have an a la carte menu. The service is good, the food is superb and the setting is wonderful. I can highly recommend it.

 

Pennethorne’s Cafe Bar
New Wing
Somerset House
Strand
London
WC2R 1LA

Tel: Pennethorne’s +44 (0)20 3751 0570

Email:

Michela.Mastella@pennethornes.co.uk

 

 

Foxcroft & Ginger Cafe Review

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Foxcroft & Ginger is a very trendy cafe and artisan bakery in East London, owned by couple Georgina and Quintin. It is full of people who are far cooler than me. The decor is eclectic, keeping the industrial-chic design ethos of the Soho branch.

This one, in Whitechapel, only opened on 3 April 2014. We went to review it, deciding on brunch. We started with Eggs Benedict and Smoked Salmon, Pickled Beetroot, Avocado, Tomato and Red Onion Salsa, Grilled Sourdough. I also order some avocado on the side. An English Breakfast Tea and a Hot Chocolate. foxcroft&gingereggs

foxcroft&ginger3

foxcroft&gingersalmon

foxcroft&gingerhotchocolate

foxcroft&ginger

The Eggs Benedict is interesting. My colleague loved it. He thought the eggs were perfect, but the egg I had was a bit watery, and the sauce could have done with a little more punch. The salmon dish was perfect however, just an amazing selection of fresh ingredients that work amazingly well together. The avocado was great with just the right amount of salt, olive oil and lemon.

The hot chocolate was very good, it came with spice and the cinnamon really added something special. The tea was also great, coming in a very cute tea cup and saucer.

 

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ufoxcroft&ginger

After our brunch we had some amazing cake. I had the chocolate orange cake and my colleague had the carrot cake. Both were absolutely amazing. Everything is made in-house and these cakes really were superb.

Foxcroft & Ginger also do amazing bread. Their coveted sourdough bread, which is already supplied to a number of top London restaurants, is available to purchase in store.

 

Foxcroft & Ginger

Whitechapel

69-89 Mile End Road

E1 4TT
www.foxcroft&ginger.co.uk
(The nearest Underground Station is Stepney Green or Whitechapel).

 

 

Science meets Art at the Enlightenment Cafe

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An exciting and unique new theatrical project will be taking place from 31st May – 4th June in the vaults of the Old Vic Tunnels.

Presented by LAStheatre, the Enlightenment Café combines the beauty of science with the power and imagination of immersive performance in a place of exploration, where people from all walks of life can debate, play and laugh the night away.  Only the tedious will be off limits as The Enlightenment Café aims to provoke imagination and intrigue; scientists will demonstrate their art and artists will demonstrate their science.  Scientists in residence include Tim McInerny, Stuart Clarke and Alex Bellos.   This is an interactive adventure where new theories can be mooted as to why things are, how they got there and what will happen next. The Enlightenment Café will delve into topics ranging from astronomy to paleontology, from My Little Pony to zombies and from art to invention.

Doors to the Old Vic Tunnels will open every night at 7pm, and the evenings will be split into three sections: firstly, a period of immersive theatre and free exploration; secondly, stage pieces and panel discussions; and, finally, live music and entertainment. Each night will have a different theme and aesthetic but will all inspire, breaking away from the idea that science and facts can only be learnt in a lecture theatre or laboratory.

Times and tickets for all events at the Enlightenment Cafe can be found at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3487295595. Tickets are priced at £15 with a booking fee of £1.55.  For more information about LAStheatre visit www.lastheatre.com.