Piccolo heaven in the East End of London
Yesterday I spent the day drinking Piccolos, Cortados, Flat Whites and Espressos in the East End of London.
Starting my day at Gwilym’s cart in Whitecross Street, I spent an enjoyable hour and a bit chatting to Gwilym and Jenni. My first coffee was a flat white with a beautifully poured Rosetta, accompanied by a delicious chocolate croissant.
From my vantage point I could see people approaching the cart and it was a great place to see how peoples mood changed when they realised that they were only a few steps away from a great coffee. Their moods transformed, lifted, and you could sense the excitement and expectation as they approached, smiles forming and ready to place their order and banter with the baristas.
A trend I have noticed is that passionate cafe / cart / shop owners seem to effortlessly impart enthusiasm for their product onto the consumer, and Gwilym’s clients were no different. They asked questions about the coffee, the milk, the rosettas or tulips and even about the machine, eager to learn what made them want to return time and time again.
After a lovely creamy Piccolo it was time to head to Spitalfields market to meet up with Photographer and Podcaster, and ex-Barista, Brian Jones (starbarista).
Brian introduced me to Taylor Street Baristas, at 1A New St, London, EC2M 4TP, opposite the entrance to Liverpool St station, where I was treated to a lovely Piccolo (image here). Taylor Street had a good vibe about it and made good use of space. Taylor St uses a bespoke blend from Union Coffee Roasters. You have to try it!
Our next stop was Present on Shoreditch High Street where we ogled the stunning Victoria Arduino lever machine, expertly operated by Mattias Björklund, the current Swedish Barista Champion, and enjoyed a finely crafted Cortado.
I waved goodbye to Brian at the top end of Brick Lane and made my way to Nude Espresso, for a bite to eat and to try their new East blend, being formally launched to their clients. This was my first visit to Nude and I was surprised at how big the cafe was, bucking the trend of ‘micro-cafes’ that we have come to know and love. With plenty of seating, ranging from 2 person spots to communal tables and wi-fi, there is a space to suit everyone here.
There were a number of well known industry figures in attendance and I got the opportunity to meet Instaurator, the author of Espresso Quest as well as Jeremy from Union Coffee Roasters, whose blend I had enjoyed earlier at Taylor St Baristas.
My final coffees of the day were a Piccolo and and Espresso before heading into Covent Garden to meet a friend for dinner.
I can thoroughly recommend a walk in the East End and will be sure to return the these cafes in the very near future.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment