Department of Coffee & Social Affairs

New to the area and always struggle to find a good coffee, especially one that will do soya or rice mile alternatives. This place is the third one I tried and from entering the building, you know they do good coffee., you get the aorma of burnt toffee, which I always associate with Fernandez & Wells. The coffee choices are great, the portuguese tarts are amazing, the sandwiches look ok (but I don't eat bread). The only thing they need is an alternative food to bread and sweet treats, like a good soup or stew or salad range, would make it for me. Otherwise, great place.

Kiwis – check Flat White – check Bare brick walls and trendy art – check Cool location – er, no. Yes, all the classic combinations for an achingly hip and trendy, so cool it hurts coffee shop are present but, instead of being in Hoxton or Soho, it is in a Leather Lane. Home to a daily tat market that makes Petticoat Lane market look like Harrods. The cool kids’ loss is the City’s gain. The coffee is seasonal, freshly roasted, ground in front of you and really rather good. Service is individual, with each cup/glass being lovingly created, so the wait is longer than at Starbucks. But hell, you get coffee here, not some hot, brown milk with shed-loads of syrup added to disguise the disgusting muck being served. Food is croissant and muesli (organic and free range, a bien sur), lunch is bagels and the like and afternoons come with lemon drizzle cake and Pasteis de Nata. Go. We need more coffee nerds like the founders: with any luck they’ll be taking over disused Starbucks and Costa Coffee venues soon.