Frequency

Thumbnail - Frequency Ltd (20160826_083227)Frequency is a new addition to the coffee scene around King’s Cross Station. Owned by a lovely couple, Justo and Joey, it’s slightly off the beaten track, it’s down King’s Cross Road in the direction of Exmouth Market, tucked away in a little parade of shops. It’s been open all of two months, serving coffee from Workshop and tea from Joe’s Tea, both local suppliers. This is backed up by an interesting breakfast selection, sandwiches and, of course, plenty of cake.

When it comes to coffee, there’s a commendably concise espresso-based menu, plus a choice of three single-origins on filter (one of which is the same bean in the hopper for the espresso). You can have your filter coffee as either a pour-over through the V60 or an Aeropress, with the beans changing on a seasonal basis. The beans, by the way, are also for sale.

Frequency itself is a cosy space, long and thin, with seating at the front and in a little room at the back if you want to escape the coming and going of the other customers. There’s also a small table outside the front of Frequency, where it sits in a beautifully-tiled entrance.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

  • Opposite a branch of a well-known hotel chain on London's King's Cross Road...
  • ... is a new arrival, tucked in between a Vietnamese restaurant and a dry cleaners.
  • Looks interesting... Let's cross over and have a look.
  • And here it is, Frequency. Nice tiles on the doorstep.
  • Enigmatic A-board, or a simple statement of the barista's life?
  • The message on the other side is far more straightforward!
  • Frequency is long and thin: this is the view from the door...
  • ... while this is the view looking back from the counter towards the door.
  • Most of the seating is up here: this bar along the right-hand wall and across the window...
  • ... while on the other side, there's a small row of tables, matching the one outside.
  • The tables, as seen from another angle.
  • And another.
  • There's some more seating at the back, including this small bar opposite the counter.
  • Hang on. What's the opening in the back wall?
  • Why, it's Frequency's cosy back room, where there are three more tables!
  • Obligatory lighting shot.
  • Oblogiatory light bulb shot.
  • At the back of the main room, the counter, on the right-hand side, dominates matters.
  • The counter, like Frequency, is long and thin, with the espresso machine at the front...
  • ... and the till right at the back.
  • In between is all the food, starting with breakfast.
  • There's toast, with a choice of bread. And scones. And porridge. That's me sorted then!
  • More breakfast options...
  • ... including pastries and Greek Yoghurt Granola.
  • Down near the espresso machine come the sandwiches, already made up & ready to go.
  • More sandwiches!
  • There is also a selection of cold drinks in the chiller cabinet  underneath the counter.
  • The coffee menu (and other drinks menu) is commendably concise.
  • If only we knew who roasted the coffee... Wait, there's a clue!
  • It's Workshop. Plus there's Joe's Tea.
  • In fact, it's no secret that the coffee is from Workshop. Here's the filter selection...
  • ... while this is on espresso.
  • Fulll information is on the back of the packet.
  • The coffee end of the operation is down at the front of the counter.
  • Let's go, shall we?
  • Barista (Justo) at work.
  • And from a different angle.
  • The result: my flat white, beautifully presesnted on a little tray...
  • ... and toast, of course, for breakfast.
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That I knew about Frequency at all is down to fellow coffee-blogger, Bex of Double Skinny Macchiato, who wrote about it back in July shortly after it opened. However, I’d rather forgotten about it until I rolled up to stay at the well-known hotel chain across the road, whereupon I spied it from the door. Well, that was tomorrow morning’s coffee and breakfast sorted then.

Frequency has a simple shop front, with a pair of floor-to-ceiling windows flanking a slightly-recessed glass door. Inside, the layout is equally simply layout as Frequency recedes into the distance. The seating is at the front, while the counter, on the right, is at the back. To the right of the door, there’s a two-person window-bar, which extends to a four-person bar against right-hand wall. On the left, a wooden bench runs along the left-hand wall, lined with four square, two-person tables.

Beyond this comes counter, taking up the rest of the right-hand side. Opposite it is door which leads downstairs to a kitchen/storeroom. Bex’s tell me that there’s also a basement room, which isn’t open yet. In the long run, I believe that the plan is to host various musical events in the basement as well as to open it up as additional seating. Music, by the way, is an under-stated theme of Frequency (which goes with the name), including a music stand by the door, which holds the menu.

Back upstairs, there’s another small two/three-person bar after the door, opposite the end of the counter. However, there’s more. Through an opening in the back wall, you reach a small room at the back, with an L-shaped bench against the back and right-hand walls, where there are three more tables.

The décor is sparse, but effective. The wooden floorboards go well with the off-white walls and black ceiling. There’s plenty of natural light from the windows at the front, while the room at the back has its own window on the left. In between, multiple lights, hung from wires strung from a central point, provide additional illumination.

I’d arrived for breakfast and as soon as I saw the toast menu, with a choice of pugliese loaf or spelt sultana loaf, my mind was made up. For those not so easily swayed by toast, there is also a choice of pastries and scones, plus porridge and granola. For those with a sweet tooth, there are plenty of cakes, plus a selection of sandwiches for lunch.

I decided on the spelt sultana loaf for my breakfast, which was excellent. I was served with a crunchy, thick slice of bread, the sultanas adding a certain something to the equation. I paired this with my usual flat white, a Hunkute espresso from Workshop. This is a single-origin coffee from the Sidamo region of Ethiopia and was lovely and fruity, something I don’t always get through the milk in a flat white.

My coffee was beautifully-presented, arriving on a small wooden tray rather than a saucer. In a nice touch, you pay when you leave, rather than when you order.

December 2016: Urban Larder was a runner-up for the 2016 Best Neighbourhood Coffee Spot Award.

121 KING’S CROSS ROAD • LONDON • WC1X 9NH
www.frequencycoffee.com +44 (0) 7772 309231
Monday 07:00 – 17:00 Roaster Workshop (espresso + filter)
Tuesday 07:00 – 17:00 Seating Tables, Bar, Table (outside)
Wednesday 07:00 – 17:00 Food Breakfast, Lunch, Sandwiches, Cake
Thursday 07:00 – 17:00 Service Order at Counter
Friday 07:00 – 17:00 Cards Mastercard, Visa
Saturday 08:00 – 16:00 Wifi Coming Soon (ish)
Sunday 08:00 – 16:00 Power Yes
Chain No Visits 26th August 2016

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