Category Archives: Food

What sort of food the Coffee Spot serves

Beany Green, South Bank

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The Beany Green container on the South Bank as seen from the foot of the steps to the bridge.As regular readers may have worked out, my contract didn’t get extended at the start of June, so consequently I haven’t been heading up to Paddington every Wednesday. This in turn means that I’ve been missing my weekly trips to Beany Green. I’m therefore very grateful to the good folks at Beany Green HQ (aka Daisy Green) who have opened a new branch on the South Bank just for me! Since it’s just a few minutes’ walk from Waterloo, I can now get my Beany Green/The Roasting Party fix whenever I come into London. How cool is that?

Tucked in beside the east stairway of the Hungerford Bridge and almost on top of the Look Mum No Hands Pop-up, Bean Green’s container looks like another pop-up operation, but don’t be fooled. I’ve been told that the new branch has a multi-year lease and will be here come rain or shine, fair weather or foul (ie a typical week of a British summer!).

If you’re familiar with Beany Green in Paddington, then this is like a miniature version, with all the same elements that make my ex-regular haunt such a wonderful place, including the mad (in a good way) staff.

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Bea’s of Bloomsbury Farringdon

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Bea's of bloomsbury, from the sign hanging outside the Farringdon branch.Today’s Saturday Supplement (yes, I know it’s a Wednesday; shush!) is a two-for-the-price of one deal: a visit to the third Bea’s of Bloomsbury outpost at Farringdon, and an update of sorts on the original Bea’s of Bloomsbury on Theobalds Road.

Having written about the original Bea’s and then the second outpost in St Paul’s within the first four months of the Coffee Spot’s life, I’ve taken my time to get to the third, and latest, of the Bea’s of Bloomsbury Empire of Cake. In fairness to myself, the Farringdon branch (or Mini-Bea’s as I like to call it) wasn’t actually open when I wrote about the first two. Even so…

Tucked away opposite Farringdon station in a curiously-shaped little building that’s almost all windows, there’s not a lot to Bea’s. Certainly it’s not the sort of place you go for a sit-down afternoon tea (unlike the other two). Although a pair of benches graces the pedestrianised street outside (with an excellent view of the Cross-rail excavations), this really is a takeaway coffee-and-cake kind of place, with a major emphasis on the cake (although there are sandwiches as well). Mind you, I expect nothing less when the company’s motto is “life is short, eat more cake”!

May 2019: I’m not sure when it closed, but I can confirm that the Farringdon branch of Bea’s of Bloomsbury has closed.

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Workshop Coffee, Fitzrovia

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The Workshop logo, a diamond inside a circle.The latest addition to the suddenly-expanding Workshop Coffee chain (now four and counting) is in fashionable Fitzrovia on Mortimer Street. Just around the corner from Broadcasting House, it joins a growing band of speciality coffee shops that include old stalwart, Kaffeine plus (relative) newcomers, Attendant, Mother’s Milk (now closed) and the recently-opened Curators Coffee Gallery. The one advantage it has over its near-neighbours, other than the novelty value of being new, is that it stays open until seven o’clock, making it the ideal spot to retire to before attending recordings of BBC Radio shows in the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House.

Unsurprisingly, given that this is Workshop, the coffee is all from the Workshop roastery in Clerkenwell, with the Cult of Done house-blend and a single-origin on espresso plus a choice of two single-origins on filter (one bulk-brew and one through the Aeropress). There’s also decaf, loose-leaf tea and a small range of sandwiches and cake.

The new Workshop’s not a huge place, with the front half given over to the counter and the seating in a separate area at the back, the two connected by a short corridor. You might be able to squeeze 15 people in all told.

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Jany’s

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Jany's Diner, on the corner of 12th and WoodJany’s, in downtown Philadelphia, was introduced to me by Greg, of Coffee Guru App fame, my guide during my stay in Philadelphia. For those who don’t know it, Jany’s is an old-fashioned American diner of the type that I adore, akin to Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe in Boston. Serving typical diner fare (ie good quality comfort food), the food is both excellent and extremely good value for money, with a massive menu to choose from. So, that’s the good news.

The bad news is that, having been run by Jany and her family since 1977, Jany is hoping to retire this summer and is looking to sell the business on. With luck, someone will buy it and carry it on much as it is, but who knows what will happen? So, if you get the chance, check out Jany’s while you can. Or buy it. But don’t change anything!

It would be great if Jany’s was still open, still serving the same wholesome value-for-money food when I next come to Philadelphia.

March 2015: Jany’s is still here! I’ve just called in for brunch on my return to Philadelphia and am delighted to report that Jany’s is under new ownership and going strong. As far as I can tell, other than the addition of Wifi, nothing else has changed 🙂

May 2017: Jany’s has closed for good, something I was able to confirm on my 2018 trip to Philadelphia. Thanks to Nick for the heads up.

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ReAnimator

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ReAnimator Coffee, painted black on a white background on the brick wall above the door.If there was a Coffee Spot Award for “Weirdest Shape for a Coffee Shop”, I think Philadelphia’s ReAnimator would win it, hands down. It beats even Dublin’s 3FE and London’s FreeState Coffee. Some coffee shops are L-shaped, or variations on a square or a wedge, but ReAnimator is genuinely a triangle, and a pointy one at that.

Of course, just having an interestingly-shaped building doesn’t amount to much if you don’t have very good coffee. Fortunately for us, ReAnimator has very good coffee indeed. It’s one of that breed of roaster-coffee shops that seems, to me at least, far more prevalent in the US than here in the UK.

Right now there’s just the one ReAnimator in the Fishtown neighbourhood, north of the centre, although plans are well underway for a new headquarters, which will combine roastery, training centre and a second café. In keeping with ReAnimator’s neighbourhood philosophy, this will also be in Fishtown.

If you like the coffee, you can buy it on-line, where, according to ReAnimator’s website, it’s roasted to demand. Alternatively, pop into the store itself, where you will find shelves and shelves filled with bags of coffee waiting for you to take them away!

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Ox Coffee

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A beautiful Gibraltar (Cortado) from Ox Coffee.Ox Coffee is a lovely spot, which I visited on my first-ever trip to Philadelphia, becoming a firm favourite of mine. I try my best to pop in whenever I visit the city, calling in back in February 2016 to see the “new” back room/garden, and again in March 2018 to sample Ox’s coffee after it had started roasting.

With its stripped-back, clean looks, Ox wouldn’t be out of place in either New York or London. It brings to mind New York spots such as Gimme! Coffee or the Bluebird Coffee Shop, as well as London’s White Mulberries. This, by the away, is more of a commentary on the rents: most places in (central) London or New York just can’t afford the sort of floor space I regularly see in Philadelphia outside of the city centre!

Ox has a similarly clean, stripped-back menu, with just a selection of cake to accompany the coffee, which these days is roasted in-house. There’s a blend, Ox Coffee #1, on espresso, and another (Ox Coffee #2; you can see where this is going) on bulk-brew, which is joined by one of two single-origins (a Guatemalan while I was there). Finally, there’s a decaf, from Stumptown.

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Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Harrogate

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The cake trolley at Betty's of HarrogateNo trip to Harrogate would be complete without at least contemplating a visit to the famous Bettys Café Tea Rooms. I duly carried out my contemplation as I walked past in the morning, put off by the long queue snaking along the pavement. However, as I wandered past with an hour to kill in the evening before my train back to York, the lack of a queue led to a reappraisal and soon I was seated downstairs in Bettys, greedily surveying the heaving cake trolley.

Founded in 1919, Bettys sounds as Yorkshire as they come, but it was, in fact, the creation of a Swiss baker/confectioner, Frederick Belmont. Despite this, it’s quintessentially the British Tea Room and opinions about it vary considerably. I find my own ambivalence to Bettys both puzzling and informative.

On the one hand, having to queue for anything puts me off, plus it is, undoubtedly, a grand institution of the sort I am naturally suspicious off. On the other hand, were this Paris’ Angelina or Dublin’s Bewley’s, then I would (and have been) there like a shot. Perhaps it is just the familiarity of the British Tea Room that breeds contempt. Regardless, reach your own conclusions.

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Bean & Bud

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The Bean & Bud logo: a coffee bean flanked by two tea buds, with the motto "Bean & Bud Real Coffee & Fine Tea since 2010"Harrogate’s finest is Bean & Bud, although from the looks of it, Hoxton North could give it a run for its money, if only it wasn’t shut on Mondays (guess who came to visit Harrogate on a Monday?). A few minutes’ walk north of the train station on Commercial Street, Bean & Bud can best be described as bright and bold, the majority of the interior painted a bright red, in contrast to, rather than in sympathy with, the lovely wooden counter and flooring. What isn’t red is white, including the (fairly low) ceiling.

However, the draw of Bean & Bud is the outstanding tea and coffee. While I can’t speak to the tea, Fancy a Cuppa rates it, which is good enough for me. The coffee rotates on a regular basis, changing both beans and roasters with frightening speed. Don’t come back expecting the same cup of coffee you had last week!

The coffee is available as espresso (with varying quantities of milk) or filter (V60, Aeropress or Chemex). The week’s beans are up on the board, the idea being that you have a discussion with the barista about which bean you want and then how to take it.

September 2015: I’m delighted that Bean & Bud was short-listed for this year’s Lunch Business Awards Best Tea Experience.

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The Perky Peacock, Gillygate

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The lovely espresso cups at The Perky Peacock on Gillygate.It seems unfair to call The Perky Peacock a chain, but by strict Coffee Spot definitions, two counts as a chain, so a (local) chain it is, both branches being found in the fine city of York. The first Perky Peacock is located in a medieval tower by Lendal Bridge, while the second, which opened in October 2012, is just outside the city walls on Gillygate. In typical Coffee Spot tradition, I visited the two Perky Peacocks in reverse order of opening, calling first on the second Perky Peacock one sunny Saturday afternoon in June.

Although bearing the same name, the two Perky Peacocks (named after owner Nicola Peacock) are very much their own places. Gillygate focuses more on food, with an impressive brunch offering, which is served until 3 o’clock each afternoon. Naturally, I arrived at 3.15. Silly me. Although the coffee offering is more extensive at the original Perky Peacock (Lendal), Gillygate’s none too shabby on that front, with Essex’s Modern Standard providing the beans, which change on an as-and-when basis and frequently differ from those on offer at Lendal.

This being Yorkshire, there’s Yorkshire Tea, plus loose-leaf tea from Joe’s Tea, along with sandwiches, melts and cake.

September 2016: The Perky Peacock on Gillygate is no more, but never fear, there’s still good coffee to be found at No. 74, the operation being taken over by Rae & Webb, serving Origin coffee. Expect an update as soon as I get back to York.

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Veldt Deli

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An espresso made with Veldt's bespoke African blend from Glasgow's Dear Green Coffee Roasters, served in a white, cylindrical cup.I’m indebted to Lisa, of Glasgow’s Dear Green Coffee, for introducing me to the Veldt Deli on the Great Western Road. Veldt, describing itself as Glasgow’s only Scottish/South African fusion deli, is not somewhere I would have thought even to pop into, had it not been for Lisa’s local knowledge and enthusiastic recommendation. It probably helps that Dear Green supplies Veldt with its own bespoke African espresso blend.

Veldt is very definitely a deli, while serving something very close to a coffee shop menu, with breakfast, lunch and cake to go with coffee (as good as you’ll find in many speciality places), tea and the intriguing “red espresso” (more of which later). The interior, although far from that of a typical coffee shop, is one of the loveliest I’ve been in for a while, with a real sense of space.

The South African influence is provided by the owner, Gisela. A violinist, she moved from her native Cape Town to Glasgow 15 years ago to further her career in music. She left this behind when she founded Veldt in May 2013, with the aim of combining the best of local, Scottish produce, with the recipes and tastes of her home.

October 2015: Sad news. Veldt has announced it closure and is no more.

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