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I wouldn’t normally dedicate an entire post to a coffee shop, but I feel compelled to share with you just how great this little café called Kaffeine really is. I am a coffee shop girl, and I get some of my best work done inside coffee-fumed walls. Must be caffeine in the air or something. So when I travel, especially for work or the blog, I’m always looking for the perfect hangout. In London, I found it. Too bad it was on my last day!
Kaffeine
66 Great Titchfield Street
http://kaffeine.co.uk/
First off, the people at Kaffeine know what’s up. It was early in the morning on a cold January day, and their chalkboard sign at the entrance to the shop spoke to me in a way that resonated deeply. I knew I’d found the right place.
Yes, thank you for appreciating and recognizing my hard work!
I walked inside and rows and rows of pastries, muffins, and desserts spread out in front of me. They were dappled with powdered sugar here, sprinkled with cinnamon there, or loaded with fruits and chocolate shavings. The narrow coffee house walls were old rustic brick and the weathered tables glowed under the warm lights. Their work horse, the Synnesso Cyncra espresso machine, gleamed as it effortlessly steamed, foamed, and frothed. I could smell the espresso and whiffs of mocha.
Ok, so clearly I have found heaven. Now what do I order?
How do I choose?
I ordered my classic coffee shop test drink, a cappuccino, and after waffling back and forth over which bakery item to get, I spontaneously picked the almond custard cake.
It was a good choice.
I sat down and noticed each table had a little jar of clementine whiskey marmalade and a glass of raw sugar. The hand-written label on the marmalade jar was a nice homey touch.
Cappuccino, almond custard cake, clementine whiskey marmalade, and brown sugar
The cappuccino was perfect – a rare occurrence in London – and the almond cake made Starbucks’ pastries seem like bricks of play dough. (Sorry Starbucks, I love you, but you just can’t compete with this place.)
On my way out, knowing I wouldn’t be back for a long time, I snagged a bakery sandwich and a mocha to go. I just couldn’t help myself!
Espresso enthusiasts, bakery buffs, and coffee shop connoisseurs, this is your place! Get yourself to Kaffeine! You can thank me later.
I’ve seen this coffee shop in a couple of ‘best coffee shops in the world’ guides and I’ve been meaning to visit for ages, but because I don’t get down to London very often (I’m about 3/4 hours north and accommodation in London is stupidly expensive!) I always try to cram too much in and visiting a coffee shop never seems to make it very high up my list of priorities. But it sounds like it should! 🙂
Next time make sure you go! And if you get there between breakfast and lunch you have an excuse to get both there! For accommodation I stayed at YHA London Central which was around $28/night and 3 blocks away from Kaffeine.
That’s good to know, thank you 🙂
This was one of my favorite posts. I felt like I was there smelling the delicious (and beautiful) cappuccino on a cold January morning. what could be more cozy! Thank you.
Thanks Dad! You would have loved this place. I could just see you going there every morning as soon as they opened.
I love my sense of pleasure of reading this post.
If you ever are in London, it is the place to go!
Unfortunately I’m disadvantaged from visiting beautiful London.
That’s too bad. But good thing there are lots of places in the world worth seeing then!