Tom Tom Coffee House

Coffee house was on the sign, so I had to stop and take a peek... Tom Tom is located on Ebury and Elizabeth street in the heart of Belgravia... The coffee was exceptional, but pricey at £2.60... It was served in a good sized cup and executed perfectly... the froth was in abundance and the temperature was fit to drink without burning your tongue... A mild and tasty blend, which is most probably a Colombian... The coffee house itself looks like someone's kitchen... small, white, with one big round table... all in all it enjoys a clean and a no nonsense appearance.

However, I did notice a cigar box hanging on one of the walls... Also, the music was that of the staffs' taste, I had to endure House music on a lazy afternoon... Seatings are mostly outside, since the coffee house possesses only one round table in the interior... There is this notion that the coffee house is trying to present a chic ambience and with the frequency of expensive cars passing by, I guess that notion is very befitting... You can easily picture a gentleman sitting outside in solitude, reading the Financial Times, smoking his cigar and sipping slowly his espresso or macchiato... Conveniently Tom Tom is also kept open until 8pm from Wednesday until Friday... Replace the House music with wonderful Jazz and I think it is a suitable coffee house for the neighbourhood.

Two of the best cafes in london are in the Portobello Road area

I want to share a couple of my favourite cafes in London. I would highly recommend Cafe Oporto on 62 Golborne Road and the Coffee Plant on 180 Portobello Road. Cafe Oporto is a Portuguese cafe, so not only do you savour the rich and frothy taste of the coffee, but you can also treat yourself to a typical Portuguese sweet! A bica or a galao are the regular requests in this classic Portuguese cafe.

The Coffee Plant is a great, less traditional and more of an informal cool vibe on Portobello Road. However, this place is serious about java from the diverse coffee selection that one can purchase at the back! They are categorised by light, medium and dark roast… Moreover, they have coco, which if you put a touch of into your coffee, it is literally a match made in heaven… a taste of summer!

Both cafes are phenomenal venues that serve an incredible cup of coffee, where one can enjoy amongst the locals in a friendly, informal vibe.

Fig and Coffee

Good morning... I'm sipping on the Viennese coffee, which is a blend of light Ethiopian and dried, crushed figs... The aroma is divine as the Italian stove espresso brews the coffee gently... This is a delicate blend, as the taste of the coffee can overwhelm the fruity undertone... The taste of the coffee is amazing... but the figs do tend to vanish and instead a sharp flavour manifests and I have to admit that I really like the finish.

I'm off this Monday to the London museum to see the photography exhibition and then cross over to the Embankment to catch the street photography that is on display. Somewhere in between I will nip for a cup of java... There is an inkling to check out the coffee in one of the independent bookstores along the way.

Lazy Sunday morning

Good morning, I made a lovely pot of the Arabic blend that I bought from the Algerian Coffee shop in Soho... I used a manual Italian espresso maker as I love how the aroma of the coffee fills the kitchen and travels to the sala, where I am patiently anticipating my morning coffee cup! This particular blend is a Colombian and Ethiopian with a mix of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves...


The Colombian and Ethiopian blend is flawless... as they fuse perfectly with the spices... the coffee is a great milieu for the smack of the forceful spices... This is a perfect java to indulge in after a meal or to have with a complimentary dessert... the fusion would be nirvana!

Algerian Coffee Shop in Soho

On my way to buy a guitar from Denmark Street... I popped into the Algerian Coffee Store in Soho on the way... Any coffee lover would know this well established coffee store... I ordered a cappuccino and their daily coffee was a Rossa Formula, which was a Brasilian blend... the cappuccino was delightful.... perfect temperature and a lovely flavour... clearly I was going to buy a few blends to take home and drink... Two particular blends caught my eyes and buds... one was called Arabic with clove, cinnamon and cardamom and the second was called Viennese with fig! The Arabic blend is typical of the region... It is quite typical to drink coffee with cardamom in an Arabic country and I felt clove and cinnamon would heighten the taste even further... while the Viennese with figs... well, I have a weakness for figs and there sweetness would be ideal... Coffee, spices and fruits!

The Arabic with spices was a blend of Colombian and Ethiopian... while the Viennese was solely an Ethiopian blend... both the store's brainchild... They smelled sensational, so I will keep you informed once I've made a pot!