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ne of the best rated Cafes within the coffee circle in London and recommended by numerous cafe baristas from the cafes I’ve visited, Flat White, as you can probably guess from the name sake is opened by a group of antipodean New Zealanders who have since trained and delegated their barista duties to their very capable local staff! An associated cafe Milk Bar is also owned by the same group of coffee enthuasists… Flat White, just like some of the more famous cafes in London is not an Independent Roaster but sources their house blend of Tanzania, Brazil and Sumatran beans from none other than 2007 World Barista Champion and award winning roaster James Hoffmann’s Square Miles. Don’t fix what’s not broken.
This looks very NZ/Australian for some reason…
Single Espresso -
Technically this is actually a Double Ristretto, due to how this ‘short black’ was extracted via an unconventional method and calculating the brewing ratio in the resultant cup, although almost all Square Miles coffee cafes utilise this method, hence the bubbly and un-subsiding crema! As much as I am a big fan of Square Miles, I did find this Flat White blend to be a little too broody and dark, almost bordering on bitter yet showing little signs of an interesting Italian herbs & spiced aroma or complex layering in a 3rd Waver coffee. Technique wise it was perfect, but its the blend itself that I had trouble appreciating ~ 7/10
Caffe Latte -
I was slightly surprised that this came in a cup rather than a glass, but this was made very well with silky smooth milk and foam. Again, I had trouble appreciating their house blend even when served within a milk drink. This was a little uninteresting and monotonous, bordering on bitter, dark and almost savoury with a sweat like caramel background. It’s unique, but lacks sophistication ~ 6.9/10
A very crowded cafe.. even on a weekday
A recently opened Cafe just down the street from Flat White and armed with a spanking new Synesso, but I was too saturated with caffeine already to give it a go on that day. May be also worth a try and for making comparisons. They seem to make good cakes and muffins here too!
Price: £1.80 to $2.50 Per Person
Score: ★★★★★☆
Opening Hours:
Weekdays 8:00am - 19:00pm
Weekends 9:00am – 18:00pm
Address: 17 Berwick Street, SOHO London, W1
Ph: 020 7734 0370
Foxcroft & Ginger is pretty good. Next time you have to get a cinnamon bun in the Nordic Bakery... probably one of London's great secrets. Before you go next time I am going to write you a very long itinerary...
ReplyDeletePS - food adventure sometime soon? I haven't been anywhere really crazy for a while.
I actually really wanted to try Foxcroft and Ginger as I walked in, saw the very professional set up but I was just really over-the-top from my coffees and yum cha that day. Sigh... should have tried it!
ReplyDeleteI have heard of Nordic Bakery in fact and wanted to go there, at least its less commercial than Paul's and Le Pain Quotidien. BUT seriously, I wouldn't mind at all the latters, especially when compared to the bread and pastries available in HK. Seriously, even Robuchon Salon de The's breads are nowhere near as good as say the Tokyo ones, nor the macarons, though the cakes are about on par thankfully! :)