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St. David Coffee House, Forest Hill - The latest addition to the 'Square Mile' Collective

 

There are some things that I have come to expect from a new London(ish) café.

• Slate bar
• Exposed brick work
• Designer 'naked' light bulbs
• Black exterior
• Young, Uber-cool Co-eek (coffee geek) behind the counter - sporting either some sort of trilby/stylised facial hair/asymmetric barnet/new romantic makeup
• Synesso
• Square Mile Coffee

 

Call me revolutionary but, whilst I love all of these things, sometimes you want a change from the norm.

Enter stage left: St. David Coffee House. 

Believe it or not, it actually fulfils only one of these requirements.  Yes, I said one. Only one. And if you don't know which one then you haven't read the title.

Out with the minimalist industrial design and two fingers to the achingly-cool artiste baristas. In with the 60's/70's inspired retro-chic, and intimate and comfortable surroundings.

 

 

First Impressions

 Located in Forest Hill (Southeast London), only thirty seconds walk from the station, this beautifully presented cafe instantly has curb appeal. (Okay, I sound like an estate agent, but it's all true). Although it's close to the main road, it is actually set on a raised pavement which means that there are a couple of seats outside next to the railing.  It's made all the prettier by the greenery out front and some flower baskets over the railings.

Details

 As you enter, you are presented with a mixture of comfortable wooden chairs and solid tables, my favourite of which is a long table that runs the full length of a sash window which opens fully - ideal for when the weather is good.

Whitewash walls are decorated with retro mirrors, old books, pictures and general 'stuff', the majority of which can be purchased if any particular item takes your fancy.  Lisa and Dan (the owners) recently renovated their house in Dulwich, and Lisa saw this as an opportunity to disperse some of her more unique objet d'art.

The bar is located at the rear along with lots of artisanal goodies that tempt you to part with a little more cash. 

Another really cool feature is that they stock a selection of used books: some of which are for sale and some that you can just swap with a book that you have finished. Whilst this isn't a new idea it's one that I, as a coffee house bohemian, appreciate.

 

Need to Know: St David Coffee House

Coffee: Square Mile Coffee  
Machine: Rancilio Classe 10 S
Grinder: Anfim Milano 
Address:  5 David's Road, London SE23 3EP 
Nearest Train Station: Forest Hill Map me...
Hours: Mon-Fri: 08:00 - 18:00.  Sat: 09:00 - 17:00.
Sun: 09:30 - 15:30
Site: Coming soon...maybe...

Although St David has only been open for just under two weeks, it's already got a bit of a following, as this area has been sadly lacking a quality coffee drinking establishment for...well, ever (the nearest of alternative being Browns of Brockley).

I have manged to visit twice since opening, and what I really like about them is that they are focused on the quality of their offering - when they ask you if you enjoyed their coffee, they want an honest answer. 

With that sort of attitude things will just get better and better.

 

Drinks

They have the usual range of espresso based drinks (see below), all containing a double shot: it would be great to see them move into filter coffee at some time as they already sell the beans and have a lovely little bar that would suit pour over and aeropress perfectly (see second photo).

Additionally, they actually ask you if you want chocolate on your cappuccino and don't just assume.  On both visits that I have made, I have had a cappuccino - but on the second visit I also sampled a machiatto, a flat white and a couple of espressos:  I can happllly confirm that all of the drinks were made well and consistently. 

They also sell a range of Suki teas and quality soft drinks.

 Food

A selection of lovely foods scatter the counter - cakes, pastries, sausage rolls, slices of watermelon, etc - and we enjoyed a vanilla madeline that complemented the caramel of the espresso perfectly.

Conclusion

It's great to have a new location in Southeast London that serves quality coffee in an unexpected environment: one that you are immediately at ease in and don't feel that you require a PhD in cool to be seen in.  It takes some of the best beans and support from Square Mile, and wraps it up in a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere.

Another worthy addition to the coffee map...

 

 

 

Disclaimer:  This review was in no way influenced by the bag of delicious leftover pastries that Lisa and Dan gave us to take home at the end of the day when they were closing up shop.  Well, maybe just a little.

 

Penny University (Square Mile Coffee House)

It would be an understatement to say that I have been quite excited about Square Mile's inaugural foray into the coffeehouse business.  Many rumours were circulating about the format of this new London venture with suggestions of no espresso, no milk, no sugar...many a sane person would have balked at such wild and fantastical ideas.  The anticipation built to a crescendo and then, yesterday, the day arrived - the day all questions would be answered.  And what do you know?  The rumours were all correct and all I can say is thank the Gods that they were.

I have to admit that I was wondering how it was going to work - six seats, no take out and brewed coffee only.  How will it stay in business? But you see, I was thinking a little too commercially. Because when you enter and sit down it feels special: you feel special, and you know that you're about to take part in something more than you're used to at your regular coffee local.  If all this sounds a little fluffy and somewhat, well, bollocks then let me explain how it works.

First Impressions

It's an unassuming frontage to the shop - the standard black fascia with a bench out front and an unapologetically muted window decal indicating the name.  When you enter you have a display of Hario retail brewing equipment to your left and a table/bar to the right with seating for six on high stools.  The water dispenser is at the far end of the bar and a small counter to the rear right is used as a grinding and prep station.  Apart from a display of Square Mile beans, that's your lot.  Simple, uncluttered and centred around the coffee.

Take a seat and you're presented with a very simple and stylish menu.  Three varieties of coffee, brewed in a style to bring out the individual characteristics and subtleties of each, and a final choice of the 'Tasting Flight'.  This consists of the three coffees on the menu, brewed with their specific methods, but also paired with a chocolate to either accentuate or compliment the coffee. The tasting requires a minimum of two people so either:

1. take a friend,
2. pay for two people and enjoy double the amount of delicious coffee or
   
3. hang about about outside and wrestle/convince/ask nicely, for someone to come and join you.

Whichever method you choose to employ I highly recommend that you take part in the full tasting.

The Coffee Experience

Once we had ordered, we were each presented with chocolates, glasses, a carafe of water and 2 cups.

I'll give you a quick overview of the tastings:

First up was the Capao from Brazil.  This is prepared using pour over and is paired with a caramelized hazelnut dusted in cocoa.  It is sweet and nutty and the caramelized hazelnut really highlights these characteristics.  Surprisingly, the Capaos sweetness seems to dominate the sweetness of the paired chocolate!

Next was the Blackburn estate.  This was brewed via a woodneck and paired with a Raspberry Toscana.  This expresses almost jammy red fruit and hints of cocoa which were complimented by the Toscana.  The Blackburn retained its heavier body as the woodneck didn't strip the oils out whilst brewing, and the texture of the raspberry centre of the chocolate complimented this well.

Finally: the classic Yirgacheffe.  This was brewed via a syphon enhancing the floral/citrus qualities of the coffee.  The pairing of Yuzu chocolate and its citrus flavours supported the Yirgacheffe perfectly.

Conclusion

Throughout the tasting we learned about each coffee, its origin and the particular brewing method used.  It was engaging, informative but above all deliciously fun.  We were fortunate enough to have James Hoffman lead us through our tasting but, from what I saw, all of the guys were doing a great job.

Penny University is in its truest sense, a coffeehouse, not a café.  A place to learn about and discuss coffee, experience a great atmosphere and have a great time.  It's not only rooted in tradition but new, bold and innovative - and for that alone it deserves to be a great success.

Penny University is located at 5 Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DJ

Nude Espresso Pop-up Café

Hot on the heels of my Stumptown pop-up experience, I am now at my second pop-up of the month: Nude Espresso at Rapha Cycle club.

Rapha Cycle club is a cycling clothing manufacturer and, due to the Giro D'Italia, has opened a temporary store in Farringdon, with Nude Espresso setting up a Wega-powered espresso bar in-situ for the duration (May-July).

I suppose I was expecting a similar experience to Stumptown but, unfortunately, it's not quite in the same league.

Let's start with the good:

• The coffee isn't the issue: it's made to Nude's usual high standard and the food offering has all the necessary basics delivered to a high quality - brownies, sandwiches, friands, etc.

• The place is minimalist and über cool with an old Citroen van in the centre, big LCDs on the wall, and sparsely placed clothing racks.  The main space is taken up with a big, long communal table which I quite like as it encourages people to interact.

• As there is no plumbing at the rear end of the store, the water comes directly from a water cooler container (via a pump) meaning great quality water is used in every extraction.
• Your first coffee on your first visit is FREE! Thank you Nude!

The not so good:

• The space doesn't lend itself to an very intimate atmosphere. I can't blame the Nude staff because...
• The bar is in the rear left hand corner and there is no seating near where the action happens.

• Everyone is here for the Giro D'Italia and is staring at the TV on the wall.  We initially had to sit on the TV side of the table and felt a little in the way so, as soon as seats became available on the far side we relocated.

Nude are doing the best that they can with the design restrictions that are placed on them, but a few seats near the bar to create more of a café experience would improve things massively. 

As the first coffee is free, leave a tip! It's always great to have another place to get a good coffee and, even with its current issues, I'd recommend a visit.

Nude Espresso Pop-up is in Rapha Cycle Club: 146 Clerkenwell Rd

Stumptown Pop-up Café - Amsterdam

How lucky am I?  Well, after missing a trip to Rome a few weeks ago due to the volcanic ash cloud you might think not so lucky, and after the re-appearance over Scotland and Northern Ireland over the past few days - just as my trip to Amsterdam was approaching - I began to think that my sins from a previous life were being kharmically redressed.  Thankfully, we managed to get our flight out of Gatwick last night and we arrived in time for a few beers and a quick celebration of Cinco de Mayo. But I was waiting for today so that I could, at last, visit a great café (not of the brown persuasion) in the Dam.

I have to admit that I don't have the time, or the iPhone, to participate in social networking, but my lovely wife, thank God, does and she sent me the news that Stumptown was opening a pop-up cafe in Amsterdam - at last good fortune had placed its hand on my head and given me its blessing!

So how did this come about I hear you ask?  Well, apparently the guy who owns Stumptown was approached by a Montreal design agency who has an office in Amsterdam.  They had some retail space free for a couple of months next to the office and a spare La Marzocco Mistral lying around (who hasn't?) and the idea was born.

What's it like?  Well, it may be temporary but on the coffee/espresso front, it's definitely the best Amsterdam has to offer and, because it's part of the design agency, it looks great without feeling pretentious- in fact not temporary in any way.

We got here about an hour ago and the staff, who have been imported along with the coffee, are really friendly and excited to be here.  They obviously want to help educate about coffee and have a couple of tasting and brewing demos every day.

I had an espresso (from their Hairbender blend) and the wife had a cappuccino.  The Espresso was chocolatey and delicious and the milk was steamed to perfection for her cap.  I'm now sipping on a macchiato and looking forward to a cupping in a few minutes to help me decide which coffee I'll be taking home with me....

 

...well, 40 minutes and 4 delicious coffees later I've decided on a Guatemala Finca Chicua - I can't wait to get back home and brew it but, as I have a few more days here, I guess it would be rude not to visit a few more times before we leave.

If you get the chance, and want a short break, get yourself over to Amsterdam in the next couple of months, drink in the atmosphere, and pick up a great espresso while you're there.