The Craze for Designer Cafes Vol. I

Ever since Anya Hindmarch launched ‘Anya’s Village’ in the heart of Belgravia, the trend (and desire?) for designer cafes in the city has grown.

Whilst these are mostly located between Central and West London -where the money lives, far away from us!-, we were keen to try them all to form an opinion. A few months later, the veredict was clear: we love the uniqueness and exclusivity these offer, but these come at a step price. If you are willing to take the cut, then below are the places you should (or shouldn’t) go to.

Bon Appetit careless readers!

FOR COFFEE AND CAKES

Tiffany at Harrods (Knightsbridge) is, at present, the best fashion café for a full deluxe afternoon tea experience. Covered in pastel hues and cream delights, you’ll feel like Holly Golightly admiring the beauty of a girl’s best friend. Diamonds, that is.    

Marchesi 1824, Prada (Mayfair), offers a refined experience that has attracted the fashion crowds from all over the world since almost 200 years ago. The London café is their second opening of the Milano flagship store, and it does not disappoint on its offering. Set up in a brownstone building behind Berkeley Sq, filled with limited edition prada crokery in an old Italian-café style, this is the perfect spot for a refuel and recharge situation after shopping in and around the area.

Anya’s Café (Belgravia) – Whilst a teeny tiny spot, this is a very fun café for those who love Anya Hindmarch’s playful style. They run afternoon tea, but booking is required due to space. My only negative is that it feels very dark inside, but I guess that makes the cakes the star of the show!

FOR COFFEE ONLY

Three names come to mind when I am in need of coffee but I want to impress my fashion guests: Monocle Café, Fiorucci Café and Ralph’s Coffee

• Monocle (Marylebone), for those that like normcore and soothing set-ups.

• Fiorucci (Soho) for those that like the complete opposite: colour-mani and loud set-ups serving specialty coffee, cocktails and enough shopping to get you ready for a night out in the neighbourhood.

• Ralph’s Coffee (Bond St) for those that likes an American cup of coffee in an American style set up. Who better than Ralph Lauren to deliver?

IT’S A NO-GO

I really wanted to like Café Kitsune. It’s always been one of my must stopovers while in Paris. The London shop, however, disappointed me. It’s always too busy, it feels dirty and un-special, fitted within a bigger establishment, it almost lost its uniqueness. Considering the steep prices, I would stay away from it. Go in Paris, you’ve got plenty of other choices in London!

Ice Cream ParadISE: Our Favorite Picks

 

Those who know me well know that one of the three things I can survive without* is ice-cream (or Gelato, however you want to call it). No matter if it is summer or winter, whether it's sunny or it rains, ice-creams are part of my life all year round. In fact, I prefer to have ice-cream when it's raining and cold (and I am obviously covered in bed, binge-watching Netflix). 

However, I've been doing some tasting all over the city in the search of my favourite ice-cream parlour. I must say, there's a lot of great stuff in the city. And that is why I decided to provide you with some guidance on where is good to go. Hope you like it!

Keep on licking, Keep on loving.

TCB xx

CENTRAL

• Gelupo is definetely my go-to ice-cream shop when in central London. Gelato from the Alps, home made and with delicious nouveau flavours.
  

• Milk Train Cafe is great for those who love Japan. This ice-cream shop got famous thanks to its candy-floss ice-cream cones. They are available in three flavours, and three flavours only, including Hojicha (roasted green tea), Matcha and Vanilla.
  

• Tombo Cafe or Shackfuyu for those real matcha lovers, these will give you a total energy boost!

 

 

CHINATOWN

• Bubblewrap is the new kid in town. Expect cues of at least 1 hour to get this delicious Hong-Kong style bubble waffle filled with delicious ice-cream and as many toppings as you like. If you can't be bothered to do such a huge line to get 'just a dessert', then I suggest you going to Nosteagia in Picadilly, literally the same stuff, but not as hipster.
  

• Bake serves the biggest Taiyaki in town, a japanese-style fish-shaped waffle with either matcha, vanila or chocolate ice-cream.

 

 

NORTH & EAST

• Marine Ice is a north-London institution when it comes to ice-cream. The since the 1920s!
  

• Chin Chin Labs is a more futuristic option in the heart of Camden Lock Market. This shop sells nitro-ice cream! Worth checking out if you are into finding something different.
  

• Soft Swerve Society is also a new kid in town. And a kid that is doing very well! Located at Box Park Shoreditch, this little shop serves premium soft serves in a more sofisticated shape than your average ice-cream cone. It also serves what they call 'freakshakes', the ultimate american-style cups filled with ice-cream, whipped cream and anything sugary that you wished for.

All My Loving: Spanish Food in London

You can take the Spanish out of the country, but you can’t the Spanish out of the girl. There’s certain things that won’t change and one of them is my culture. The more time I am away from home, the more I miss my own Spanish things. It’s crazy cause when I moved to London I wanted to run away from it all, I disliked it. And I couldn’t love it more now.

I was reluctant to try Spanish restaurants for years, but as time went by, I missed my home food, so I started trying, and trying, until I found my favourite (and non-expensive) Spanish restaurants. And when I mean favourite, I mean GOOD Spanish restaurants by Spanish standards.

Off you go!

HACKNEY: El Ganso

A classic for the East End locals (and my personal hangover cure restaurant on a weekend) , this low-key restaurant is run by spanish peeps in the kitchen. Their gambas al ajillo and paella are fantastic, but so are the croquettas and the huevos estrellados.

STOKEY: Escocesa

I LOVE the concept of this place. Using seafood from Scotland and recipes from Spain. As the owner told us, before the seafood goes further away, they have a stopover in London. They then take on the southern recipes to create an amazing menu. An absolute winner, in my opinion. Also, they have a paella offer over the weekend.

DALSTON: Furanxo

This place is banging if you are missing all your spanish delicacies. Lots of seafood in tins (razor clams, octopus) and a fantastic selection of wines. It serves as a deli during the day and as a wine & charcuteria bar in the evenings.

BANK: Hispania. Spanish food goes lush. The venue is stunning and so is the food.

SOHO: Sabor

Sabor means ‘taste’ in Spanish, and they certainly succeed in taste at this two-story restaurant. On the groundfloor you’ll encounter a walk-in tapas bar, whereas on the first floor you’ll find a more delicate restaurant, cooking specialisties from Galicia and Castile regions, mainly focusing on meats cooked in a traditional wood fire oven.

Also in Soho but only if you are feeling like splurging…Barrafina, OK! It is good, let’s admit it. However, I am slightly put off by their prices. I mean, 2 croquetas for £6? No comment.

BERMONDSEY: Jose.

This is another banging tapas bar. They have Jose as the tapas bar and Jose Pizarro as the “fine dining” option. We’ve only tried the tapas so far, and it is worth the visit to Bermondsey. Only suggestion: avoid ordering beer! With a £4 for half-pint, you are better off ordering wine. Nevertheless, their croquetas are the best in town, and their meat cuts are rather excellent.

And that’s all folks! If the restaurant you were thinking about it’s not here, it’s probably NOT worth going, but we would love to be challenged to it. If you think we are missing a great Spanish restaurant by all means let us know, and we’ll try it.

Buen provecho chicos,

TCB xx