Sunday 30 December 2012

That's all he wrote

I set myself a mission around this time last year. I wanted to try all the coffee shops in Balham.

The reason was my wife and I enjoy going out for coffee and cake and we were spoilt for choice in Balham. I have a bad memory so have taken to blogging so I don't forget stuff, this blog was going to give me a record of cafe experiences which would last longer than my memory.

At the beginning of the year I made a list of all the places I was going to try. I added a couple along the way too. There ended up being 25 on my list.

Fact is I failed in my mission to try all these coffee shops. This wasn't helped by the fact that we moved out of Balham mid year but it's no excuse. I will review the three I didn't get to (Puccino's, New George, Cafe Parisien) as soon as I can.

In writing this blog, and updating an associated twitter account I've had a great opportunity to interact with a number of people. I've been able to give a few recommendations and have received some great
recommendations for places to try.

So I'll do a brief 'year in review' type of post.

Contrary to some people's view on my mission, I was not out to find the best coffee in Balham. Although having tried many coffees in Balham I do have a few opinions. No where was perfect in my view, but then people don't make coffee shops just to serve my preferences so that's no surprise.

Here's my list of the coffees that I enjoyed the most. If you're after a really good quality coffee, you should be pretty safe heading to one of the following (in alphabetical order):
Camden Coffee House
Dee Light
Lavish Habit
Milk

Other options where which we really enjoyed, and would recommend include:
Des Lys
The Fat Delicatessen
The Nightingale
Trinity Stores

That's all for now. I will do some more lists at another time, given I did most of the reviews with a baby accompanying me I'll put some thought into a list of places that I rate for going to with a little one.

As for the future of the blog, I'm not sure. I'm thinking about extending the reach of the reviews to include Tooting and Streatham, which is a bit more local to me and also there are some great new places popping up in these areas.

Another thought I had was to do all the pubs in the area but I doubt I'd get through that many pubs. While Baby Spiller does love a good pub I'm not sure I'd get very far.

That's all, for now.

Sunday 2 December 2012

McDonald's - I wish I didn't have to

Yesterday Greggs, today McDonald's, I've hit rock bottom.

McDonald's is another one that I probably didn't need to put on my list to try and wish I hadn't.

Mrs Spiller was out with a friend last night and I knew after a few glasses of wine, a luxury she doesn't get to enjoy much these days, she would appreciate a McDonald's breakfast. So after a bit of a lie-in, we wrapped baby Spiller up and headed to McDonald's.

We got there just before the breakfast menu finished. Our order, 3 x hash browns, 1 cappuccino, 1 hot chocolate, 1 OJ, 1 bacan and egg bagel and 1 sausage and egg bagel.

The food was suitably greasy, and tasted as you'd expect. Baby Spiller enjoyed his first McDonald's experience, and probably his last for a number of years.

Service was very efficient, there was a very long line but they got through it quickly.

The coffee, like Greggs came from a push button machine, the result was a very milky, weak coffee, more akin to a white americano than a cappuccino. There was nothing offensive about the coffee it was just not very good.

It's interesting who you see at McDonald's on a Sunday morning for breakfast. A few hungover people, a few people on their way home after a late night, tradesmen on their way to work and young families giving the kids a treat to keep them quiet!

An unfortunate incident unfolded next to our table shortly after we arrived. One of the tradesmen was bringing two breakfasts back to his mate, one of the breakfasts fell off the tray, eggs were strewn across the floor. I felt bad for him for a little while but then another lad, on his own, slipped on the eggs while carrying his breakfast and felt down awkwardly. It was quite a bad fall although he managed to not drop anything apart from his coffee. I now didn't feel sorry for the tradesman. The McDonald's manager was very good, he came over to check if the guy was ok and replaced his coffee. The tradesmen didn't seem to care.

Anyway, that's that.

Scores:

Coffee
Hot: 8/13
Aroma: 4/13
Flavour: 4/13
Texture: 6/13
Presentation: 5/13

General
Service: 10/13
Food: na/13
Atmosphere: 3/13


Overall 6/13


A special video to finish this one with, not sure whether this is a piss take or not...

Saturday 1 December 2012

Greggs - let's get this over with

It was a mistake to put Greggs on my list of places to try a coffee from. It's not a coffee shop or anything similar, I thought they did proper espresso coffee, turns out they've got a push button machine.

Anyway, I went today. I paid my money for my cappuccino, they pushed the button. I did wonder if maybe I might be surprised, my expectations were low and turns out my low expectations were, met, not exceeded.

It was pretty warm, didn't smell like much, the froth was fine. It tasted like bad coffee, but at least it tasted like coffee, even if it was bad.  At £1.65 you couldn't expect too much.

I've hadn't been to a Greggs before today and don't imagine I'll be going again. Nothing at the 'home of fresh baking' looked particularly appetising.

One thing that did impress me was the service, the lads behind the counter were efficient and friendly.

Anyway, I've done my duty.

Scores:

Coffee
Hot: 7/13
Aroma: 4/13
Flavour: 5/13
Texture: 7/13
Presentation: 5/13

General
Service: 9/13
Food: na/13
Atmosphere: 3/13


Overall 6/13

Thursday 8 November 2012

Gazette - giddy-up

Gazette is more restaurant than cafe so maybe I could have left it off the list but in my new year haste it went on the list and I'm pretty pleased it did.

I've been to Gazette a number of times now and the experience is usually the same. Great food, average service. This visit was no different really.

We went with the intention of having a coffee so I could do the blog. We ended up with beer and dessert wine, cheese and a terrine.

Whoops, we weren't supposed to order this


 Followed by tiramisu, creme brulee... and a cappuccino.

This is what we came for

I like Gazette but the service is annoying. We always get the feeling that the wait staff are rushed off their feet and only just a moment away from forgetting all about us - they never do, but that uncertainty means we can't relax as much as we'd like.

It was difficult to get our cheese order sorted but we got there and it was worth it. We didn't want much cheese and it was great to be able to select exactly what we wanted and how much.

The beer was yum and the glass of dessert wine was huge and delicious.

Anyway down to business. I didn't have high hopes for the coffee but was pleasantly surprised. Actually it was one of the best cappuccinos I've had. Strong flavour without tasting too bitter or burnt with a good strong cap. It probably helped that they served it in a reasonable sized cup.

There's not much more to say about the coffee, it was good.

The tiramisu was brilliant, not your usual style but worth a try.

I love the atmosphere at Gazette, the fit out is great, it's big and can get a bit noisy but that adds to the atmosphere.

They're quite good with kids too which makes it a good place to go if you want something a bit special with the little one in tow, although you have to remember you might need to wait a while.

Scores

Coffee
Hot: 11/13
Aroma: 9/13
Flavour: 10/13
Texture: 10/13
Presentation: 10/13

General
Service: 6/13
Food: 12/13

Atmosphere: 12/13


Overall 10/13


Gazette on Urbanspoon

Saturday 13 October 2012

A.M.T - not winning me over

Out for a walk with the family today, passing through Balham we stopped in at the new commuter coffee shop, A.M.T.

A.M.T is quite a familiar site at train stations around London. It was not a surprise to see them occupy the newly refurbished space in the Balham train station concourse. I'm generally happy to go to an A.M.T for a coffee, they've served me well in the past, particularly when I used to have to commute through East Croydon I was quite a regular visitor.

The Balham branch, like most A.M.T's is very much just a takeaway spot, no seats. There were a few croissants and other snacks but this is very much for the commuter coffee crowd.

Our order was a regular cappuccino and a regular white americano (which they just call 'coffee').

We were quite disappointed.

The cappuccino just had no kick, a fatal failure. It also wasn't that hot.

On the plus side the milk was thick and creamy, in fact if there was some coffee flavour it could have been quite good. But it wasn't.

The white coffee had no kick either, it tasted quite watery.



Not much more to say really, this is a commuter coffee shop with little to offer other than the coffee, so they should make sure the coffee they do is better than what we had today. Maybe they do better on weekdays when they presumably get the bulk of their business.

There are now a number of coffee shops in close proximity to the station, Puccino's inside the rail station, Camden Coffee House, the cart on the corner, Trinity stores, Lavish Habit, all very much on the commuter route to station. My concern is that A.M.T because of their location and brand name, will do well at the expense of other coffee providers. Although, to be honest, most of the others are doing better coffee, so hopefully they hold on to their customers.

Scores

CoffeeHot: 7/13Aroma: 5/13Flavour: 5/13Texture: 10/13Presentation: 9/13 

GeneralService: 9/13Food: n/a/13Atmosphere: 6/13

Overall 6/13 - go to one of the many other alternatives.

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Mr As - get down there (not for the coffee though)

Last month was our six year anniversary of living in London, more than five of those years spent in Balham. Somehow we'd gone all that time without visiting Mr A's Brasserie. Not sure why.

Anyway, we had to do our duty to try the coffee. We'd had brekky at home so were really just there for the coffee.

We ended up with a cappuccino, filter coffee and caramel milkshake (I'm always a sucker for a milkshake)


And we couldn't resist some food either, especially as they had hash browns on the menu, we got some beans and toast as well so it didn't look like we were just there for the hash browns.


There are some great things about Mr A's, the service is some of the best in Balham, maybe London. You kind of get used to bad service in London after a while but we were served promptly, got help with fitting in with the buggy and were generally made to feel welcome.

The walls have graffiti style pictures of movie scenes, it's got a good atmosphere.

Another great thing is their extensive milkshake menu.

And of course they've got hash browns which is always a good thing.

Down to business though, the cappuccino was good, not spectacular, what you'd expect of a joint which is probably just marginally above a greasy spoon (don't get me wrong I don't have anything against greasy spoons but I'm supposed to be sussing out coffee).

The coffee was hot, texture of foam was good, flavour was alright, I could have had it stronger and appreciated a slurp of my wife's filter coffee.

There are plenty of very good reasons to go to Mr A's but the coffee is not the big draw card, don't be afraid of having one when you're there though, it'll do the job.

The milkshake was yum.

The hash browns were very good but not to the level of Milk.

It's not a great place if you've got a pram, actually it's a disaster for those with prams. They did have high chairs though.

All in all we're really pleased we went. It is not far from a greasy spoon but in a good way.

I can see why this place is a Balham institution, it will do well and if you haven't been you should definitely go. Especially if you've got a hang over.

Scores

Coffee
Hot: 11/13
Aroma: 7/13
Flavour: 7/13
Texture: 9/13
Presentation: 9/13

General
Service: 11213
Food: 9/13

Atmosphere: 10/13


Overall 8/13 (lots about this place was really good, the coffee wasn't and that's what brings down the overall score).

Saturday 22 September 2012

Milk - Take 2

We went to Milk in Balham in the first week that it opened and it was awful. The coffee had no kick whatsoever and the cake was inedible. We did vow however that we would come back to give it a second chance, particularly as the breakfast, and the hash browns in particular, looked good.

We eventually did get back there, and I'm very pleased to report it was great.

Flat white was delicious, really very good.


They have a small selection of smoothies, served in old milk bottles. I love the fact that these are served in milk bottles and it was yum too, it is a proper home style smoothie.
 

The highlight though was the hash browns, they were worth coming back for. The eggs bene was good too. I've had better but this was very good.


The other thing that is great about Milk is that it has a good number of seats outside on Hildreth St. Sometimes I wish Hildreth St had more eateries with seating on the street, I think it would have a great atmosphere.

Truth be told, since we visited for take 2 we've been back for take 3, and take 4. Each time we've ordered extra has browns, and each time it's been great.

So that's that, I can now provide scores which reflect the quality of this place.

Scores

Coffee
Hot: 9/13
Aroma: 10/13
Flavour: 11/13
Texture: 11/13
Presentation: 11/13

General
Service: 11/13
Food: 11/13

Atmosphere: 11/13


Overall 11/13



M1LK on Urbanspoon

Wednesday 8 August 2012

Camden Coffee House - a bit brash (in a good way)

It's taken me way too long to visit Camden Coffee House and has also taken me a while to get the review written up since I visited.

I had visited Camden Coffee House once before, shortly after it had opened, which was a while ago now. I wasn't impressed then for a couple of reasons, first it's a real pain to get a pram in there, second the coffee was weak - basically milk.

But that was a while ago, I hadn't gone back more often more because it's difficult to get a pram in than the quality of the coffee, anyway that's history.

I popped in when I was home early from a meeting in the city, I was in need of a bit of a relax and a good coffee after an intense day of meetings in a room with no windows and foul coffee.

I figured as I didn't have Baby Spiller with me I'd take the opportunity to give Camden Coffee House a go.

I made the right choice.

My order was simple a flat white to have in.

The staff there are cool (in a 'The Fonze' kind of a way) in a way that you don't really get elsewhere in the Balham cafe scene.

Photo stolen from another website, click photo for source
The attention to crafting a good coffee was very encouraging and the result was very good.

There isn't much to say about the coffee, it was a strong all round flat white.

I like the vibe of the Camden Coffee House. It is different to anything else in Balham. I would say Camden Coffee House is kind of like the brash younger sibling, or even child of some of the other quality coffee shops in Balham which I would say go for a more grown up feel. This is most apparent in that Camden Coffee House is not particularly child friendly  by virtue of the fact that the entry is very challenging even for the smallest prams.

Lets face it, does Balham need another coffee shop filled with prams? I am usually one of those with a pram and there are lots of options for me, but if you're looking for a great coffee in Balham in a baby free environment then Camden Coffee House is surely your spot. It is a bit unfortunate I suppose that there are no windows at the back, I do like a spot where I can people watch. The stools near the window at the front are ok, but not massively comfortable.

Stolen from another webiste, click for source


In short, Camden Coffee House is doing an excellent job of bringing great coffee to Balham in an atmosphere that is unique to the area.

Scores

Coffee
Hot: 10/13
Aroma: 12/13
Flavour: 11/13
Texture: 11/13
Presentation: 11/13

General
Service: 11/13
Food: n/a/13

Atmosphere: 10/13


Overall 11/13.

Saturday 7 July 2012

Lavish Habit - The Lav or The Habit?

I remember when the Lavish Habit site was an off license (Threshers I think), ideally placed for picking up a bottle when you’d forgotten to take one to Tagine for dinner. I was very pleased when shortly after the bottle shop had gone under a café was slated to move in.

When Lavish Habit opened it was clear it was perfectly suited to Balham. What does this mean? I’m not exactly sure but it was a great mix of clothes, gifts and furniture of the sort that Balhamites would buy. The café serving Monmouth coffee would appeal to locals who like to discuss Monmouth as if it’s the only decent coffee in London. The fit out was top draw, really well done and well thought out, a credit to those that developed this place.

I’ve been a number of times, and to tell the truth I haven’t been impressed. WHAT?! I hear you say, what more could they possibly do, great setting, atmosphere, coffee, food, what else is there? I’ll tell you, and it’s something that is so often missing from London hospitality – service. I’ve had two instances of my ordered coffee not turning up without further prompting and a farcical incident where I stood, waiting to order at the counter, three people stood behind the counter, chatting amongst themselves, I think it was one of the owners who eventually appeared from the kitchen to save the day. More recently I’ve noticed that when bringing drinks to the table the staff appear terrified that they are going to spill the drink and I’ve come to wonder whether the staff are not trained or interested in a job in hospitality but that they’re doing it while waiting for something else. They aren’t outright rude, just incompetent.

However, that said, I do go back, so it can’t be that bad, like I say it’s not rude and I almost feel sorry for them.

So that is the context in which I went in to this review.

This trip was with Mrs Spiller and Baby Spiller, I had a weekday off work so there was plenty of space so we were able to get a nice table, with space for the pram by the window. The order was two flat whites, a Bakewell tart/slice and a flapjack.

Let’s start with the service, it was good. Still slightly nervous staff but, we were seen promptly and the table service was fine. It probably helped that it was quiet but on this occasion I had no complaints so that was a great start.

The coffee was good, and to be fair it usually is. I’ve never had a bad coffee at Lavish Habit and this was another good one. Great flavour as you would expect from Monmouth, real bite, which I love. The texture probably could have been better, it wasn’t creamy like you get from people that really know how to work the milk but that didn’t detract much from my enjoyment.

The slices were both great. Really good, the flapjack was particularly nice as it wasn’t too buttery or greasy, but still enough butter for it to be a bit naughty.

So all in all a great visit, I do like this place, the service annoys me from time to time but a lot of thought has gone in to this place and I think it will deservedly do very well.

With the name Lavish Habit, I figured the short name could either be “The Lav” – if the place was no good or “The Habit” if it could potentially become a habit, the fact that I’ve been there so often I think it’s clear this is The Habit that is hard to break, even with variable service!
Sorry I didn't take any photos but there are a lot of photos of this place all over the web, it's very photogenic. Some spots to find photos (and some good bogs) include:
Scores

Coffee
Hot: 10/13
Aroma: 11/13
Flavour: 11/13
Texture: 7/13
Presentation: 8/13

General
Service: 8/13
Food: 11/13

Atmosphere: 10/13


Overall 10/13.

Saturday 19 May 2012

Pinza - nice but not good

I've never been in to Pinza before, it's a spot next to the Nightingale Cafe. It's part grocery/deli/take away/coffee shop.

I was in for the coffee, and had faint hopes of it being surprisingly good.

I was out with baby Spiller in the pram and was picking up take away coffees for me and Mrs Spiller, the order was two small take away cappuccinos.

The man set about making the coffees while I took in the surroundings. Nothing too special, the food in the counters didn't look particularly appealing. The groceries were not well stocked. The place was clean though, I suppose that was encouraging.

The man making the coffees was nice enough and once he'd made the coffees he noticed it was going to be tough for me to carry two coffees and push the pram, while he didn't have the cardboard carry trays he rigged up a good plastic bag carry system to get my coffees home more or less in tact.

In hindsight it might have been best if I had tripped over trying to negotiate a curb and spilt the coffees on the pavement.

My first reaction was that it tasted like dirty water with overtones of used cigarettes. It didn't really improve. It was hot so I suppose that was a good thing, although I am wondering if the rather foul taste was due to the coffee and milk getting burnt. Whatever happened I will not be buying coffee from here again, better off having instant.

It's a shame because as I said the man was nice, the place was clean and I think a deli in that spot could do really well.

Coffee being prepared. I'm never tempted by cold samosas.

I like the idea of there being nice cheese and deli meats in these cabinets, it wasn't the case unfortunately.

Just be thankful you can't taste it. I finished mine, Mrs Spiller didn't.


Scores

Coffee
Hot: 10/13
Aroma: 1/13
Flavour: 1/13
Texture: 6/13
Presentation: 6/13

General
Service: 11/13
Food: /13 (n/a - there were a selection of samosas and promise of sandwiches but I didn't try anything)
Atmosphere: 8/13 (I actually quite liked it, although it's not atmosphere in the same way as a coffee shop would have)

Overall 3/13.

Sunday 6 May 2012

Starbucks - there I've done it

I don't like Starbucks, I try at all costs to avoid going there for coffee. My reasons are flimsy at best, I don't like chains stores of pretty much anything (I appreciate I'm a hypocrite because of course we shop at Sainsbury's and from time to time eat and shop and chain stores). Another reason is that their coffee always seems more like a milkshake than a coffee to me. I hate those massively tall cups that Starbucks drinks come in. I don't like the generic-ness of Starbucks, I just don't really like what Starbucks represents, and no I'm not exactly sure what that means but that's what I think. Anyway, someone else has set up a website for venting about Starbucks so I'm not going to do it any more. If you want to have a rant about startbucks or read other people's rants, go here http://www.ihatestarbucks.com.

This blog is not about crapping on about my views of the world. It's about trying all the coffee shops in Balham and telling my story about it. There is a Starbucks in Balham so last week I did my duty, and here is the low down.

I've been busy at work recently and have had to take the unusual step of doing a bit of work on the weekends. However with baby spiller being all cute at home, it's tough to concentrate when working at home. So last weekend I took my laptop into Balham in search of a cafe where I could buy a coffee and more importantly sit down and work for a few hours without feeling bad about not buying anything else. Starbucks - the perfect place.

It's been raining a lot recently but it was still quite a shock to walk in to Starbucks, which is on the ground floor of a 3 story terrace to find there were buckets strategically positioned around the place to collect water leaking from the ceiling. Most concerning was the water dripping from a light, which was on and over the bit where you collect your drink from. So not only did you have to be careful not to walk off with someone else's drink, but you had the added hazard of having filthy water dripping into your drink and getting electrocuted.

Apart from the abundance of water hazards there was a number of trip hazards as I wasn't the only one who decided to set up office in Starbucks. There were cables running all over the place.

I realised there are two types of people that go to Starbucks, those that want free wifi and those with kids. Actually there is a third group, munters - there were a few of those there too.

My order today was a flat white and a skinny raspberry muffin.

The flat white was actually not bad. Had some kick, was served in an appropriately sized china cup. The milk was quite creamy all the way through. I wish it was worse in some ways but to be honest, it was fine. The muffin wasn't good but what do you expect when you buy low fat stuff, my own fault really.

I stayed there for a few hours and never felt awkward about not buying anything else and taking up lots of space so in many respects Starbucks served a very good purpose. I would have felt bad being in a small independent coffee shop doing the same thing because I might have been depriving them of additional customers, and might have been tainting the atmosphere of the place - no such worries when you're at a starbucks.

So how about that then, I went to starbucks, the coffee was ok and it was actually the best place for me to go in the circumstances.

Don't ever expect me to recommend starbucks to anyone, they don't need your custom but I guess they do serve a purpose which I guess is what good marketing is about. I suppose they will continue to do well, damn it.

I didn't take any photos because I was working diligently, but you all know what the inside of a starbucks looks like. I wish I'd got a photo of the dripping light fitting but my mind was on my work!

Scores

Coffee
Hot: 9/13
Aroma: 8/13
Flavour: 8/13
Texture: 8/13
Presentation: 8/13

General
Service: 7/13
Food: 7/13
Atmosphere: 3/13 (no, I don't like it to the point that I would have been embarrassed if a friend saw me in there)

Overall 7/13. I wish I could score it worse, but that wouldn't be honest.

Saturday 21 April 2012

Du Cane Court Coffee Shop - Step Back in Time

This may well be one of the least well known coffee shops I review, I hope that this post encourages at least one or two people to pop in to Du Cane Court for a coffee. Not really because the coffee shop is particularly special but becuase it's in Du Cane Court, which in my view is very special and a big part of Balham's landscape and history.

I'll start with the coffee shop and then maybe make a few comments about Du Cane Court.

The coffee shop has been open for probably no more than a year. Before that there was a shop which had slightly less than the bare essentials. They have done a refit of the space, including a small kitchen and seating area. It looks quite nice I think. It serves as a coffee shop, deli and convenience store.

Cafe area
Menu, deli meats in the fridge unit straight ahead, kitchen behind that
The convenience store bit, has some nice stuff in there
Our order was a cappuccino, double macchiato and pain au raisin.

The coffees weren't bad, good strong coffee flavour, hot - not much more than that but very acceptable.


The pain au raisin was very good, seemed fresh and tasted nice, it was served slightly warm too.

Let's be honest though, this place is not gourmet, nor is it trying to be, and their prices reflect this.

In addition to coffees and pastries there are some light meals and paninis on offer as well. I'm not quite what happens when you order a light meal or panini, I guess one of the staff there would get up and whip something up, it didn't like there was much call for that though. Given the selection of deli meats and fresh vege they have for sale I suspect their food might be quite nice made with fresh ingredients so probably worth a try sometime.

There special of the day was pasta al forno, side salad and sorbet for £5.90, might have to try out their special one day
Service here is fine, but again they're not after any awards, just doing the basics to an acceptable level.

While we were there a few residents came in to pick up coffees or milk, bread or papers. There is a big tv in one corner (a la any European shop/bar). It does have quite an authentic European feel actually, not the type of European shop/cafe with lots of atmosphere but the kind that only locals go in to.

I'll do some scores and then maybe a few notes on Du Cane Court.

Scores
Coffee
Hot: 10/13
Aroma: 7/13
Flavour: 7/13
Texture: 7/13
Presentation: 6/13

General
Service: 7/13
Food: 7/13
Atmosphere: 7/13 (it's an odd atmosphere, something a bit different)

Overall 7/13.
I would strongly recommend that if you're reading this and have even a passing interest in Balham or Du Cane Court specifically that you should pop in here for a drink and something to eat. It's not going to be a culinary highlight of your life but this is probably as close as we've got to a secret cafe in Balham. I suspect those that don't live in Du Cane Court have no idea there is a cafe in there.

So a bit more about Du Cane Court (or the DCC as I like to call it). I am at present a DCC resident but probably moving in the near future, I've been here for over 2 years now and was really pleased when Mrs Spiller found this flat in DCC because I've always been interested in this building ever since I've lived in Balham.

Some facts/myths/rumours about DCC
  • It was built in the 1930's, at the time it was the largest private block of flats in Europe
  • Is an example of art deco architecture. The reception area has recently been fitted out in keeping with the art deco theme
  • The building has 'porters' at the front desk 24/7, the best bit about that is that they hold parcels for you, we've not had to go to the post office to collect anything the whole time we've been here
  • The building used to have a restaurant on the 7th floor and I think it included a social space as well. Now converted into apartments
  • There were rumours that during the war the luftwaffe used Du Cane Court's distinctive shape as observed from the air for navigation
  • There were also rumours that Hitler had earmarked the DCC as his headquarters once he'd counquered London
  • There is a night time dog patrol
  • It has featured in at least two Poirot episodes (a couple of screenshots below)

Poirot, Captain Hastings and Japp on the case in Du Cane Court
 
And off they go


I'm sure there are loads more stories as well. There is one publication I'm aware of dedicated to DCC, I've tried reading it, it's pretty hard going to be honest but if you have an interest in the DCC and want to know some of its history and stories about the goings on in the building hunt out A history of Du Cane Court : land, architecture, people and politics by Gregory Vincent.

Thursday 19 April 2012

What goes on tour, goes on the blog

A quick post on my cafe/coffee experiences while on a recent trip around NZ.

On the flight over a flat white and banana bread at Sydney airport was great, airport coffee done very well, which was just as well because I needed a coffee by this time.

In NZ first proper coffee experience was in Akaroa. Flat white for brunch was great, although took ages. Akaroa if you haven't been is a beautiful place...

From here we drove to Dunedin, home made espresso with my brother in laws machine were good but going down to starfish cafe in St Claire (http://www.starfishcafe.co.nz)was a highlight, great coffee, food, beer, weather and company...







Next stop was Port Royale cafe in Portchalmers http://www.inport.co.nz/listings/port-royale-cafe A great little cafe, almost worth the drive from Dunedin just for the cafe!
Great flat whites plus a slice of 'tan slice' and citrus slice to share, yum yum in a cool venue
Jackson's on Joll in Havlock North is not one you need to bother with unfortunately. Coffee was ok but there is better to be had in this small town.


Good coffee, bad cheese roll at Jackson's on Joll in Havelock North
At E's cafe in havelock North (http://www.ateasecafe.co.nz/) is great in so many ways, if you ever have the chance, go there.
I would say this place is a must visit in Havelock North (or Hawkes Bay generally) At E's cafe, great atmosphere, brillant food and coffee to boot.

Quite a popular spot and rightfully so
Cafe Kaos was another big highlight, recently moved to Pukekoe, no website but here's their TripAdvisor listing: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g775284-d2327100-Reviews-Cafe_Kaos-Pukekohe_North_Island.html
Kaos cafe would stack up against any cafe in the world for coolness of atmosphere and quality of food and coffee.
From NZ we flew back to London stopping a few days in Abu Dhabi to see friends. Flat white from Jones the Grocer was very good. I'm not familiar with Jones the Grocer, apparently it's an Australian chain which I guess wasn't around when I was living in Sydney.
Jones the Grocer, supplying quality coffee and treats from an obscure location in Abu Dhabi
Before flying back to London we also stopped in at a Limetree Cafe in Dubai, I get the impression if you like a good cafe and you live in Dubai you probably frequent a Limetree cafe. It was very good, we got an average cake but I suspect we just got a dud.
The only photo I got of Lime Tree cafe in Dubai before my phone died. Our cake was average at best, coffee and smoothies were good. I'd go back for sure.


So that's a whistle stop tour of some of the places we went.

Now back to the real business of drinking my way through the coffees of Balham! Review of the Du Cane Court coffee shop coming up soon.

Friday 13 April 2012

Bertie and Boo Adventure Island - A brave new world

This place is going to do very very well.

But is unlikely to see me again for a year or so.

It is catering for a very specific market and while it is open to all, I really think I (and others) should leave this one to the target market which is parents with kids of a certain age.

I didn't take photos of this place because it's filled with kids and I didn't want to get escorted of the premises (Mrs Spiller agreed taking photos here wouldn't be appropriate). So a brief description - it's a big cafe with a soft play area for kids, and maybe a theatre for kids shows but I didn't see that. The place is totally set up for parents with young kids, here are some of the features I noticed:

Food and drink service in paper/cardboard crockery - no broken stuff for kids to hurt themselves on
Till and food placed up high - kids can't slobber over the sweet treats or grab them and start eating
Lots of healthy food options for kids
Coke was for sale but at the top of the fridge section, fresh juices available at kiddie eye level
Reasonable (although not copious) space between tables
Buggy park (although quite small)

So you can see a lot of thought has gone in to this place.

I didn't go in to the soft play area but from comments I've seen online and from what I could see when we were there it's not huge which causes some problems. That said I'm not sure where the nearest 'full size' soft play area is so I think Bertie and Boo are adding something which will be of great service to the local community.

Dare I say it, Bertie and Boo Adventure Island might free up space in other cafes which have been overrun by young ones in the past (please note I do have a baby and often take up lots of space with a pram in cafes so yes I am being somewhat hypocritical, sorry about that).

So the coffee and food.

It was a decent Bertie and Boo flat white (i.e. good but served in a too big cup).

We had flapjack and cookie as well, they were fine.

I think they'd only been open for a week, there are clearly some teething problems, the service was a bit rough but mainly from not knowing where stuff is, what stuff costs etc. Just the sort of stuff you get with new staff, I'm sure it'll improve. It also wasn't helped by me not understanding the no crockery thing initially leaving me confused when it came to the self service food bit (take one of the cardboard boxes and chuck your food in there - it works and is quite a good idea but just wasn't obvious that I was supposed to do that.)

I'll leave it there but their are some very active conversations about this place online on Twitter and Nappy Valley (see here for one of the Nappy Valley threads...http://bit.ly/I3Oj1z). Also click here for a review on the Made for Mums website

Scores
Coffee
Hot: 7/13
Aroma: 6/13
Flavour: 6/13
Texture: 10/13
Presentation: 7/13

General
Service: 6/13
Food: 8/13
Atmosphere: 4/13 (this is based on me wanting something that isn't a playground/creche when I go out for a coffee and cake - don't let this deter you!)

Overall 6/13.

So not a great score from me, but that's my view at this stage of my life, when Baby Spiller is a bit older I will be spending a lot of time here I'm sure and I will be very happy to do so because Bertie and Boo does it very well. So please, if you've got young ones go along and hopefully you and your kids will have a great time!

Thursday 12 April 2012

Tartine Balham

I want Tartine Balham to be really good but in my view its average at best. And this visit was another example of me wanting something and Tartine not really delivering.

My history with Tartine dates back to before they had a Balham branch. Mrs Spiller and I would pop in to Tartine in Tooting when we were having our Tooting jaunts. We felt Tartine Tooting was a great find and always enjoyed our visits.


When Tartine opened in Balham they took over the space previously occupied by Gazzette which had a great atmosphere and delicious food in the cosy space. When Tartine moved in we were looking forward to good atmosphere and food continuing with a slightly different feel.


Unfortunately our experiences there have been mediocre, their coffee has been consistently average at best. Food has been ok and service has been hit and miss.


So this visit I was on my own, Mrs and Baby Spiller had headed back to NZ. It was a nice afternoon in Balham with clear skies and it was warm for March. I was able to get a seat outside, although the outside seats weren't getting any sun - I guess they will in summer.


It was ominous that the couple next to me left two half eaten meals at their table when they left.

I ordered a cappuccino and a merguez wrap.


The wrap wasn't too bad. Good in fact.


However imagine lifting up your cup of cappuccino to your mouth, as you take your first mouthful, the froth hits your top lip and you feel cold, cold froth. What a shock. I hadn't had the coffee sitting there for long and it was a warm day so either the coffee had been waiting to be brought out to me for ages or they had just used milk that had been frothed some time earlier on my coffee. Unacceptable. The coffee tasted average, like most cappuccinos you would get at cafes where they don't take pride in their coffee around London.


Service was ok but not good enough to make up for the bad coffee, the location is not bad, but really I'm not sure why I go back here so often when it's just not that good. I guess it's the memories of good experiences at Tartine Tooting.


So that's that, sorry it's not a more positive review. This place is relatively busy so it clearly has a market that it serves well but really I should stop going here. I suppose it is one of those places where you can usually get a seat when all the other places are full.


Scores:

Coffee
Hot: 4/13 (while the froth was cold the coffee was warm)
Aroma: 5/13
Flavour: 5/13
Texture: 6/13
Presentation: 6/13

General
Service: 7/13
Food: 8/13
Atmosphere: 9/13

Overall 6/13.

As seems to happen when I've had a bad experience I packed myself off to Dee-Light for a delicious coffee, chocolate brownie and sat in the sun for about an hour.

Monday 12 March 2012

Milk - Take 1

Right so I never got to Le Petit Bistro in time to do a review but made sure I got to its replacement early. The reason I've titled this blog Milk - Take 1 is that I will give them another chance. Fact is this first attempt was poor. The coffee (flat white and espresso) was bad and the cake wasn't really fit to be sold - it tasted of baking soda.

The cake was hopefully just a bad batch which maybe hadn't been taste tested but it was quite foul.

The coffee had no kick, even Mrs Spiller who doesn't drink much coffee didn't get much flavour in the coffee.

The service was fine, the location is great, I really hope they do well, but I hope they do well and sort out their coffee and cake situation.

One of the reasons we want to go back (other than because we feel they deserve a second chance as they had only been open a few days) is that their cooked breakfasts looked great. We don't normally go in for the greasy breakfast, purely because it's greasy. But the Milk breakfast looked appealing, the food looked fresh and cooked well, not deep fried, there didn't look to be too much grease but plenty of flavour.

So that's all I'll say at this stage, I will give them scores but when we go back I reserve my right to change those scores on the basis that maybe they were having some teething problems.

For the record the order was:
Single espresso
Flat white
Grapefruit, pistachio and rosewater cake

Scores:
Coffee
Hot: 9/13
Aroma: 6/13
Flavour: 4/13
Texture: 9/13
Presentation: 8/13

General
Service: 8/13
Food: 2/13
Atmosphere: 10/13

Overall 6/13.

As an indication of how disappointed we were we ended up going to Dee Light bakery for a flat white and lamington to make us feel better.

I really hope this place does well, I would encourage people to try it out, despite our bad experience, because it's a top location, I think they've got a good vibe and are trying to do something good. Plus I think Hildreth St. needs places like this if it is to become a hub for food and drink in Balham (which in my view is what is should be).

I see swishjunction are reviewing Milk this week so please keep an eye out for their review.

Sunday 11 March 2012

Trinity Stores - An Old Fav

It's been a few weeks since we visited Trinity Stores for this review so sorry it's taken so long to get around to it. Fortunately I have a couple of notes and photos so I haven't forgotten anything.

First of all, I really like Trinity Stores. It has a nice vibe through a well put together food offering and a fit out that matches the menu perfectly. I'm not quite sure how to describe it - I keep thinking 'quaint' but I don't quite think that's the right adjective and don't think it does it justice.

I understant they're under new management, however that doesn't seem to have affected the quality of the place too much - which is a good thing.
Anyway, this place is a favourite for a number of reasons - it's location, it's atmosphere and it's food. It hasn't really got coffee or service down pat yet but they're not too bad.

The order was:
Cappuccino
Espresso
Victoria sponge
Carrot cake



The espresso was good, they're probably not using kick ass beans so I expect the espresso was as good as you could get given the inputs.

The cappuccino, served in a big mug was ok but didn't really have much kick to it. Or no 'teeth' as I saw someone describe a coffee recently. The froth was done quite well, relatively firm but generally speaking not a strong contender. I suspect it's a number of factors that differentiate this from a milk espresso based drink that you would get from the likes of George or Dee Light. Anyway, I don't want to beat up Trinity Stores on their coffee, I've had very good coffee here before, just not on this occassion. there are many other really good things about this place.

The best thing I would say for me is that it does the best Victoria sponge I've ever come across, and today's slice didn't disappoint. The carrot cake was good too.

They tend to have good tunes on at Trinity Stores and I love the vibe of the place, it's a brilliant people watching spot too.



The service gets to me a bit here sometimes, I would say ambivalence is how I would describe it, when you get there it sometimes seems that no one wants to serve you, in fact while we were having our cake and coffee the counter was unattended for a couple of minutes with a couple of punters politely waiting for someone to appear, eventually they did, although they didn't seem to realise their faux pas. Once you have their attention they're generally kind and efficient so not a major gripe.

While not part of this trip Mrs Spiller is a big fan of their salad plate for lunch, and I'm partial to their Scotch eggs.

Scores:
Coffee
Hot: 9/13
Aroma: 7/13
Flavour: 7/13 
Texture: 10/13
Presentation: 8/13

General
Service: 7/13
Food: 12/13
Atmosphere: 12/13

Overall 8/13.

The lowish overall score is based on the coffee, in my view this isn't the place to go for a kick ass coffee with teeth, it is a place to go for a treat though and we will be back again and again for treats.

Trinity Stores on Urbanspoon

Friday 2 March 2012

Coffee Me Up - Don't leave us George

I was up at 5am this morning with Baby Spiller, so when I took him for a walk at a more civilised hour (about 9), I felt I'd earned a good coffee, and I had my mind set on just one place. Coffee Me Up is the business name but George is the man.

Photo of George from his website
I'm not a regular visitor to George, normally when I'm out for a coffee I'm also after some cake and a sit down, maybe read the paper. But I do know from friends and from the couple of coffees I'd had from him that George is special and so is his coffee.

Let's start with the coffee. George uses a hand pulled lever machine (not sure what the tecnhical term is), if you are having trouble imagining what this is it's a bit like one of these. I'm not sure about the details of these machines, does it make a better shot? I'm not sure but it adds so much to the experience, which does make a difference to me.

 George seems to genuinely care about the coffee he makes. I'd ordered a flat white and you can see he is really making sure the espresso shot is good. Then he moves on to the milk, he is like a craftsman who takes great pride in his work. Creating smooth velvety milk which he carefully pours over the shot.

And the result - delicious. In all honesty I do prefer a slightly sharper tasting coffee but this was still one of the best you could get. The flavour was strong, the texture velvety all the way to the end. And what I love about a good coffee is even once you've finished drinking it you can still hold the flavour in your mouth and relive the taste with every breath you take... almost makes me want to break into song...


So the coffee was brilliant.

George is a gentleman too, so comfortable making conversation as he goes about his business. He's clearly got style but isn't too cool for school. I asked him if it is true that he's leaving and yes, he is moving home to Brazil in a couple of months and is looking forward to being back with his family and friends in Brazil. Balham will really miss George. He is a real character, a bit of a celeb really. Whenever I see him in town I always say to Mrs Spiller, "oooh I saw George today at Sainsbury's" or whatever, as if I'd seen some big name celeb.

Anyway, I better tone it down or I'll find myself with a restraining order!

Right, the scores:
Coffee
Hot: 10/13
Aroma: 10/13
Flavour: 11/13  (espresso good, cap average)
Texture: 12/13
Presentation: 9/13

General
Service: 12/13
Food: n/a/13
Atmosphere: 12/13 (it might be on a busy intersection but I felt special being there, you kind of want to show off that you're there getting an amazing coffee from George)

Overall 12/13.

It will be a shame when George leaves. I'm not sure if we might get someone new? Big shoes to fill but I hope someone gives it a go. I will be making sure I go back and see George a couple of times before he leaves.

Thursday 23 February 2012

Nero - Nearly

So last weekend, actually no, the weekend before I was up early with Baby Spiller on a Sunday morning. I did the good daddy thing and took him out for a walk to let Mrs Spiller catch up on some sleep. I decided to sit down for a coffee (alright two) while I was out and given I was out so early Nero was one of the only options available.

That said it was a good time to give Nero a go because it was quiet, I was able to get a seat easily.

Here's the low down:

The order was
  • small cappuccino
  • single espresso
  • pain au raisin
Initially I didn't get my espresso but that's understandable, most people don't expect someone to be buying a shot of espresso for their 3 month old son! With that corrected I took my two coffees and pastry and sat down, grabbing the mornings sports section for a read.

The espresso was fine, good in fact.

Cappuccino  - what I like about Nero is they do a proper small sized coffee, it only comes with 1 shot but that's fine although on this occasion the coffee hardly came through at all. Not a very strong flavour.

On this occasion the milk was done quite well for a chain store, creamy with small bubbles - not soap suds. So good work there.

The biggest disappointment was the pain au raisin. I should have known better than getting food from one of these places. Goodness knows where the pastry was made but it was disappointing. Serves me right I suppose for buying food in a chain coffee shop.

Of the big chains, Nero is probably my favourite, partly because you can get a proper sized coffee and also it is usually a good flavour, however not on this occasion. And thinking about it I occasionally get a coffee from Nero in Surbiton on the way to work, the last couple have been poor, I wonder if they've changed their coffee supplier or have had a bad batch.

Apart from the food and coffee the atmosphere of Nero is decent, as you would expect. It was nice being somewhere spacious and quiet. One downside was that they had their aircon turned up high which blew the paper around as I read it. But that's a small issue really.

Right, the scores:
Coffee
Hot: 9/13
Aroma: 7/13
Flavour: 7/13  (espresso good, cap average)
Texture: 10/13
Presentation: 8/13

General
Service: 6/13
Food: 5/13
Atmosphere: 6/13

Overall 7/13.

Nero is still my pick of the chains but in Balham there isn't much excuse for going there unless it's really early and no where else is open.

Caffe Nero on Urbanspoon

Saturday 18 February 2012

Dee-light-ful

I'm sorry I'm sure I'm not the first and won't be the last to use Dee-Light-Ful in a review of this great new addition to Balham. Dee Light bakery has made quite an impact in very short time. I think most people that have been there agree that it is a great addition to Ritherdon Road. After such a great start I can see Dee Light Bakery becoming one of the big stars of the Balham food and coffee scene.

I've been to Dee Light on a few occassions now but was anticipating leaving my review of this one till the end of my odessy, however after a bad lunch at Horti-culture we felt we needed a nice coffee and cake to lift our spirits. We intended to go to Trinity Stores, another favourite, but they were full. So we headed down to Dee Light. By this stage it was getting a little late in the day but we were still able to get our coffee and cake.

The order:
1 single espresso
1 flat white
1 lamington
1 coconut cake


The lamington, before we knew how great it was going to be


Unfortunately the flat white was a bit too hot and a bit weak. I'm not sure if the heat spoiled the coffee flavour or not, whatever it was it wasn't quite the intense espresso flavour coming through that you expect of a flat white. The milk, apart from possibly being too hot was well streched so had a thick creamy texture.

The espresso was good, great full, intense flavour which stayed in the mouth.

The lamington was definitely the highlight, and a big highlight too. Thick icing which was solid, soft sponge with cream and jam inside, it was perfection.

The coconut cake was also very very good. The cake was quite heavy but in a good way, it was balanced perfectly with a thick smothering of icing, yum.

I was pleased to see they've finally got a till after using a bowl for their takings for a while. Not sure they've got their card machine installed yet, I think they'll need one as I imagine some people will go expecting to buy a load of delicious fresh bread and end up ordering more than the change in their pocket can afford.

So really just the one gripe, they're still yet to get their flat white consistently right but I think they can get there.

Scores:
Coffee
Hot: 10/13 (although maybe the flat white was too hot)
Aroma: 8/13
Flavour: 7/13  (espresso good, flat white average)
Texture: 12/13 (proper flat white milk)
Presentation: 9/13 (looked great)

General
Service: 9/13
Food: 11/13
Atmosphere: 11/13

Overall 10/13.

So they might struggle to have the best coffee in Balham based on that visit but I think they will be contenders, if there is a final I suspect they will be there.

Another draw for some people will be the gluten free options, I can't speak for them but I do they have some. On the other hand I don't think they had Chai Latte on the menu, I think this place should do a Chai Latte, but that's just my (and Mrs Spiller's) opinion.

If you haven't been to Dee-Light, go. It's great, it's got a good vibe, very open and friendly. Chances are you will get a good coffee and make sure you have an empty stomach when you go because the food is yum.

As this is a popular new place there's been a couple of other reviews about which are worth a read...
swishjunction
glutenfreecakelover

I can't find any listings on the main restaurant/cafe revew sites but have tried adding it to Urban Spoon so hopefully more people can find this hidden gem.

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Horti-culture: a bit agricultural

I had not visited Horti-culture, on Bedford Hill, before Saturday, and to be honest after Saturday I have no intention of ever going back.

Wasn't last Saturday a perfect winter day. Snow remained from the day before, any patches that had thawed were covered with fresh frost. The skies were clear and there wasn't much wind to speak of so it was relatively comfortable to be outside enjoying the fresh air. I was looking forward to going for a walk with Mrs Spiller and heading out for coffee and lunch.

We decided to give horticulture a try. I was conscious that many of my reviews to date have been of places where I have some amount of history. I wanted to try somewhere new, Horticulture fitted the bill.

They offer a breakfast menu with all the usuals and a lunch menu which has tapas and main size plates. We decided to get a few tapas; patatas bravas, cheese, bread, chorizo pate on toast and fennel sausage - they all had SSpanish names.

I ordered a cappuccino, Mrs Spiller had a decaf mocha.

So lets start with the coffee, it was probably the highlight, cappuccino had good milk, thick, not soap suds on top. The taste was good too. Nothing exceptional but a well done cappuccino.The decaf mocha was also quite good.

The food was average.
  • The chorizo pate on toast was bad. Basically mushed up chorizo on stale toasted bread, not a good taste at all.
  • Breads weren't the nicest
  • Cheese was a hotch potch of what they had lying around, including a hunk of Parmesan which wasn't really practical on a cheese plate with no implement sharp enough to slice through it.
  • Patatas bravas weren't bad, although I think the fact that the chef had to pop next door to buy potatoes suggests they weren't expecting anyone to order them all weekend.
  • The sausage was the highlight of the food.
Probably the worst bit though was the atmosphere of the place. It's one of those places where once you sit down you start wondering whether it is bad form to get up and leave. Certainly not a place you feel special in - hard to put a finger exactly on what was wrong. It's sort of like when you're in another country, you don't know how to tell a good restaurant from a bad one and when you get in there you're not sure if you're being given worse service/food because you're foreign - you assume if they were this bad all the time they wouldn't still be in operation.

So there you go, not a glowing experience, and no I would not recommend trying this place - sorry. I wish I could say otherwise because I am all for supporting independent businesses, but they have to offer something of value, and this place doesn't.

Scores:
Coffee
Hot: 9/13
Aroma: 7/13
Flavour: 7/13
Texture: 10/13
Presentation: 8/13

General
Service: 6/13
Food: 5/13
Atmosphere: 4/13

Overall 6/13.

Please note my opinion is based on just one visit, having had a look online there do appear to be some positive reviews, have a look at them here:
Top Table
Qype

Sunday 5 February 2012

The Fat Delicatessen - Something a bit different

Make no mistake, this place is really good. I've always struggled though because I had pigeon holed this place as a cafe, and it just isn't. It is probably a deli/restaurant rather than a deli/cafe. Now that I've got that in to my head I think I'm set to enjoy this place more often.

After the snow last night I was looking forward to heading out for a hot drink in Balham to soak up a winter vibe that hasn't really been around so far this winter. The Fat Delicatessen was quite a good place to do this, it's quite spacious but with a homely, deli feel, and plenty of space to unload coats before settling in. We were sat at the long benches towards the front (not in the photo below). It might be a little less roomy at the tables at the back but there you go.

Interior photo from The Fat Delicatessen website

The order:
Cappuccino
Single shot espresso
Hot chocolate
Tap water

Jam on toast
Green bean, feta, olive and sun blush tomato salad
Baked aubergine with mozzarella and rocket
Pot roasted chicken with chorizo, broad beans and peas


Love their menu

Espresso was very good. Hot, well balanced flavour which fills the mouth and stays with you. Very happy with that.

Cappuccino on the other hand was a bit watery, I don't think the espresso shot was able to handle the milk, not that there was too much milk but maybe the shot wasn't intense enough. Also the cap was a bit sudsy, although not the worst I've seen. It wasn't an offensive cappuccino, it just didn't stand up very well in a place that you would think would do a really robust coffee. Actually thinking about it, I have had good cappuccinos from here before so maybe this was just not their best work.

The hot chocolate was very very good. Large, great flavour right throughout and not to sickly at the end. I've had hot chocolates here before on the recommendation of a friend and would usually have one when I'm here because they're always good.

The food was also very good, my chicken was probably a bit dry, which I wouldn't have expected from a pot roast and the baked aubergine could have been hotter but all the food was very tasty and thoroughly enjoyed.

The drinks, hot choc at the back was probably the highlight

Bean, feta etc. salad



Pot roast chicken, a bit dry but yum and I like the dish it was served in, complete with lid.

The service was generally good, the chap who initially served us seemed new and didn't strike me as a natural but he was friendly as were all the other staff (who were also highly competent).

Reading the above sounds a bit negative but this was a very enjoyable outing and I'm really pleased we have The Fat Delicatessen in Balham. I like the vibe, it has a real authenticity about it which I love. It's also very chilled and it's a bit different to anything else so it's good for a change.

Scores:
Coffee (these are based on both cap and espresso so the average cap probably lowers the scores here, I'm not going to take into account the fact that I have previously had very good cappuccinos from here because that wouldn't be fair on the places that I don't have a history with.
Hot: 8/13
Aroma: 7/13
Flavour: 7/13
Texture: 8/13
Presentation: 7/13

General
Service: 8/13
Food: 9/13
Atmosphere: 9/13

Overall 8/13.
 
I'll be back here for sure, but maybe more as a restaurant/deli occasion, next time maybe a glass of red wine would accompany my food a bit better!

Their website
http://www.fatdelicatessen.co.uk/

Other reviews:
swishjunction
twelvepointfivepercent
urban-vegetarian
trusted-gourmet
aforkfulofspaghetti


Fat Delicatessen on Urbanspoon