The London Dossier
Cafés
Lorelei, 21 Bateman Street, W1D 3AL. (020) 7734 0954 *****
"Con la Cimbali... un Cimbalino!" — so reads the message on the front of the coffee machine in this great 1950s café/restaurant. Like everything else in the place, the coffee machine has been here for over 40 years. Despite the very occasional off day, the espresso here is consistently the best I've tasted in London and is probably also the cheapest you'll find in Soho. The pizzas are also excellent and the restaurant claims to be one of the first to sell pizza in Soho. Lorelei has a great atmosphere; it is small, dark and dingy, with the one window onto the street being full of pot plants to obscure nosy glances from passers-by. One wall is covered by a mural of a mermaid (presumably the Lorelei of German folklore), whilst the outside of the place is painted green, white and red like an Italian flag. Even visiting the toilet here is an experience unto itself; they are housed in the back yard. And notice that even the plumbing seems to be original!
Scooterworks Café, 132 Lower Marsh, SE1 7AE. (020) 7620 1421 *****
What started out in 2000 as simply an Italian scooter shop has slowly been transformed into one of London's coolest coffee bars, boasting the most beautiful vintage espresso machine you will probably ever see. Fifi, one of the friendly proprietors, is a master barista and makes an excellent espresso. The Italian hot chocolate is also to die for. On top of this, the café now holds occasional late evening sessions of live music and poetry. A must-visit.
Bar Italia, 22 Frith Street W1D 4RP. (020) 7437 4520 ****
Founded in 1949, the family-run Bar Italia is one of London's oldest Italian coffee bars. It stays open extremely late (almost all-night at weekends) and is nothing short of an institution. The coffee is expensive but generally very good. The panini are also very good (I recommend sun-dried tomato, mozzarella and basil) and are much cheaper than the pizzas. The interior is small but oh so stylish — with one wall completely mirrored — and is only spoiled by the large TV screen and fruit machines. The pavement seating is great for people-watching and is in use all year round; in the winter outdoor heaters and canopies are employed to protect customers from the elements. Bar Italia's two-floor sister café (and one of my favourite haunts) — Caffe Italia — has sadly been converted into part of Little Italy, but if you want to relax at an indoor table you can now go over to the other side of Bar Italia to their newly extended sandwich bar — Nino's Paninos (on the site of what used to be Nino's Salon and A. Angelucci Coffee Specialists).
Marine Ices, 8 Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm, NW3 2BL. (020) 7482 9003 ****
Café, restaurant and gelateria artigianale serving quite probably the best ice-cream and sorbets in London. Established in 1931, this Italian ice-cream parlour has gone from strength to strength. The interior is fairly standard fare, with the café section decidedly smarter-looking than the restaurant. The walls are decorated throughout with framed autographs of Marine's many famous customers. It's worth noting that the restaurant is very popular with families and is therefore often over-run by noisy children. Not the place for a quiet date! It's also worth knowing that the coffee is sadly not up-to-scratch and that the service can sometimes be erratic. Though the staff are very friendly, I've sometimes been ignored by the waitresses (the waiting staff all seem to be female!) or been given the wrong food or drink. Once it arrives however, the food is quite simply in a league of its own. My personal favourites are the spaghetti al pomodoro and the heavenly strawberry sorbet (try it and I promise you'll be addicted).
The Poetry Café, 22 Betterton Street, WC2H 9BX. (020) 7420 9887 ****
A wonderfully friendly café hidden down a small Covent Garden back street. They do a fairly nice cappuccino and also serve alcohol. The basement hosts a poetry club with regular readings. The café itself is decorated with some lovely contemporary paintings and the shelves are lined with poetry books, available to read over a coffee. It's not as busy as nearby Soho's coffee bars, and hence makes a nice relaxing change. Many of the clientele naturally tend to be artists and poets which gives the place something of a bohemian feel.
Richoux, 172 Piccadilly, W1J 9EJ. (020) 7493 2204 ****
Open 7 days a week, this elegant restaurant and patisserie radiates early 20th Century charm. It serves a lovely afternoon tea as well as all day English and Continental breakfasts.
The Troubadour, 263-7 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA. (020) 7370 1434 ****
This famous café has great decor, a fantastic atmosphere and a lovely little garden out the back (which is great for the summertime). The place is truly unique and needs to be seen to be believed. The only faults I can find are the lack of malt vinegar for the chips and the variable quality of the coffee. In February 2002, the café (which opened in 1958) was expanded; the management having taken over the premises on either side of the original Troubador. There is also a club in the basement which hosts live music.
Zippy, 42 Goldhawk Road, W12 8DH. (020) 8740 5473 ****
An original 60s burger bar serving great vegetable burgers and chips, as well as a huge range of delicious milkshakes. The Zippy Bar started out life as part of a sister chain to the Wimpy, but this is now the only one left. Its great interior has been untouched in around 40 years and boasts red leather seating, chrome bar and bar stools. They even still use the original hand-operated milkshake mixer. The chocolate and caramel flavour shakes are particularly nice, but I wouldn't recommend the coffee flavour.
Amalfi, 29-31 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JS. (020) 7437 7284 ***
A beautifully decorated café which adjoins the restaurant of the same name. They serve nice ice-cream, but I cannot recommend the coffee.
Amato, 14 Old Compton Street, W1D 4TH. (020) 7734 5733 ***
This patisserie/café does some of the best cakes in Soho. The interior is smart, but unremarkable, and has waiter service with plenty of seating. The mouth-watering chocolate truffles make the perfect accompaniment to the espresso, which can be good, if slightly watery.
Caffè Bar Ciao, 17 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EP. (020) 7930 5969 ***
This Italian café/ice-cream parlour situated near Leicester Square opened in November 2002. The coffee can be excellent (depending on who makes it) and the ice-cream is also very good, if a little milky. They even offer an entire menu of beautiful ice-cream creations. The colourful interior is quite stylish and has mirrors scattered liberally throughout. There is also a little pavement seating outside on Charing Cross Road.
Caffè Vergnano 1882, 62 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0BU. (020) 7240 3512 ***
Opened in 2002, this tiny Italian coffee bar serves nice food and lovely continental-style hot chocolate. The coffee varies but is usually decent.
Delices Du Jour, 553 Green Lanes, N8 0RL. (020) 8348 5520 ***
A nice cosy Italian/French style café/patisserie situated on Green Lanes between Turnpike Lane tube station and Harringay Green Lanes railway station, and practically opposite the Salisbury Public House. They serve a good espresso and also bake their own range of delicious biscuits and pastries. It is without a doubt my favourite coffee bar in Harringay and makes a nice change from the monopoly of chain coffee bars up the road in the Wood Green shopping district. Delices Du Jour is open 7 days a week from 7am - 10pm.
Tinderbox, 21 Upper Street, N1 0PQ. (020) 7354 8929 **
Despite being fairly expensive, this is one of Islington's better coffee bars. The coffee is usually decent, though the staff seem to change fairly frequently and not all are experienced baristas. The soups are nice too, though I was not impressed with the croissants. The café itself is comfortable and includes some genuine old aeroplane seats, as well as a gorgeous 1950s Lambretta LD scooter sitting at the back. The background music tends to be good, and it's common to hear some 60s ska and soul. All in all a nice place to relax over a coffee or snack, and a refreshing change from Upper Street's many uninspiring chain coffee bars.
Patisserie Valerie, 44 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JX. (020) 7437 3466 **
A fairly expensive continental-style café/restaurant which serves nice milkshakes, though the coffee is not so nice. The window seating upstairs offers an interesting view over Old Compton Street.
Tinseltown, 44-46 St. John Street, EC1M 4DF. (020) 7420 9887 **
Situated between Barbican and Farringdon tube stations, Tinseltown is one of the only diners in London to open 24/7. It is located in a basement which, as the name suggests, is decorated with a Hollywood theme. The food is decent and the large range of milkshakes are divine. I highly recommend the Mars Bar flavour. The diner also offers Internet access. Popular with the post-club crowd, the only criticism I can make of the place is regards the state of its toilets at night.
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