18 Jan 2015 – Yellywelly

There are a lot of reasons why I’d love to live in London. There’s something about the frenetic activity of a world-class city that makes one feel alive. For one, the shops don’t close at 5 or 6PM. There’s always something to do and there’s always something to happen. What I love about my London trips is that you literally walk in history. Each corner and cobblestone may have had a place in history!

And the food! London is such a cultural melting pot that one is spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing where and what to eat. You have a choice of going to a restaurant chain or going to an independent one-of-a-kind shop.

I love my coffee strong (some might say strong enough to stand one’s spoon in!) and while I will always somehow feel a certain loyalty to Starbucks (sometimes Starbucks coffee can leave me wanting more), London offers a wide variety of choice when it comes to places where one can get a brilliant cuppa.

One of my favourite street food purveyors of great coffee is Bean About Town. Their coffee is strong and robust and you get the perfect caffeine hit. I’ve been known to head to South Bank when a headache rears its ugly head just to stop a migraine from coming (obviously only when I’m actually IN London)! I remember once my migraine really was starting and we were in South Bank I was very disappointed that they’d run out of beans and I couldn’t get my caffeine fix.

One of my favourite coffee places of all time though is Flat White. It’s this little coffee shop nestled in between vegetable stalls and fabric shops on Berwick Street in Soho. It serves, well, flat whites (of course!), cappuccino, lattes, and a selection of other coffee based drinks. They also offer a great selection of teas. If you’re feeling peckish and need a little something to have with your cuppa, they’ve got a selection of bread-based eats and baked goodies as well.

I love Flat White. Mostly because they make a good flat white – strong and not at all too watery or milky. For those who haven’t had a flat white, a flat white is a coffee drink developed in Australia in the 1970s and further developed in New Zealand in the 80s. It’s prepared by preparing steamed milk with small, fine bubbles into a shot or a double shot of espresso. Flat White a smallish narrow restaurant that has a long L-shaped banquette. But what I appreciate most about this little gem of a coffee shop is that even though seating is limited, the atmosphere is very laid back and no one rushes you to gulp down your drink, inhale your food and free up seating space. You’re allowed to chill out and linger over your coffee. The staff are wonderfully friendly (no question too silly!) and you are served with an amazing efficiency (the music is not too loud and brilliant to listen to!)!