Larissa R.
Yelp
Because of all the hype, I finally got around to visiting this place. When I entered the cafe, I was worried that all the tables were occupied and that I would have to simply get a take away flat white, which incited an immediate sense of disappointment as I was ready to sit down and truly enjoy the purported best coffee in London.
I did find a seat, though, after a brusque exchange at the till, and quickly wedged myself in to wait for my cup to arrive. Looking around me, I was a bit disenchanted by the obviously dirty tables, with not only dried coffee stains but visible crumbs from previous customers. The music was playing at a markedly higher-than-conversational volume, thus making it impossible for me to concentrate on the obligatory coffee-shop reading I'd brought with me. The booth seat was far from comfortable, and not just in the no-lumbar-support sort of way. I could easily elbow my neighbours on both sides.
My aforementioned disenchantment was increasing exponentially.
But then, my flat white arrived. And I found myself transplanted in a world of unicorns, rainbows, and the best coffee I've ever tasted in the UK. The ten minutes or so it took me to finish a truly marvellous cup of coffee floated by in a caffeine-induced euphoria.
But then, I found myself back in the cramped and sort of dirty cafe with somewhat surly staff.
I was tempted to give the cafe a three-star rating, because, really, it fell well short of fostering friendly cafe culture.
But that coffee . . . I will have dreams of it. Even if a 6-ounce cup cost me £3.