Tag Archives: cafe

Maison d’etre, Islington

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Discovering quirky independent coffee houses in London thrills me every time and I always like to support them, even if I’m not particularly thirsty! Last weekend in Islington, while wandering in the sunshine I stumbled across Maison d’etre, a tiny pretty little café serving Nude Espresso finely brewed coffee, chilled iced coffees and homemade ravishing looking cakes.

The décor like many one-off cafes is stylish retro with embroidered cushions and mismatch crockery and little vases of colourful handpicked flowers on each table. Located on the main road moments away from Highbury and Islington station, it is a convenient and bright venue and I’m sure supplies many early morning commuters with their caffeine kick.

Hip youngsters glug coffee at the tables while clicking away on their Mac laptops and listening to music. We sauntered in after a lunch at a restaurant nearby, grabbing coffee for our stroll in Highbury Fields. We tried a classic cappuccino and an iced-coffee (which seemed to be flying off the counter in the unusually hot weather). The friendly barista handed us two delicious looking beverages: the cappuccino was light and fluffy with a rich but sweet taste to the coffee… I usually spend hours drinking a cup of coffee but I couldn’t make the Maison d’etre cappuccino last more than five minutes despite wanting to savour every mouthful. The iced coffee was great too, a lovely white and brown marbled effect which tasted as good as it looked, milky and cooling with a strong espresso flavour a brilliant option for summer afternoons.

On a quest to supply Islington with the best brewed coffee and home baked cakes, Maison d’etre are succeeding. Round the back they have a garden where you can listen to records and relax while sipping the perfect cappuccino.

Visit the website here.

42Raw, Piccadilly

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42Raw is the new healthy café-restaurant located inside the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts. The name, 42Raw refers to the type of cuisine served: Raw food only ever heated to below 42 degrees, the maximum temperature for cooking vegetables before the enzymes are broken down and some of the essential goodness is lost.

It is a brilliantly simple but inventive concept and one that I suspect will succeed tremendously with the yummy mummies and other health conscious Londoners. This new cult dining is introduced to the city by founder Jesper Rydahl who opened the original 42Raw in Copenhagen in 2009.

42 Raw manages to banish the rabbit food stereotype of raw fruit and vegetables, instead offering satisfying breakfasts, fresh and flavoursome salads, delicious tapas, Lasagne and noodle dishes. The café also makes wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables juices.

I dashed to 42Raw on my lunch break for a midday health kick and to speak the concept’s Founder, Jesper about his bright new idea. The weather in London was blissfully sunny, the ideal day for a light green meal. When I arrived at the outside seating area an artistic colourful salad and a wholesome dark green drink sat waiting for me on the wooden table. It soon became apparent that my salad was the Mango & Pumpkin seed Salad (£6) with courgette, avocado, mango, salty pumpkin seeds and mango-chilli dressing. It was light and refreshing with a thoughtful combination of flavours and textures: soft avocado, wafer thin courgette slices and extra crunchy seeds contrasting to create exciting and yummy mouthfuls. The fresh cubes of mango added an unexpected sweetness and there was a subtle spicy kick from the dressing. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, and finished feeling full but flat tummied!

For dessert I tried a slice of date cake, made without any dairy. It was incredibly dense and strongly flavoured, not quite light and sweet enough for me but nonetheless very interesting in texture and taste and a clever pudding alternative.

I think the 42Raw products would sell successfully in boutique independent shops, they would certainly appeal to women who want to cut calories without sacrificing flavour. But for now, the restaurant venue in central London is a lovely airy place to enjoy a healthy, tasty lunch in the summer breeze. You can indulge without feeling you have to justify it with a run later.

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans but certainly intended for all foodies.

Visit the 42Raw website here for more information.

Joe & the Juice, Soho

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Joe & the Juice has taken me far too long to tick off the to do list, but finally on a sunny Saturday afternoon my friend and I popped into the Soho branch in need of a refreshing drink.

The menu is slick and simple, various concoctions to remedy ailments, with a recipe for every mood. A large counter displays the fresh fruit and vegetables, an appealing rainbow of bright colours. The café itself is huge, open plan and airy, but when we left at 2pm the place was full and buzzing. There are comfy couches on which to relax, chat and use your laptop (there is free Wifi). It seems to me that juice bars are the new coffee shops, with drinks that are yummy and reviving and much more healthy.

On the menu I also spied a list of milkshakes, sandwiches, coffees and speciality drinks, of which Liquorice Latte sounded most intriguing. I love fresh juice, and after recently discovering a wonderful fruit shop near my work have become slightly addicted (my favourite is apple, orange and passion fruit). A perfect alternative for those afternoon sugar cravings in the office and always very tasty. London seems to have a shortage of juice bars, instead frozen yoghurt and endless coffee outlets line the streets… I am delighted to now include Joe and the Juice in my little black book of London cafes and I’m sure I’ll be a regular visitor on weekends.

I tried the ‘Hangover Heaven’ – a lovely combination of orange, elderflower and mint. It was fresh and fruity, with a kick from the mint, almost like a virgin mojito. My friend chose the Iron Man with strawberry, kiwi and apple, which looked equally appetising. Other juices that sound alluring to me include the ‘Sports Juice’ (passion fruit, pineapple, apple), ‘Sex Me Up’ (passion fruit, apple, ginger) and ‘Strong Bones’ (strawberry, apple, star anise). There is something for every preference and I’m sure creating your own is also allowed.

Joe and the Juice is a great place to recharge and refresh. Though with juices costing £3.85 for small (12oz) and £4.95 for large (16oz), it is not cheerfully cheap by any means.

You can experience Joe’s Juices at four branches in London: Regent Street, Broadwick Street, Old Compton Street and Kings Road.

Visit the website here: www.joejuice.com