My brother home from university for a weekend in London and needing some girly help choosing shoes, I jumped at the chance to accompany him and my mum to Brick Lane. The familiar London drizzle was back after a week of unusually pleasant winter sunshine and at 10.30am on this cold Saturday morning, a warm shelter and fresh coffee were the only things on our minds… the shops could wait.
Spying Nude Espresso on Hanbury Street we ducked inside. The place is inviting and homely with a large counter towards the front for take-out or stay-in orders. Beyond the croissants, a giant black board displays the possible Brunch options. Further back, numerous little tables are available for visitors. We sat and a waiter instantly appeared to take our order. There is a hint of East London quirkiness but thankfully Nude Espresso is not too cool for comfort.
The coffee was a bit slow arriving though our waiter was polite and apologetic for the delay… apparently they dropped and lost our order slip!? Latte and Cappuccinos eventually arrived, aromatic, creamy and well balanced… though a note to skinny drinkers Nude Espresso only offer whole milk or semi-skimmed, no skimmed. Apparently Nude Espresso are London’s leading micro-roastery, they have a passion for providing the best product possible, carefully sourcing the coffee beans from small farms in Brazil, Costa Rica and Ethiopia. The name – Nude Espresso – explains their desire to go back to the basics of coffee, sourcing, producing and roasting quality raw ingredients in order to create an unbeatable cup of coffee for the customer.
Nude Espresso have a tempting array of fresh pastries to accompany their hot drinks… I chose the plump looking pain au chocolat, which was perfectly fluffy and airy with a generous chunk of dark chocolate running through it – ideal for coffee dipping… and so good my mum ended up stealing half!
Next time you are browsing in Brick Lane don’t settle for the lukewarm cups from the street stalls, visit Nude Espresso for a heartfelt cup of coffee, made with TLC every step of the process.
Visit the Nude Espresso website here for more information.