The entrance. Source: http://thisbatteredsuitcase.com
On Sunday I went to a cafe called ‘Ziferblat’ close to Old Street station, it’s not very new but it’s also not very busy. It’s inside a flat just off Shoreditch High Street and you ring a buzzer to get in.
Ginger cat in Sultanmet, Istanbul, Turkey
Whilst on my year abroad in Prague I have been itching to go traveling, and where better to go than the region that I study in my degree?
My trip started in Prague and ended in Istanbul. In total I went to 7 places: Zagreb in Croatia, Jajce and Sarajevo in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Split in Croatia, Belgrade in Serbia, Sofia in Bulgaria and finally, Istanbul in Turkey. Here are some pictures from my travels:
St. Stephen’s Basilica
The biggest synagogue in Central Europe
London has a rival: Budapest. Everything I love about London, I found in the capital of Hungary. Great coffee (including flat whites), a ton of vintage clothing shops, houmous, restaurants that do brunch, the use of Time Out, and beautiful huge city parks. I’m in love.
The waiters still wear these uniforms
It’s about time I wrote a post about coffee again and Cafe Louvre, a grand cafe with a very Viennese feel to it feels like the perfect subject.
Cafe Louvre has an exciting history. It has been standing since 1902 and has had such notable visitors as Franz Kafka and Albert Einstein. But during the Communist period in Czechoslovakia in 1948, the cafe was closed down and only re-opened in 1992.
Despite a shakey existence, the cafe has a very authentic feel to it. The waiters still wear bow-ties and waistcoats, the interior is decorated with rich textured wallpapers and bright pinks and creams. Unfortunately, it’s also full of tourists (like me) who were gawping at every elegant little detail.
The garage exterior of Hurwundeki
Cafe and a salon
Hurwundeki, a cafe in Bethnal Green, instantly sparked my curiosity when wandering around the area. Surprisingly situated between car repair garages and discount furniture outlets, the cafe is like a hidden gem in an otherwise lifeless road.
Just like its mixed-matched location, the cafe also sells vintage clothing, is part hair salon, specialises in Korean food, and has an array of what looks like a children’s junkyard playground outside, complete with toy horses and a Cinderella inspired pumpkin coach.
The Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich from Spuntino, 61 Rupert Street, nearest tube: Leicester Sq.
Dessert is definitely my favourite part of a meal and sometimes, my only part. I’m a firm believer in never eating too much so that you’re too full for dessert. As many of the great restaurants in London often have their dessert menus over-looked by about to burst customers, I’m going to share with you which restaurants have the best desserts I’ve tried.
I’m sure whenever any one orders anything but a flat white at Flat White the baristas silently pass judgement and half-heartedly make your order. But that’s just what I did when I ordered my latte for TLS’s search for London’s Best Latte.
In the heart of Soho, Flat White is a chic Australian coffee house that attracts a mixed crowd of people – from businessmen in suits to trendy hipsters with pink dip-dye hair, you are guaranteed to have fun people watching in this place.
Images from Everyday Lifestyle
Tapped & Packed is a chain of coffee houses in Fitzrovia, on Tottenham Court Road and on Rathbone Place. They believe in good coffee and simplicity of design, which is why you could easily walk past this coffee house on Tottenham Court Road without really knowing what it is. The only signs are the one above the door, a bike that says “coffee”, and the number on the shop. In fact, I only found out the name of the coffee house myself through a friend!
A short walk for Bloomsbury based students, Tapped & Packed serve the usual types of coffee: latte, mocha and flat white, but they also serve affogato which is vanilla ice cream with a double shot of espresso. They also make various tasty looking homemade cakes, including a very risen looking victoria sponge today!
Image from laissez fare wordpress
Lanka is a Japanese café and coffee shop near Primrose Hill, on Regent’s Park Road. It has a stylish interior, with a brick wall and bar for customers to sit at, including bamboo placemats that give the café an authentic Japanese feel. Japanese gourmet chef Masayuki Hara owns Lanka. I saw Hara today walking around the café chatting to customers about new cakes that he was making, he seems like a chatty guy but as it was my first time and I knew nothing of his food, I just watched in awe as regular customers made friendly comments about his past cakes and creations. Continue reading
Those who know me or follow me on twitter know that I love to talk about something called a ‘Camden Special’. I’m always pining after and dreaming of it. Any outsider who has been to Camden or knows of its reputation may think that I’m talking about some kind of 3 for 2 deal on skull tattoos, Dr. Martens and nipple piercings at Camden Market. But sadly no, that is definitely not what I am talking about. The Camden Special is a flavoured latte that a coffee shop on Camden Road called the ‘Camden Coffee House’ specialises in.
Those London Students 