It's been a while ...
My phone created a lovely collage with some of the coffee pictures I have taken over the past few years. Pictures were taken and no post was written, shame on me. So here we are again.
Wandering through London today though brought all the reasons back why I started with this blog. First of all, there are so many shops, so many lovely coffee spots on each corner. Honestly, forget about Costa/Starbucks and all the other big brands, when you can have a coffee that might have been roasted very close to where you live! Furthermore, you are more likely to find those independent coffee shops working with Oatly than the big brands. That said, assuming you are all oatly lovers the same way I am. I know there are people out there who don't mind, but trust me, the different oat milks make all the difference to the best coffee roasted.
Today I have been walking from Angel to Covent Garden, walking streets I have never walked before, and guess what, I stumbled over a small coffee shop. First, I walked past, but then I turned around because I knew I had another 30mins to walk to my destination and a coffee on the way would not hurt (it never does!). So I walked inside the tiny shop, packs of roasted coffee displayed on a side shelf and packs of Oatly stacked at the back. My paradise.
I waited to be served, then ordered my oat latte and saw the name of the shop. Devotion. I asked whether this was part of the shop in Clapham Junction, and the barista told me they closed the branch in Clapham down and opened this one instead. Hearing that was quite a shame, I liked the little, yellow, bright shop there in Clapham. Another reminder that things change. I had a small chat with the barista and then headed back outside, on my way through Covent Garden, with a smile on my face, enjoying the coffee, the day, and the area I was walking through.
Store Street Espresso came to my mind as I headed closer to Kings Cross and I changed my route, heading to where they are based. Sadly the shop was full and I left, kept on going, walking to their second branch, just to find out they were busy, too. I did hit prime time for brunch lovers.
It took me another two attempts in Holborn and on the last one, I decided I join the queue and wait, as this was the fourth coffee shop I tried, and I really wanted to eat something. Ten minutes in, I got a seat at The Black Penny and was slightly disappointed to find they did not offer avocado on sourdough. I picked an alternative, scrambled eggs with mushrooms and another coffee. Not long after I got my dish, which turned out to be very tasty! Worth the wander around London, with the plus point that I got my step count in, which has been low these past few weeks. Saved money on the transport, which I spent on banana bread at another coffee shop and fueled me through this post :)