Penny Blood's Black Book - My Independent Guide to London » Caffs

Bruno’s

Penny Blood — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:38:40 +0000

This little Italian caff has been around forever and it was one of Sebastian Horsley’s favourites, despite the fact he would say that the food looked like someone had already eaten it. The food is more or less what you would expect from a greasy spoon. However this one’s a beauty, wood paneled walls and leather booths, with waiters so charming they make your heart melt, everytime I go in there they make me feel like Sophia Loren. Anyone who has worked, lived, gone to college or passed through Soho will have been here at some point. It’s popular with builders, media types and art students and has a queue out the door most of the day although it’s mainly people getting coffee or bacon sandwiches to go. When I used to work in Soho I had a 4pm ritual where I would go to Lena’s Italian deli on Brewer street, they have these delicious rock cakes which are always completely undercooked on the inside and burnt on the outside. I would pair one of these with a cup of tea from Bruno’s (despite the fact I could make one for free in the office). It’s just something about the caff tea formula where the tea is already brewed then topped up with hot water and served in a polystyrene cup, it’s just so good.

Bruno’s Cafe, 101 Wardour Street, London W1F 0UG
020 7734 3750
Monday – Saturday 9am-6pm

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Terry’s Cafe

Penny Blood — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:50:40 +0000

It’s 10.15pm on Sunday night, my phone rings, a high pitched voice on the other end of the line, “Are you working this week? I need someone to cover, our receptionist has made it through to the final of Britain’s Next Top Model”, uh really, yes I suppose so. The life of a receptionist, I’ve recently discovered is not a bad one. As long as you stick to fancy design or PR firms, the responsibilities are slim to none leaving plenty of time to read fashion blogs. Although I must give myself some credit as from time to time a major task is tossed my way like going to buy fruit for the office. Always a nice opportunity to leave the desk and go for a walk, this particular occasion threw up a spectacular find. Terry’s. Despite having been around for three decades, Terry’s isn’t as old as it looks. I could swear it’s been here since the 19th Century. With waiters festooned in white aprons and nostalgic photographs on the wall, Terry’s emanates what a family business is all about, love, dedication and attention to detail. I merely ordered toast and strawberry jam. What I got was thick white crusty bread with a whole jar of strawberry jam and a jar of marmalade to chose from, it doesn’t get much better than that.

http://www.terryscafe.co.uk/

Terry’s Cafe, 158 Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1 1PE
020 7407 9358
Monday – Friday 7am-2pm; Saturday 7:30am-12pm

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Chelsea Bun

Penny Blood — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:18:52 +0000

Before I discoved the Chelsea bun, Cafe Picasso used to be my favourite. It was a Chelsea institution and a perfect place for celebrity spotting. Every walk of life went there from supermodels to actors and tourists, to rich locals and down and outs. It was a pretty standard London cafe, a bit dowdy but charming as it hadn’t changed since the sixties with the usual stodgy caff food. A few years back whilst doing an internship at a model booking agency up the road I used to frequent Café Picasso to get soggy chips for one of the bookers who I downright couldn’t stand and so resented this particular errand above all else. Model bookers are generally VILE BEASTS who I would gladly knock off the face of the earth. Likely as not you would see Bob Geldoff here too, he was always a bit of a fixture. I used to work next door at (I’m embarrassed to say) Prime Time Video (which in my defense was cool in those days) I don’t think a day passed when I didn’t see him there. His wife’s a bitch by the way. And he never returns his videos on time. Sadly though Cafe Picasso may as well be no more as they have given it one hell of a Jocelyn Wildenstein makeover, the place is unrecognisable and hideous at that. So thank god for the Chelsea Bun. It’s a bit out of the way as you have to go past World’s End to get there (literally, I’m talking about Vivienne Westwood’ shop) but thankfully I can tell you it still ticks all the boxes that Cafe Picasso used to with a menu consisting of huge plates of pasta, full English breakfasts and hamburgers to boot.

Sorry terrible photo’s but the waitresses were looking at me funny so I didn’t dare ask.

http://www.chelseabun.co.uk

Chelsea Bun Diner, 9A Lamont Road,SW10 0HP
020 7352 3635
Monday – Saturday 7am – 6pm Sunday 9am-6pm

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Cafe Diana

Penny Blood — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:45:55 +0000

Cafe Diana might seem ridiculous but it’s been here forever which shows it’s not a gimmick, they’re serious. Every inch of wall space is adorned with framed picture after framed picture of Princess Diana. For no obvious reason the proprietors of Cafe Diana are such huge fans of HRH as to dedicate their entire business to her. Aside from that it’s pretty much like any other caff with nice wooden booths and the usual caff food. It’s quite pricey though but its strange shrine like adoration to Diana particularly when she was going through her ‘I want to appeal to the people, leggings and oversized denim shirt phase’ give it the edge.

Cafe Diana, 5 Wellington Terrace, London, W2 4LW
020 7792 9606

http://www.cafediana.com

River Cafe

Paul Rothe & Son

Penny Blood — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:52:49 +0000

Lets see, how did it go again…
“Do you want that on a baguette or Ukrainian rye bread?”
“Why rye today I think”
“And how do you like your coffee?”
“Black as a moonless night”
“That’s pretty black”
That was it.
With walls lined with a collection of honey’s, marmalades and chutney’s as well as various novelty gifts this really is a small village shop from a long gone age. The Formica tables give it a hint of what you would find in a classic greasy spoon demonstrating the owners care and attention to preserving it’s authenticity as this little deli cum caff has been in the family for generations dating back to 1900, with the most recent Paul Rothe cooking some of the dishes himself. There are countless places to pick up a sandwich on Marylebone high street but why go anywhere else when here you can get Austrian Liptauer made with cream cheese, herbs, anchovy paste, paprika and capers or Kummelkase, a blend of stilton, caraway and cream cheese on bagels, ciabattas, bloomer bread or Ukrainian rye? Or if nothing else as someone else said, it’s a good spot for a cup of tea and a think.

Paul Rothe and Son, 35 Marylebone Lane, Marylebone, W1U 2NN
020 7935 6783
Monday – Friday 8am-6pm Saturday 11.30am-5.30pm

La Fromagerie

Ace Café

Penny Blood — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:16:21 +0000

The place to come if you like burgers and chips or greasy fry-ups. It’s a one stop biker rock n’ roll heaven with a classic silver diner style bar, jukebox and a chequered theme throughout. It’s been here since 1938 and being located on the north circular road it’s still the real deal concerning a highway hang out for classic car enthusiasts and motorcyclists of the Hells Angels variety. Originally built to cater for hauliers it soon started to attract passing bikers as the owner added 10 pumps, a washing bay and repairs shop. It quickly became a hot spot, later becoming a hang out for the 60’s youth generation, (for part of my oh-so-useful college degree I specialised in Mod fashion of the 1960’s). Now it’s just a bit of a novelty with a fairly extensive gift shop and their own range of merchandise, it’s our version of what you might find on route 66 except surrounded by concrete rather than open desert.

http://www.ace-cafe-london.com/

Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, London, NW10 7UD
020 89611000
Monday – Saturday 7am-11pm Sundays, bank Holidays 7am – 10.30pm
7am – 2am (When operating as Nightclub)

Lucky 7

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:56:28 +0000

I love American diners. Nothing makes me happier than a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. It’s the main reason I love America, that and their no questions asked return policy (that reason alone would make me pledge alligance to the United States). Like with Cosco, you can literally take anything back to Cosco and they will give you your money back. I once saw a lady standing inline with half a loaf of bread. Easily the best American style diner in London, Lucky Seven is tiny with six large booths serving great burgers, skinny fries, milkshakes, even offering cream soda and root beer. It also does proper American-style breakfasts including pancakes, the thick kind, doused in maple syrup with lashings of bacon. I love to get into the true spirit of American eating, meaning a vanilla milkshake to start, followed by a burger with blue cheese and skinny fries, a large root beer and finally finishing up with a knickerbocker glory, oh and of course not leaving before I’ve had a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. It’s not Mel’s Diner but it’s the best thing this side of the Atlantic.

http://www.lucky7london.co.uk/

Lucky 7, 127 Westbourne Park Road, London, W2 5QL
020 7727 6771
Mon-Thur 10am-10.30pm Friday – Saturday 9am-11pm Sunday 9am-10pm

Workers Cafe

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:29:28 +0000

Workers Cafe is a great place, a wonderful, tabloid papers, eggs chips and beans respite from the usual try-hard shops and restaurants of Upper street, it’s so wonderfully out of place. Here you can get a great fried breakfast which costs practically nothing and a glass bottle of orange juice for £1.50. The clientele is almost exclusively local workman quietly reading the daily mail over a 3000 calorie meal. It’s plenty spacious and the service is excellent.

Workers Cafe, 172 Upper Street, London, N11RG
020 7226 3973

Ace Café

River Cafe

Penny Blood — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:57:00 +0000

I used to consider Putney sort of a home away from home. My best friend’s parents live here so when she was living at home I used to visit all the time to the point of just living there really. Staying at Jane’s meant homemade bread, home made ice cream and your laundry done when you weren’t looking, it doesn’t get much better than that. On my way over I often used to stop by the River Cafe, no not the Jamie Oliver restaurant, the other one. The best thing about workman’s caffs in Britain is that they truly are full of workmen. River Cafe is as authentic as they come. Being in Putney it’s not remotely trendy which it would be if it was in Shoreditch. It’s pretty much just workmen and people getting a sandwich to go. Run by generations of Italians, (with Thames Estuary accents) the staff are charming and efficient and here to cater to your need for a full and enjoyable experience, to help you feed your hunger and get out to make way for the next surge of builders on their 3rd break before lunch. It hasn’t changed since it opened and has all the required regalia of any leading London caff including formica tables, decorative tiled walls, glass Tiffany style ceiling lamps, laminate flooring, posters of Italian football teams, faux wood walls, gaudy paintings of European coastlines and most importantly the 50p cup of tea.

River Cafe, 1A Station Approach, London, SW6 3UH
020 7736 6296
Monday – Friday 12.30pm-2.30pm and 7pm-9.30pm Saturday 12.30pm-2.30pm and 7pm-9.30pm

Café 1001

E Pellicci

Penny Blood — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:52:00 +0000

E Pellicci’s is the ‘Savoy’ of caffs. It’s where notorious London gangsters the Kray brothers used to call their local as they grew up right around the corner on Vallance road back in the 60′s. It’s a tiny little art deco place barely visible, situated halfway up the hellhole that is Bethnal Green Road. It’s invariably heaving with genuine locals and students having breakfast after a late night out. Its London’s longest standing caff run by the same family since the 1920′s and its my favourite because it combines the best aspects of the classic caff (cheap cups of tea and formica tables) with the class of Paul Roethe & Son (Victorian portraits of the original owners and the original 20′s cash register), thus still keeping its authentic charm. Sadly though I can no longer come here and here’s why. I was having my breakfast one day and a good looking black guy came in. Whilst simultaneously thinking how handsome he was I thought that is was getting crowded so I should tidy myself away somewhat, in doing so I absent-mindly put my phone in my bag (whilst starring at him), anyway he accused me of being racist and informed me that he doesn’t steal phones, argghh mortifying! anyway I wrote him a note explaining myself and ran out. I just love the people who work here as well, the the staff are truly dreamy.

E Pellicci’s, 332 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 0AG
020 7739 4873
Monday – Saturday 6.15am – 5pm