ARTY COFFEES

EAT & DRINK

caffeine
ˈkafiːn/
noun

1. an alkaloid compound which is a stimulant of the central nervous system.

I have to say, I do struggle to find a good cup of coffee when I’m not in London, but that’s probably because I don’t know the right places, or my taste buds have become biased by the city of coffee addicts. I remember (almost) shedding a tear of joy when we found a nice coffee made with condensed milk in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam after what felt like weeks. I think I had half a dozen terrible coffees on that trip, before I had a good one.

Note: in South East Asia stick to tea. 

A health adviser from BUPA told me recently that ideally, caffeine should be avoided altogether as it's a stimulant and can tamper with your heart rate, but two to three cups of tea or coffee should be fine. Working life in London typically involves a lot of caffeine (and alcohol). When you're slaving away in your job all week, and wise people tell you not to drink 'too much' tea or coffee, you need to make sure that the few cups you do have are good ones and guilt-free. 

According to BBC Health, 400mg* of caffeine is 'safe' per day. So we could have 1-4 cups of coffee as long as we don't have any other energy drinks, chocolates, tea, etc. (Hurray!) 
*200mg for pregnant women

And if you care about how 'fatty' your coffees are, a small flat white, latte or cappuccino with full-fat milk is around 100 calories and 5-7g of fat. There's a quiz from The Guardian to test your coffee-calorie knowledge, which covers the high street coffee chains: Starbucks, Pret, Costa, Nero and good old Greggs. 

Health aside, I'm sure many of you have your personal favourites for the quick and easy coffee, whether they get your name right or change it completely (I once got my takeaway Frappuccino with "FAN" written on it). But if you don't mind waiting a bit longer for what's usually a (much) smaller portion of coffee for what you usually pay, here are some 'artisan' coffee shops to check out in the city on your lunch break:

1. artigiano, st paul's

These guys need to thank me for at least 50 cappuccinos consumed in 2 years and now this blog. And I can thank them for all the good cappuccinos and loyalty stamps I have enjoyed. Step out of Artigiano and there's the grand beauty of St Paul's Cathedral. What more could you possibly ask for?

The staff are quirky, friendly and sometimes they may even give you an extra stamp for your loyalty and a big Cheshire smile. What's more, they serve beer, wine and cocktails (with happy hour) after 12pm. Genius. 

My favourite cappuccino @artigianoesp and some holiday research. Perfect cure for post-commute stress! #tubestrike #cappucino #travelplans2017 #srtravels✈️

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Jan 9, 2017 at 6:37am PST

2. carter lane coffee house, st paul's 

Another one near St Paul's station and cathedral. My only issue with this cafe is that it's tiny. The photo below was when I got one of the three stools facing the window. A takeaway may have to do the job, but otherwise, you can get a pack of biscotti to go with your fine drink.

And yet I discover another little #coffeehouse #london #☕️ #coffeeshop #cityoflondon #carterlane

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Jun 29, 2017 at 5:41am PDT

​3. HARRIS + HOOLE, london bridge

Arty coffee in arty cups and saucers. If you're having an 'I don't care, I will eat whatever the hell I want' day, they have quite a selection of cakes, macaroons and pastries too. 

Perfect not-so-white Flat White on my break...❤️ Much needed this week! □

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Jul 28, 2015 at 5:36am PDT

4. alchemy, st paul's

I know, I'm pushing it with coffee shops in St Paul's, but I feel like they have all congregated in one area (or I've started to drink too much coffee since I started working in the area). The coffee was good, but not sure about the service and both the size of the shop and the coffee are half the size of others, which I wasn't too keen on. 

I paid £3 for a shot of cappuccino...... but look how pretty! #tatemodern #cityoflondon #overpricedcoffee #cappuccino #milleniumbridge #riverthames #london #coffee #lunchbreak #happythursday

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Jan 25, 2018 at 1:06pm PST

5. TAYLOR STREET BARISTAS, LIVERPOOL STREET

I was obviously too engrossed in my coffee from Taylor St. that I didn't even get time to log it on my Instagram. This place has an Aussie vibe, with songs ranging from Kylie to Sia and sometimes you could even get Tim Tams to dip into your latte.

They serve a decent brunch (except that one time they ran out of avocados and basically ruined my day) and everything is served on chopping boards from what I remember, which seems to be a 'thing' at the moment, along with cocktails in jam jars and men with beards and pony tails.
You could even have to share your table with random people... I'm never quite sure if I like sharing tables with strangers, but it's part of the experience. 

Anyway, the coffee is amazing.

6. CAFE VERGNANO 1882

I only discovered this coffee shop two years ago while walking past Holborn. The best part was that there is a tiny seat for one! The cafe is slightly below the street level which gives you a lovely view for 'people watching' in a non-creepy way. 

The coffee is great, served in rustic heavy duty cups and they have random baked goodies every other day (last time I had a tiny cinnamon cake for 80p). Sadly it's old (since 1882) so the seats are all falling apart, but I don't care. Mmm coffee. 

Love this place ? #perfectcappucino #cappuccino #caffevergnano #coffeeaddict #1882 #freechocolate #☕️ #london #cityoflondon #coffeebreak #snowweek #❄️

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Mar 2, 2018 at 3:41am PST