deli-coffee delights

Today has felt like I am acting in a film called 'My wunnerful Islington life'. After 6 weeks of concentrated frugality, making such memorable meals as 'brown soup' (vegetable and lentil soup dyed a dramatically unappetising colour by the addition of red cabbage), 'average risotto' and 'pitta stuffed with the remnants of fridge contents' I am finally making headway. Both with finances, and with getting into the habit of setting aside a couple of nights a week to cook batch lots of lunches and suppers - all of which put me in celebratory mood.

I frisked along Upper Street, smiling through the rain, purchased a beautiful cardigan (much, much more exciting than it sounds) with Christmas money from about 4 years ago, marveled at my former self-restraint, then went for a coffee.

My bag of Monmouth coffee, which has largely kept me away from coffee shops, recently ran out. The replacement bag of supermarket coffee just isn't cutting it, so I allowed myself the luxury of returning home via Ottolenghi. The taste of dark, rich coffee was already anticipated - then I saw the queue and, without pausing, walked past. I could have got one 'to go', as they say in the states, but I can't bear to walk around carrying a paper cup - and certainly not with my sacred Saturday Coffee, and when I had a newspaper and time to read it, too!

My unreliable memory saved me this time, when I recalled seeing a shop on Cross Street with an outside sign declaring 'Delicious coffee!'. There was, and it was.

It was not too busy and the staff charming. They greeted everyone in Italian and a surprising number of customers replied in kind. One of my tasks for our upcoming holiday ('Eurohol') is to learn Italian. Even with Michele Thomas as a teacher, I fare very poorly as a student: perhaps frequenting this pretty, friendly place would improve my language skills? Or perhaps that is just an excuse. My cappuccino froth was marshmallowey in texture, a phenomena I had forgotten but now recalled with an almost Proustian delight. The place is also a deli and, I realised, not only full of good things but within walking distance.

I didn't think to look for the cafe's name, but the sign outside will surely tempt me in again soon!