sacred coffee

My coffee of choice these days is made and poured (or rather, crafted and sculpted with panache) by the friendly Umberto at Sacred.

I had been to this coffee stall a few times over the years and thought it good, but was often with a friend and in need of a seat. Most usually, a seat out of the wind, rain or snow. However this summer has been glorious, the flat white has sprung up all over London - even in the dark recesses of corporate brands like Costa - and one fine day Melly Bo took me back to Sacred... and I got hooked on their perfectly balanced, strong coffee.

For those who like to sit down, maybe have a muffin with their coffee, then Sacred also have drink-in cafes; I have noted their location and am reassured that should I be persuaded to the Westfield centre, then at least I can get a good coffee to keep my spirits up!

London love affair

8am on a dark February morning can be redeemed by few things. But one of them must be meeting the gent in the rain of Fitzrovia for a flattie and an over-sized bacon sandwich in a charming bijou cafe.

To be precise, bacon that has been cooked to the perfect point of crisp - not glassy shrapnel, not chewy - curled up between small blobs of tomato ketchup. And oozing its bacon fat all over the lightly toasted sourdough bread, then out of the giant holes to grease up the plate.

We both agreed that although, like Mary Poppins, the flat white was practically perfect, it could have been just a bit stronger. A minor thing really: my taste-buds are probably warped by the 3-shot espresso machine I use by myself in the morning. My top London coffee is still Monmouth.

I have just found the owner's blog and she writes beautifully. She recently posted about food bloggers, and how she reads reviews of her establishment but can't spot them whilst they are eating. Well I was the librarian-looking one covered in bacon grease. And I'll be coming back!


http://www.lantanacafe.co.uk/