Earlier last week Amy, Kaffeines manager, and I were invited to a foraging day organized by our fresh fruit and vegetable supplier, 4 Degrees C. The itinerary involved getting out to New Spitalfield Market, followed by a tour of the warehouse, an informal chat with our guide Miles Irving, a spot of lunch, then a short drive to the Hackney Marshes for some foraging in the sun. Miles is the author of a wonderful hardback 'The Forager Handbook' and founder of Forager LTD which supplies seasonal UK foraged ingredients to some of the countries best restaurants.
Once we reached the car park entrance of Hackney Marshes, Miles was instantly distracted by a small allotment of weeds growing off the curb. This seemed like an unusual place to start the tour, however there were about six different species of plants that could be used for food or medicinal purposes. I was slightly apprehensive about sampling weeds that grow off a car park and most likely the first place dog owners take their pets when walking, so had to remind myself that Miles is the expert and probably wouldn't make us do anything to ruin his reputation. Our first tasting was Mellow, which is traditionally used to make marshmallow, a slightly fuzzy leaf with gelatinous texture - in conclusion probably better once cooked! Thankfully just about everything that followed became increasingly edible and delicious.
We sampled Bulrush growing on the edge of a pond, Miles yanked a couple of stems from the ponds edge and peeled the outer skin then proceeded to tear off chunks of the fleshy heart for everyone to try. Initially the starch of the bulrush breaks down on the tongue followed by a sweet mellow taste of asparagus. Also on the foraging menu was Hawthorn blossom which tasted of almonds, Ribwort Plantain which tasted distinctively like mushrooms and one of my favorites, Black Mustard Leaf, tasting of very strong horseradish with a pleasant lingering, bitter after taste.
The most adventurous part of the forage was wild ants! Almost everyone in our group denied this part of the tasting, however Amy put her hand up first in a predominantly male tour. She popped a red ant in her mouth, 'I can't taste anything.' Amy replied. Miles then ate an ant and confirmed that Amy's palate was right. So we walked another 20 meters until we found another ant hill. This time the ants were black. After the initial fail the rest of the group had warmed up to the idea of eating ants and thankfully this time they tasted distinctively like lemon sherbet due to their high acid content. Strangely tasty and delicious, I would easily sit down to a meal made of high protein ants. Miles then went on to tell us how we are damaging our environment by eating a narrowed variety of plants in excess. The high demand for out of season produce is reducing the richness of the soil therefore leading to a reduction in nutritional value of these foods which we all need to survive.
After our tour we headed to the lovely refurbished pub The Empress where head chef Elliot Lidstone gave us a cooking demonstration with some of the plants we had foraged earlier that day. Elliott made a Sea Purslane tartar sauce, Ribwort Plantain foam that tasted of mushrooms sauteed in butter and a dark chocolate ganache with Buckthorn berry juice.
We then sat down to a three course menu inspired by foraged produce and ate raw Bulrush with whipped anchovy butter, super tasty although not as crisp as straight from the pond! The main was Braised Pork Shoulder (from Ginger Pig) with organic spelt, hazelnuts, burdock and wild celery. By this stage my glass had been topped up several times with wine and I was ready for something fatty and salty to line my stomach, thankfully the main was one of the tastiest meals I've eaten in the last 4 years!
For dessert we ate Melilot panna cotta with rhubarb and almonds...I've since been dreaming about it. Melilot which I'd never heard of until the other day, is set to become the new vanilla and the cost of it will undoubtedly soar over the next 5 years. However if you find yourself a day, go on an excursion of foraging and get a book on free food, you'll easily be able to identify your own Melilot and pick the stuff for free!
Now I'm calling myself a born again forager and have since bought a couple of books on foraging and even successfully foraged with my brother in Hampstead Heath yesterday. Over the next few months you'll be seeing some very unusual names on our menu cards and blogs and with a bit of patience we'll be able to educate your palate and hopefully save a dolphin or two by converting many more people into a lost art.
You can find daily updates and recipes on my blog http://redjarcooking.blogspot.co.uk/
You can also follow me on twitter @redjar50, we hope you enjoy our menu.....
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Nectarine and elderflower sweet muffins 2.00
Rock samphire, lemon and poppy savoury muffins 2.00
Raspberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Plum tomato. Mature cheddar, rocket, chimichurri
Italian roast ham, ribwort plaintain butter, onion squash, spinach, red onion
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Elderflower mayo w wild garlic, plum tomato, brie and capers
Crushed peas w ricotta, mint, pancetta, rocket
Salads 4.90/5.90
Pork belly, borlotti beans, wild fennel, purple wet garlic, spinach
Golden beetroot, sea beet, walnuts, goats cheese, red chillies
Fresh peas w wild asparagus, hawthorn flowers, croutons, parmesan, cos lettuce
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Tomato with sea purslane tapenade
Monday, 28 May 2012
Thursday, 24 May 2012
The menu and a few words about the cricket - May 21st 2012
For 3 and a half years I worked at the most prestigious cricket and sporting members clubs in the world, the M.C.C. at Lord's Cricket Ground. For an Australian who grew up playing cricket in the front yard with my brothers, but not very well, it was a dream come true. As a hospitality career person, it was also a dream come true.
I was responsible for the recruitment of all the casual catering staff for all the major and minor matches, up to 600 on the busiest days, as well as all the functions held throughout the year. It was an amazing time, but, Kaffeine opened in 2009 and so luckily my career changed.
Last cricket season and again this season, we have had the opportunity to return to the ground for the major matches, to provide espresso and filter coffee in the premier outdoor dining area that is the Harris Gardens. Sponsored by Veuve Cliquot, it is a fantastic place to see and be seen, in the gardens, opposite the pavilion, listening to the jazz band playing when the cricket is on a break, eating, drinking and being very British.
It is also a great opportunity to have world class coffee at a world class venue. So this is what we do.
We have a 2 group Linea rented from the wonderful people at Coffee Hit and our own Caimano grinder. We also have 4 20 litre Bunn Bravilor filter coffee machines where we grind the Square Mile espresso blend to a ratio of 60 grams per litre using our DIP DK 30 grinder, set just below 'filter' on the grind adjustment.
At 9 am, gates open and by 9:15 am we have our first customers and then for the next 90 minutes it is hectic, as the game starts at 11 am.
Over this time we serve up to 600 drinks, two thirds of this being filter. As you may know, filter is an easy coffee to make, as long as you follow a few strict guidelines. We grind the coffee just before brewing. We only brew up to 10 litres at a time (this is approx 50 coffees in our 8 oz cups). We ensure all the machinery is flushed and spotless each time, we do not turn on the heating element within the machine as it overcooks the coffee and we wet the filter paper before each extraction.
What we are trying very hard to do, it to give the customers the type of coffee that they deserve. Either a very well made espresso drink with care and attention, speed and efficiency, or, a much much better filter coffee then they have ever had before, that is well balanced, flavoursome, in a drinkable temperature range and where they say 'hmm, that tastes good'.
Is it one small step to a better coffee world? We hope so, and we hope it is a step towards showing that it can be done. We also still have a bit to learn and to play with, but we very much enjoy it and when Australia play in the One Day International on Friday June 29th of this year, or the Ashes next year, we are going to be very excited indeed.
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Black grapes and peanut butter sweet muffins 2.00
Coffee and goats cheese savoury muffins 2.00
Raspberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Pancetta, courgette, rocket, red onion, basil, cheese
Tomato, basil, bufala mozzarella, aioli, spinach
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Ham with black beef steak tomatoes, cheddar, rocket and avocado
Asparagus with brie, spinach, red onion and hollandaise
Salads 4.90/5.90
Lamb and root vegetables cooked in mafe (peanut/tomato sauce) and cous cous
Conference pears with crackers, blue cheese, baby red chard and white wine
Watercress with raw beetroot and mature cheddar with dill
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Cannelini bean and sage bake with caramelised red onions
I was responsible for the recruitment of all the casual catering staff for all the major and minor matches, up to 600 on the busiest days, as well as all the functions held throughout the year. It was an amazing time, but, Kaffeine opened in 2009 and so luckily my career changed.
Last cricket season and again this season, we have had the opportunity to return to the ground for the major matches, to provide espresso and filter coffee in the premier outdoor dining area that is the Harris Gardens. Sponsored by Veuve Cliquot, it is a fantastic place to see and be seen, in the gardens, opposite the pavilion, listening to the jazz band playing when the cricket is on a break, eating, drinking and being very British.
It is also a great opportunity to have world class coffee at a world class venue. So this is what we do.
We have a 2 group Linea rented from the wonderful people at Coffee Hit and our own Caimano grinder. We also have 4 20 litre Bunn Bravilor filter coffee machines where we grind the Square Mile espresso blend to a ratio of 60 grams per litre using our DIP DK 30 grinder, set just below 'filter' on the grind adjustment.
At 9 am, gates open and by 9:15 am we have our first customers and then for the next 90 minutes it is hectic, as the game starts at 11 am.
Over this time we serve up to 600 drinks, two thirds of this being filter. As you may know, filter is an easy coffee to make, as long as you follow a few strict guidelines. We grind the coffee just before brewing. We only brew up to 10 litres at a time (this is approx 50 coffees in our 8 oz cups). We ensure all the machinery is flushed and spotless each time, we do not turn on the heating element within the machine as it overcooks the coffee and we wet the filter paper before each extraction.
What we are trying very hard to do, it to give the customers the type of coffee that they deserve. Either a very well made espresso drink with care and attention, speed and efficiency, or, a much much better filter coffee then they have ever had before, that is well balanced, flavoursome, in a drinkable temperature range and where they say 'hmm, that tastes good'.
Is it one small step to a better coffee world? We hope so, and we hope it is a step towards showing that it can be done. We also still have a bit to learn and to play with, but we very much enjoy it and when Australia play in the One Day International on Friday June 29th of this year, or the Ashes next year, we are going to be very excited indeed.
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Black grapes and peanut butter sweet muffins 2.00
Coffee and goats cheese savoury muffins 2.00
Raspberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Pancetta, courgette, rocket, red onion, basil, cheese
Tomato, basil, bufala mozzarella, aioli, spinach
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Ham with black beef steak tomatoes, cheddar, rocket and avocado
Asparagus with brie, spinach, red onion and hollandaise
Salads 4.90/5.90
Lamb and root vegetables cooked in mafe (peanut/tomato sauce) and cous cous
Conference pears with crackers, blue cheese, baby red chard and white wine
Watercress with raw beetroot and mature cheddar with dill
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Cannelini bean and sage bake with caramelised red onions
Friday, 11 May 2012
Week beginning May 14th - Matthew
Unfortunately we are saying goodbye to another one of our staff members, because his visa is about to expire and he has to go home. Matthew is the young man you may have seen working the service area. He came to us late last year, after completing a 12 month scholarship at a leading London five star hotel that he won back in Australia when he was studying hospitality.
He found that while five star service was great, it is the cafe life that he enjoys so much, and yes, he wishes to open his own cafe one day.
When a person applies for a position with you who has that understanding of what the fine details mean in service, it makes for a very happy employer indeed. I am lucky enough to have employed a few of them. Rhea, Catherine, Krysty, Emma, Missy, Jessica and Justin to name a few and I am sure that like the people before him, Matthew will go onto even greater things in the future.
He is known for knowing everyone's name, a friendly face in the morning, an efficient and calm operator when under the pump, for having cool t-shirts as well as being dedicated and passionate about hospitality. If he comes to you for a job, I highly recommend him.
Away away Matthew, we wish you all the best. Well done.
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Blackberry and Bramley sweet muffins 2.00
Wild garlic and Feta savoury muffins 2.00
Raspberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Ham, Onion Jam, Brie, Spinach
Tomato, Mature cheddar, Chimichiri, Rocket
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Crushed minted Peas with Pancetta, Ricotta, rocket
Roasted Beetroot, Goats Cheese, Dijon, Red onion and Spinach
Salads 4.90/5.90
Dover, Green Grapes, Oakleaf, Carrots and a Cream Vermouth dressing
Oyster Mushrooms, Blueberries, Hazelnuts, Chard Baby Red and Gorgonzola
Spring Greens cooked in apple cider with fish sauce, ginger and chilli
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Black Olive tart with Rocket and Satsuma
He found that while five star service was great, it is the cafe life that he enjoys so much, and yes, he wishes to open his own cafe one day.
When a person applies for a position with you who has that understanding of what the fine details mean in service, it makes for a very happy employer indeed. I am lucky enough to have employed a few of them. Rhea, Catherine, Krysty, Emma, Missy, Jessica and Justin to name a few and I am sure that like the people before him, Matthew will go onto even greater things in the future.
He is known for knowing everyone's name, a friendly face in the morning, an efficient and calm operator when under the pump, for having cool t-shirts as well as being dedicated and passionate about hospitality. If he comes to you for a job, I highly recommend him.
Away away Matthew, we wish you all the best. Well done.
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Blackberry and Bramley sweet muffins 2.00
Wild garlic and Feta savoury muffins 2.00
Raspberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Ham, Onion Jam, Brie, Spinach
Tomato, Mature cheddar, Chimichiri, Rocket
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Crushed minted Peas with Pancetta, Ricotta, rocket
Roasted Beetroot, Goats Cheese, Dijon, Red onion and Spinach
Salads 4.90/5.90
Dover, Green Grapes, Oakleaf, Carrots and a Cream Vermouth dressing
Oyster Mushrooms, Blueberries, Hazelnuts, Chard Baby Red and Gorgonzola
Spring Greens cooked in apple cider with fish sauce, ginger and chilli
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Black Olive tart with Rocket and Satsuma
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Week beginning Tuesday April 8th - A coffee enthusiast, a regular and a tourist walk into a cafe
No, sorry, it's not a joke. I tell really bad jokes, ask the staff. Dad jokes. Anyway, I was thinking about this the other day, because we had a lot of coffee people in over the last weekend with the London Coffee Festival, and we had one particular Spanish family in, who were on holiday and of course, we had our regulars and we had a young lady on trial for a job here as a waitress.
The point is, and what we try to instil in our staff, is how important it is to be able to read your customers and be able to react, to greet, to serve, to explain if required, to converse and to be able to adapt yourself and your style of service to each different category. It's easy to roll out the same mantra each time ' hello how are you, how can I help'. But a truly brilliant service person will read the customer immediately, if possible before they even walk in the door, and adjust their style of service to exactly suit that person or party.
A tourist, or a tourist family, may not be aware of how your process works, the level of English may not be as strong. They will be hesitant, unsure on your how to order or what to order and will generally require a bit more patience. But it's just as easy to look after them, guide them through the process, make them feel welcome, at ease, ask about their holiday, where are they from, use big smiles. We often have families who are here for their holiday come back two or three days in a row, because they were looked after in the first place. And when you are a tourist in a foreign country, isn't that what you want?
A regular is easy, especially for a waitress/er who has been here for a while, as we know exactly what they want, they know what they want, you have a 30 second conversation with them and move onto the next person, knowing they are being well looked after by other staff further down the line. We always introduce our regulars to our new staff and quite often tell the history of them, so the staff know all about them, because it is very important that they know how to look after this person and why they are a regular. It's also very important that a regular is recognised, we know their names, what they drink, how they like it, pay special attention.
The coffee enthusiast is interesting and fun. They often rove in packs, especially ones who come from other countries. So we can spot them before they walk in as the usually gather in a group outside, take photos, then come in and order five espressos. The individuals often get in unnoticed and it's not until they order that you can tell. 'An espresso and a cappucino' is one giveaway. 'What guest espresso or filters do you have on today?' is another.
They read our coffee books, take notes, take photos, sometimes discreetly, sometimes all over the place. Our policy here is to approach and discuss, introduce ourselves and say hello. If time, ask them where they are from and then if possible, invite them to come behind our coffee machine and see what we do. It is so important.
Service is of utmost importance to us, of equal importance to our coffee, our food and our ambiance, but if we treated everyone the same not only would we fail in providing on that, but we would be a pretty boring place.
I think it's pretty easy to provide good service, but, to provide exceptional service that relates to the person you are serving takes a special person indeed. And all that takes though, is to think about it.
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Strawberry and coconut milk sweet muffins 2.00
Rocket, parsley, mint and capers savoury muffins 2.00
Raspberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Plum tomatoes with bufala mozzarella, peri peri sauce and spinach
Italian roast ham with apple butter, gruyere, aioli and spinach
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Mushrooms with Welsh rarebit and spinch
Smoked salmon with aioli, dill, red onion, capers and rocket
Salads 4.90/5.90
Slow roasted beef shoulder with cherry vine capsicum tomatoes, watercress, mozzarella and strawberry dressing
Baby yukon carrots with orange, thyme, walnuts cooked in coconut milk, black olives and rocket
Jersey royal mid potatoes fried in cumin
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Bunched beetroot galette with creamed leaves, cherries and capers
The point is, and what we try to instil in our staff, is how important it is to be able to read your customers and be able to react, to greet, to serve, to explain if required, to converse and to be able to adapt yourself and your style of service to each different category. It's easy to roll out the same mantra each time ' hello how are you, how can I help'. But a truly brilliant service person will read the customer immediately, if possible before they even walk in the door, and adjust their style of service to exactly suit that person or party.
A tourist, or a tourist family, may not be aware of how your process works, the level of English may not be as strong. They will be hesitant, unsure on your how to order or what to order and will generally require a bit more patience. But it's just as easy to look after them, guide them through the process, make them feel welcome, at ease, ask about their holiday, where are they from, use big smiles. We often have families who are here for their holiday come back two or three days in a row, because they were looked after in the first place. And when you are a tourist in a foreign country, isn't that what you want?
A regular is easy, especially for a waitress/er who has been here for a while, as we know exactly what they want, they know what they want, you have a 30 second conversation with them and move onto the next person, knowing they are being well looked after by other staff further down the line. We always introduce our regulars to our new staff and quite often tell the history of them, so the staff know all about them, because it is very important that they know how to look after this person and why they are a regular. It's also very important that a regular is recognised, we know their names, what they drink, how they like it, pay special attention.
The coffee enthusiast is interesting and fun. They often rove in packs, especially ones who come from other countries. So we can spot them before they walk in as the usually gather in a group outside, take photos, then come in and order five espressos. The individuals often get in unnoticed and it's not until they order that you can tell. 'An espresso and a cappucino' is one giveaway. 'What guest espresso or filters do you have on today?' is another.
They read our coffee books, take notes, take photos, sometimes discreetly, sometimes all over the place. Our policy here is to approach and discuss, introduce ourselves and say hello. If time, ask them where they are from and then if possible, invite them to come behind our coffee machine and see what we do. It is so important.
Service is of utmost importance to us, of equal importance to our coffee, our food and our ambiance, but if we treated everyone the same not only would we fail in providing on that, but we would be a pretty boring place.
I think it's pretty easy to provide good service, but, to provide exceptional service that relates to the person you are serving takes a special person indeed. And all that takes though, is to think about it.
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Strawberry and coconut milk sweet muffins 2.00
Rocket, parsley, mint and capers savoury muffins 2.00
Raspberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Plum tomatoes with bufala mozzarella, peri peri sauce and spinach
Italian roast ham with apple butter, gruyere, aioli and spinach
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Mushrooms with Welsh rarebit and spinch
Smoked salmon with aioli, dill, red onion, capers and rocket
Salads 4.90/5.90
Slow roasted beef shoulder with cherry vine capsicum tomatoes, watercress, mozzarella and strawberry dressing
Baby yukon carrots with orange, thyme, walnuts cooked in coconut milk, black olives and rocket
Jersey royal mid potatoes fried in cumin
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Bunched beetroot galette with creamed leaves, cherries and capers
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Week beginning April 30th - One Tree at Lend Lease
In November of last year, we took the first step into expansion by opening a concession within the Lend Lease corporate building on Euston Road called One Tree Coffee. Unfortunately, six months later, we have taken the decision to close it.
Opening Kaffeine and the path we have taken over the past two and a half years has been amazing. Having my daughter born six months after we opened as well has been absolutely incredible. But both combined, and trying to fit in a business lifestyle and a family lifestyle is tiring!
I am constantly flattered by the amount of times I am asked 'when are you going to open another store', and Lend Lease was our first step into testing the grounds of what we are able to cope with. It was a great learning experience and I do not have any regrets at all. In fact, I am very proud of what we achieved there and the commitment and passion that the staff who worked there have shown, in particular Claire and Niall, the manager and lead barista.
The main reason for closure? There was just not enough business there for us. Which was a shame, because it was a great little space. But also, we have made the decision that Kaffeine is not for corporate environments. We are proud to be an independent, strong part of a local community, that all types of people can come too and enjoy and, after a bit of a rest, we will start looking for that next new venue, just not quite yet.
In the meantime, please enjoy.
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Blueberry and bran sweet muffins 2.00
Spinach curry savoury muffins 2.00
Blueberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Tuna with rouille, capers and rocket
Pancetta with apricots, gruyere, pommery mustard and spinach
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Coppa cotta ham with avocado, tomato, balsamic mayo and rocket
Roasted sweet potato with brie, basil, red onion and spinach
Salads 4.90/5.90
Baked baby round aubergines with wild garlic flowers
Roasted duck with peaches, toasted almonds, raspberry soured cream and watercress
Poached celery with gorgonzola dressing and chicory
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Round courgette with apple tarte tatin
Opening Kaffeine and the path we have taken over the past two and a half years has been amazing. Having my daughter born six months after we opened as well has been absolutely incredible. But both combined, and trying to fit in a business lifestyle and a family lifestyle is tiring!
I am constantly flattered by the amount of times I am asked 'when are you going to open another store', and Lend Lease was our first step into testing the grounds of what we are able to cope with. It was a great learning experience and I do not have any regrets at all. In fact, I am very proud of what we achieved there and the commitment and passion that the staff who worked there have shown, in particular Claire and Niall, the manager and lead barista.
The main reason for closure? There was just not enough business there for us. Which was a shame, because it was a great little space. But also, we have made the decision that Kaffeine is not for corporate environments. We are proud to be an independent, strong part of a local community, that all types of people can come too and enjoy and, after a bit of a rest, we will start looking for that next new venue, just not quite yet.
In the meantime, please enjoy.
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Blueberry and bran sweet muffins 2.00
Spinach curry savoury muffins 2.00
Blueberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Tuna with rouille, capers and rocket
Pancetta with apricots, gruyere, pommery mustard and spinach
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Coppa cotta ham with avocado, tomato, balsamic mayo and rocket
Roasted sweet potato with brie, basil, red onion and spinach
Salads 4.90/5.90
Baked baby round aubergines with wild garlic flowers
Roasted duck with peaches, toasted almonds, raspberry soured cream and watercress
Poached celery with gorgonzola dressing and chicory
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Round courgette with apple tarte tatin
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Week beginning April 23rd - Catching up
I am fortunate enough to be have been away for a few weekends of late, so below is just the menu, no ramblings.
Probably best enjoyed that way anyway. Next week will be the same.....
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Rocha pear, chocolate and red wine sweet muffins 2.00
Four cheese and pink pepper savoury muffins 2.00
Blueberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Roast aubergine with sweet chilli, goats cheese and rocket
Tuna with rouille, capers and spinach
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Coppa cotta ham with onion jam, plum tomatoes, gruyere and spinach
Plum tomatoes with olive tapenade, parmesan butter, rocket and capers
Salads 4.90/5.90
Samphire with short brown rice, prawns, pickled ginger, cucumber and wasabi dressing
Cherry vine tomatoes with celery, gem lettuce, runner beans and Worcestershire
Innovator potatoes roasted with mustard
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Jersey Royal rusty
Probably best enjoyed that way anyway. Next week will be the same.....
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Rocha pear, chocolate and red wine sweet muffins 2.00
Four cheese and pink pepper savoury muffins 2.00
Blueberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Roast aubergine with sweet chilli, goats cheese and rocket
Tuna with rouille, capers and spinach
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Coppa cotta ham with onion jam, plum tomatoes, gruyere and spinach
Plum tomatoes with olive tapenade, parmesan butter, rocket and capers
Salads 4.90/5.90
Samphire with short brown rice, prawns, pickled ginger, cucumber and wasabi dressing
Cherry vine tomatoes with celery, gem lettuce, runner beans and Worcestershire
Innovator potatoes roasted with mustard
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Jersey Royal rusty
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Week beginning April 16th - Our Chef Jared
The advert read something like 'Inspirational Chef de Partie required for Australian Style Cafe'. We had a few applications, but the best by far turned out to be our lead chef for the past two and a half years, Jared Bryant.
I met him in the Scandinavian Kitchen as we were not even open yet, and we discussed his prior experience in Australia and New Zealand, working in similar cafes and also for a while in the Womens Weekly test kitchens in Sydney.
I brought him across to see his 'kitchen', which was was being used as a construction area in the final building stages, and he said 'yes, I will take on the job, when do I start?'
It really wasn't much of a kitchen to start with, our cooker was a four top domestic electric oven, a three door and a two door undercounter fridge and a pretty poor sink area, not much shelving and not much equipment.
Jared worked by himself, six days a week for at least the first six weeks until we became busy enough to justify a second person. I can't remember all that he did in those first few weeks, or how the kitchen really was, but am sure he can. It will make a good story one day.
However now, we have a six burner electric stovetop, 2 commercial ovens, an extra 600 litre stand up fridge and a 400 litre freezer, and a proper sink area and dishwasher, a seperate dry store cupboard and on busy days up to four staff in the kitchen.
We also needed to install 3 phase power to be able to cope with all the electricity he was wanting to use!
A lot of people say we are all about coffee, with a name like Kaffeine why not, but really, and very importantly, we are also equally about food. Food is a very important part of our business, on an equal par with the coffee we serve and the service we provide, and Jared has been absolutely the 'inspirational' chef I was looking for in July 2009.
The way he combines ingredients that you may think would not work but somehow do, into our salads, our sandwiches, or our muffins is amazing. He has a real talent in putting together ingredients to make something special, something different.
We change our salads each week and I think this gives him the opportunity to show that creative flair and to use our suppliers and market conditions to the best possible use.
We are often asked will we do a recipe book and are also asked for recipes for such favorites such as lamingtons, ANZACS, friands and salads. A recipe book would be something Jared especially would really love to do, and we do hope to achieve that one day.
We are lucky because a lot of his recipes are able to be enjoyed via his fabulous blog site which is here.
http://redjarcooking.blogspot.co.uk/
Jared is an integral part of the history, the reputation and I hope the future of Kaffeine and I have much to thank him for. If anyone knows anything about publishing a recipe book, we look forward to hearing from you.
And you must try his new creation, the blueberry friands, amazing....
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Nectarines and wine sweet muffins 2.00
Red onion and parmesan savoury muffins 2.00
Blueberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Manchego cheese, plum tomatoes, baked bramley apples, aioli and rocket
Coppa cotta ham with red onion, gherkin, spinach and gruyere
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Roast chicken with brie, salsa verde, spinach
Plum tomato with courgette, peppers, mozzarella, oregano, mayo and rocket
Salads 4.90/5.90
Pulled pork belly on candy beetroot and castel franco
Sea beet with heritage tomato salad
White broccoli served with garlic, chili and rosemary syrup
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Jersey Royal rusty
I met him in the Scandinavian Kitchen as we were not even open yet, and we discussed his prior experience in Australia and New Zealand, working in similar cafes and also for a while in the Womens Weekly test kitchens in Sydney.
I brought him across to see his 'kitchen', which was was being used as a construction area in the final building stages, and he said 'yes, I will take on the job, when do I start?'
It really wasn't much of a kitchen to start with, our cooker was a four top domestic electric oven, a three door and a two door undercounter fridge and a pretty poor sink area, not much shelving and not much equipment.
Jared worked by himself, six days a week for at least the first six weeks until we became busy enough to justify a second person. I can't remember all that he did in those first few weeks, or how the kitchen really was, but am sure he can. It will make a good story one day.
However now, we have a six burner electric stovetop, 2 commercial ovens, an extra 600 litre stand up fridge and a 400 litre freezer, and a proper sink area and dishwasher, a seperate dry store cupboard and on busy days up to four staff in the kitchen.
We also needed to install 3 phase power to be able to cope with all the electricity he was wanting to use!
A lot of people say we are all about coffee, with a name like Kaffeine why not, but really, and very importantly, we are also equally about food. Food is a very important part of our business, on an equal par with the coffee we serve and the service we provide, and Jared has been absolutely the 'inspirational' chef I was looking for in July 2009.
The way he combines ingredients that you may think would not work but somehow do, into our salads, our sandwiches, or our muffins is amazing. He has a real talent in putting together ingredients to make something special, something different.
We change our salads each week and I think this gives him the opportunity to show that creative flair and to use our suppliers and market conditions to the best possible use.
We are often asked will we do a recipe book and are also asked for recipes for such favorites such as lamingtons, ANZACS, friands and salads. A recipe book would be something Jared especially would really love to do, and we do hope to achieve that one day.
We are lucky because a lot of his recipes are able to be enjoyed via his fabulous blog site which is here.
http://redjarcooking.blogspot.co.uk/
Jared is an integral part of the history, the reputation and I hope the future of Kaffeine and I have much to thank him for. If anyone knows anything about publishing a recipe book, we look forward to hearing from you.
And you must try his new creation, the blueberry friands, amazing....
Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.70
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.30
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.50
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.70
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.70
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.90
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.30
Banana Bread 2.20
Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.70
Pain au chocolat 2.30
Almond croissants 2.70
Baked Treats
Nectarines and wine sweet muffins 2.00
Red onion and parmesan savoury muffins 2.00
Blueberry friands 2.00
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.30
White chocolate blondies 2.30
Portuguese tarts 1.90
ANZAC cookies 1.70
Afgan biscuits 1.70
Lunch
French retro baguettes 4.70
Manchego cheese, plum tomatoes, baked bramley apples, aioli and rocket
Coppa cotta ham with red onion, gherkin, spinach and gruyere
Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.90
Roast chicken with brie, salsa verde, spinach
Plum tomato with courgette, peppers, mozzarella, oregano, mayo and rocket
Salads 4.90/5.90
Pulled pork belly on candy beetroot and castel franco
Sea beet with heritage tomato salad
White broccoli served with garlic, chili and rosemary syrup
Tart 4.00 or 6.90 with salad
Jersey Royal rusty
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