Week beginning February 20th - The blackboard of knowledge

The blackboard of knowledge is what is has come to be known as, our A frame blackboard outside that we use not just to advertise our wares, but to try to make someones day as they walk past, or, to attract attention in some sort of abstract, out there way.

I started off by downloading about ten pages of coffee quotes from the internet, everything from Seinfeld to Napoleon to Star Trek. We could not use all of them, as there may not have been enough space, or we just did not like them.

As time has gone on, we got a bit more inventive, and basically made things up that, for example, if a certain famous person came in, what might they say in relation to coffee, or we go off by misquoting a famous line from a movie.

People stop and take photos, others stop, look and then come in, others have actually asked, 'who comes up with all your stuff?'

We try very hard to not be repetitive, some places I know have the same thing every day (their menu), others follow a same theme. Our goal is to add a bit of personality and thought into what we do with it, and to perhaps make people think. On top of the ten internet pages, we know have about three pages of our own quotes to use and we come up with different stuff all the time. We find it a lot easier to come up with stuff after work at 7 pm, rather than before work at 7 in the morning.

I find myself thinking of ones at all different times, on the tube, watching tv, reading books to my daughter, so I put them in my phone straight away otherwise I forget.

Here are some of our favorites.

"She's got a smile that it seems to me reminds me of childhood memories"
(this had a number of people come in and say, fantastic, I will sing this all day now)

"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge"
(opening line from Straight outta Compton by NWA - used to try and show that we are the street, but others (chains?), are not)

I only love you because you make good coffee

Oh help, oh no, it's a piccolo

If I promise to make you great coffee will you love me forever

On a hot summers night, will you offer your throat to the wolf with the iced coffee
(Meatloaf, Bat out of Hell)

Local evacuation point

Sticks and stones will break my bones but coffee will never hurt me

And on the first day He made coffee

Let's get out of these wet clothes and into a dry cappuccino
(James Bond)

You'll always find us making coffee at parties
(IKEA advert)

Nobody puts coffee in the corner
(obviously, Dirty Dancing)

If you have any good ones, please let us know, get your saying up in lights....

And with that we say thank you, please enjoy our menu for this week.

Breakfast
Porridge - served w choices chopped dried fruit, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 2.50
Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 2.90
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 2.90
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.30
(add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta Roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.50
Ciabatta Roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.50
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.50
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 3.50
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Cinnamon and raisin toast 2.00
Banana Bread 2.00


Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.60
Pain au chocolat 2.20
Almond croissants 2.70

Baked Treats
Yellow Plum muffins 1.80
Courgette and Cheese muffins 1.80
Passionfruit friands 1.90
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.20
White chocolate blondies 2.20
Portuguese tarts 1.80
ANZAC cookies 1.60
Afgan biscuits 1.60

Lunch

Soup 3.50 or 4.00
Ribollita (Tuscan bean soup)

French retro baguettes 4.50
Manchego with pear, aioli, tomato and basil
Ham, gherkin, gruyere, dijon, red onion and spinach

Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 4.70
Roast aubergine and butternut with Salmoriglio and rocket
Roast Beef tomato and apple ketchup, aged cheddar and spinach

Salads 4.50/5.50
Roasted Vegetable salad with rocket and tomatoes
Pecorino with raw sprouts, celery and pancetta
Edamame with Chilli and sticky sesame

Tart 4.00 or 6.50 with salad
Red onion tarte tatin