Week beginning January 28th - Signals

It comes from the days of working in Banqueting at places like Marylebone Cricket Club, Battersea Park, Claridges Hotel, the livery company dinners and the pre-recession huge 5000 person Christmas parties. It also comes from working in kitchens and restaurants for the past 25 years.

It impressed me no end when I first saw the Claridges banqueting managers in action with a well drilled banqueting team and the signals they used on when to lay plates, when to clear plates, when to leave the room etc. Amazing.

That is, the method of communicating with other staff or managers from across a crowded room. Staff who have worked here before or currently work here will know what I mean as well. If you know us, you will know we get very busy and that in order to be able to provide efficient service in a busy environment, you need to be on the ball and communicating with your fellow staff members.

I will try to explain what is primarily a visual concept. Remember that as a manager, we are trying to communicate with staff who may be down the other end of the room e.g. the baristas. You do not need to call their name, just to get eye contact is enough.

1. Tap the ear and wave your hand in an upwards/downwards motion = turn the music up/down
2. Make a circular motion with your hand with your forearm in a vertical position = Clear the floor
3. Make a sweeping gesture with your hand over the other palm and then show five fingers = Clear table 5

We also use short verbal phrases to communicate
'Door please!' = Customers entered shop and need service
'Behind' = Coming past you with coffee/plates etc
'Away please' = Coffees are ready to be run to the tables

It's fairly simple. Eye contact, a recognised signal that communicates to the other person what you as the manager wants to achieve, and the job gets done. If you think about it from a high end large banqueting point of view, where the staff are really there to do a job and not be seen or heard too much, communicating in this way is essential.

So if you ever sit in and watch us in action and notice (me probably) making funny hand gestures, you will now know what they are for.

We hope you enjoy this weeks menu as much as we have putting it together and as much as we will enjoy serving it to you.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70
(add 30 p for granola or yogurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Porridge - Served with rhubarb and raspberry compote, chopped nuts, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Rhubarb and Custard 2.20
Savoury Muffin: Tomato, Oregano and Cheddar 2.20
Peanut and Jelly friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Afgan cookies 1.80

Lunch
Soup: Blue Cheese and Celeriac 4.50

French retro baguettes 4.90
Pancetta, Red Pepper Pesto, Tomato, Red Onion and Rocket
Aubergine, Goats Cheese, Sweet Chilli, Thai Basil, Spinach

Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 5.00
Ham, Apple Butter, Gherkin, Dijon, Gruyere, Spinach
Roasted Peppers, Red Onion, Tomatoes, Feta, Olive Tepenade, Basil and Rocket

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Chicken Roasted with Pomegranate Molasses and Red Onions served with Haloumi and Cucumber
Romanesco, Parmsan Slices, Blood Oranges Soaked in Chilli and Rosemary
Roasted Salsify with Gremolata

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad

Puff Pastry Parsels with Pork, Fennel Seeds, Mustard Agra Potatoes

Week beginning January 21st - Australia Week

This Saturday, the 26th of January, is Australia Day. I have simply stolen the definition of Australia Day from Wikipedia and it is below, in case you are unsure or can't remember, why we have a public holiday in Australia for it and why it is such a big deal.

It is very important to us, but we do not make a massive deal of it here at Kaffeine. We are only 90% Australian owned (the other 10% is Kiwi) and our staff breakdown is 5 Aussies, 4 Kiwis, 2 Polish, 1 English, 1 Burmese, 1 Colombian and 1 Irish.

We are proud to be a cafe in London, a multicultural melting pot of cultures and people and customs and traditions. We will not have an Australian soundtrack on the playlist and we will not wear green and gold or have a flag flying, but we will be doing lamingtons and we will of course have ANZACS. 

We do expect to be very busy, it is the first time Australia Day has landed on a Saturday in Kaffeine's lifetime, so if you wish to pre-order your lamingtons or ANZACS for your own parties, please email us and if you wish to come down and help us celebrate in our own little way, we look forward to seeing you.

Please enjoy the menu this week, as we have enjoyed putting it together and we will enjoy serving it to you.

"Australia Day (previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day, and ANA Day)[1] is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, the date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation at that time of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia (then known as New Holland).[2]

Although it was not known as Australia Day until over a century later, records of celebrations on 26 January date back to 1808, with the first official celebration of the formation of New South Wales held in 1818. It is an official public holiday in every state and territory of Australia and is marked by the presentation of the Australian of the Year Awards on Australia Day Eve, announcement of the Honours List for the Order of Australia and addresses from the Governor-General and Prime Minister. With community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies the day is celebrated in large and small communities and cities around the nation. Australia Day has become the biggest annual civic event in Australia".

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70
(add 30 p for granola or yogurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Porridge - Served with rhubarb and raspberry compote, chopped nuts, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins Blue Berry and Bran  2.20
Savoury Muffins Sweet Corn and Three Corner Garlic 2.20
Peanut and Jelly friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Afgan cookies 1.80

Lunch
Soup Lamb and Fosters 4.50

French retro baguettes 4.90
Blue Vein Cheese, Pears, Spinach, Pickled Onions

Smoked Salmon, Lime Cream Cheese, Cucumber, Purple Basil, Rocket

Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 5.00
Ham, Balsamic Glazed Apricots, Brie, Rocket

Fosters Rarebit with Mushrooms and Spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Mini Cod Fish Cakes with Scurvygrass, Cucumbers, Pickled Red Chillies and Hollandaise
Kiwi, Goats Cheese, Toasted Cashew Nuts, Quinoa with a Chervil Parsley dressing
Roasted Courgettes with Wilted Sea Beet and Smokey Chilli Oil

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad

Brown Rice and Tuna Bake with Rouille

Week beginning January 14th - Barista Championships

The planning has begun. The World Barista Championships are upon us again and the regional heats are starting in February. Just through natural selection process, we have historically employed Australians or New Zealanders in roles of barista here at Kaffeine. For this reason, we have been unable to put forward anyone for the annual competition. We were fortunate for a while, back in 2009/2010 to have Estelle Bright work for us, who is Welsh and she competed and did very well, making it through to the finals.

This year, we have two of our baristas competing. Shaun Young will be competing in the UK championships  and Blazej Stempin will be competing in the Polish Championships. The boys have already been working on their routines  they regularly watch old routines on you tube anyway, and they are in the process of selecting beans, cups and working on their signature drinks.

Over the next two months, we will be building up towards the heats and we will be having practice sessions at night where the boys will go through their routines and we will pretend to be judges, not just on their technical abilities and knowledge, but also how they present themselves and how they interact. It is an exciting time indeed.

We wish the boys all the very best of luck in their quest to not only represent their country, but to also possible be the best in the world.It is a long, involved and time consuming process and we will keep you up to date with everything as it all unfolds.

In the meantime, here is the menu for this week, we trust you will enjoy.


Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70
(add 30 p for granola or yogurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Porridge - Served with rhubarb and raspberry compote, chopped nuts, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Pear and Oat  2.20
Savoury Muffins: Blue Cheese and Celery 2.20
Red Current friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Afgan cookies 1.80

Lunch
Soup: Venison and White Bean Soup 4.50

French retro baguettes 4.90
Slow Roasted Beef, Gherkin, Red Onion, Dijon, Gruyere, Spinach
Roasted Red Peppers, Courgette, Red Onion, with Pesto, Rocket

Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 5.00
Ham, Red Currant Jelly, Basil, Brie, Rocket
Tomato, Chimichurri, Mozzarella, Spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Sword Fish marinated in Seville Oranges Served with Avocados, Sea Beet and Dried Figs Poached in Buckthorn Juice
Wilted Broad Bean Tops with Pomegranate, Julienne Forced Rhubarb, Blood Orange, Feta and Poppy Seeds
Roasted Turnips tossed in Lady Smock, Wild Horse Radish and Three Corner Garlic

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad

Honey Roasted Aubergine with Yoghurt Sauce

Week beginning January 7th - The importance of looking good

One of the fabulous reasons (excuses?) that we have for closing over the Christmas period each year, is that we always have a refresh and a paint job over this time. 'Are you closing over Christmas?'. 'Yes, but we are getting the painters in'. Oh, okay, that's a good idea, and you probably need a break too'. Thank you, yes we do.

Each Christmas since we opened we have booked in the painters to help return us, or in this case, improve upon, what we have in place and what gets pretty worn and torn over the year. We booked the painter back in August, he is very, very, very, good, and he worked with three others from Boxing Day until New Years Day 9 pm to get it all finished. Anyone who has tried painting before will know it is not just about using a roller and flicking paint at each other, it is all about the preparation beforehand which takes forever and is painstakingly annoying.

But we now have a pretty much brand new shop, all white and clean with little holes filled in and  parts refreshed and doors put back on hinges properly and bathroom cabinets made and stair banister railings fixed and small dodgy sections made good again. Lots of little details that you may not see if you did not know what to look for, but which make a while lot of difference overall.

Is it important to do this? Well absolutely, at least it is for me. Looking scruffy or tired is a reflection on how you are and how you behave and act, how your staff will behave and act and how much respect others will have for you and for your business. So each year, we will continue to refresh and paint and each week we will continue to complete the long list of cleaning duties that we have to keep it all fresh and tidy and as clean as possible.

Some of our customers have noticed, others have said 'it's no different!'. Importantly for me our staff have all been excited by it and in fact they had a little competition to try to find all the small bits that had been fixed up. Now that alone is worth having the work done.

Happy new year and we are sure you will enjoy this weeks menu.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70
(add 30 p for granola or yogurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Porridge - Served with rhubarb and raspberry compote, chopped nuts, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Raspberry and Coconut 2.20
Savoury Muffins: Eat Your Greens Muffins (Spinach, Courgette, Herbs) 2.20
Red Current friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Afgan cookies 1.80

Lunch
Soup: Curried Sweet Potato 4.50

French retro baguettes 4.90
Aubergine, Sweet Chili, Goats Cheese, Thai Basil, Rocket
Pancetta, Glazed Apricots, Brie, Spinach

Foccacias with sea salt and rosemary crust 5.00
Ham, Mature Cheddar, Onion Jam, Spinach
Smoked Salmon, Capers, Red Onion, Dill, Aioli, Rocket

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Apple, Alexanders, Blue Cheese and a Spicy Walnut Dressing
Hot Smoked Salmon, Sea Radish Pickled in Tarragon, Baby Spinach, Baby Potatoes and Tartare Dressing
Roasted Parsnips with Red Chilli and a fresh herb sauce

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad

Potato Soda Bread with Creamed Smoked Eel, Beetroot, Soft Boiled Quail Egg, Capers and Lady Smock.