Week beginning July 1st - Cafe Society Awards results - Gold!

Earlier this year, we were asked again if we wanted to enter the annual Cafe Society Awards, of which we have entered the previous two years already.

In 2011, Kaffeine was Highly Commended, coming second to Allpress Coffee and I was personally awarded the highest accolade of the Cafe Society Award for influence on the industry. In 2012, we were awarded a Gold award, coming second to Workshop coffee and I was the guest speaker at the event after lunch, where I spoke about how it's okay to copy other successful businesses within your business, as long as you keep making improvements, because in the long run, everyone will benefit because everyone will keep improving.

Entering the competition involves presenting the judges an A4 description and financial outline of your business, as well as any evidence such as photos, menus etc. to back up your claim that you are the best. Then, judges will visit your premises and without you knowing, will assess your business not just on the coffee, but the overall business and cafe experience.

So Chef Jared, our Manager Claire and I all went to the luncheon at the Kensington Roof Gardens with about 200 other people as there were also awards for Best Chain, Best Chain Development, Cafe Design, Cafe Marketing and New Product. The owner of Workshop, James Dickson spoke after lunch about innovation in the industry and all in all, it was a lovely day.

In the morning, the three of us did a little tour of some Soho cafes including Princi, the new Damson, the new Apostrophe, Ginger and White and Fernandez and Wells, remembering the wise words of James Hoffman about how we should always check out other cafes and not just focus on your own business, which I also wrote about here.

http://kaffeinelondon.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/week-beginning-april-15th-valuable.html

Nervously we awaited the results after our three course lunch and as I was not speaking this year, a few glasses of wine, and we are very proud to announce that this year we were again awarded a Gold award, along with five other cafes from across the U.K., coming second to London based Nude Espresso who were awarded a Platinum award. Well done Nude!

I have always been taught, right from the age of 21 in my first luxury hotel job in a cocktail bar in Melbourne, that for a company to enter a competition is a wonderful way of building team morale, rewarding your employees, setting goals and targets and improving your standards and practices.

At that same Hotel, I once entered a team cocktail competition and came third overall. All the staff at the Hotel were pushed to enter all sorts of competitions from service to chefs. Most recently, we have had our baristas Shaun and Blazej competing in UK and Polish barista competitions and the interest and benefits this creates is a winning situation for everyone, no matter where you place.

I have always learnt and now always believe that creating competition, or entering into them, is a great way of pushing the employees, yourself and the business forward. I feel it is also great for your customers to be able to say, yes I frequent a place that is recognised for being great. (They know it's great already, and they also like to see you being recognised for the hard work they see you do).

I very much hope that we are able to enter more competitions in the years to come.

Please enjoy this weeks menu, as we have enjoyed putting it together for you and will enjoy serving it to you and thank you for your continued support.

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, passion fruit) 3.70
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
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with home made preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

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

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Plum and hazelnuts 2.40
Savoury Scone: Courgette and feta 2.40
Salted caramel and chocolate friands 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Tuna, rouille, capers, rocket
Ham, dijon, gruyere, gherkin, red onion and spinach

Foccacias 5.00

Pancetta, strawberries cooked in balsamic vinegar, blue cheese dressing, spinach
Grilled red peppers and courgettes, basil and olive tepenade, brie, rocket

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Chicory, gooseberries, roasted chicken, elderflower dressing and sea radish seed pods
Tomato braised broad beans and hogweed
Mangetout, wild fennel, manchego, tarragon, lemon,

Tart: 4.40 or 7.50 with salad
Salmon and watercress

Week beginning June 24th - Nothing to report here, just the 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 yoghurt)
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

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

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Apricot and almond 2.20
Savoury Scone: Creamed corn 2.20
Strawberry and elderflower friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Pancetta, goats curd, grilled plums and spinach
Appleby cheshire cheese, beetroot pickle, cucumber and rocket

Foccacias 5.00

Ham, saute mushrooms, cheese fondue, spinach
Tomato, mozarella, spicy red pepper dressing, rocket

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Seared rare beef with coleslaw of ice burg lettuce, diced tomatoes, red onion, parsley, red wine dressing and garnished with sea radish seed pods
Spelt soaked in beer with alexander seeds, sea sandwort, cumin roasted butternut, garnished with coriander and red champion flowers
Green beans lightly blanched in pineapple weed and camomile with gorgonzola dressing and Brasil nuts 

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Apple, red onion, mature cheddar and thyme

Week beginning June 17th - Great Titchfield Street Festival June 22nd

Did you know that up until the 1960's, our area of Great Titchfield street was an operating market? It was known as the Italians market. If you look on the right hand curb from Mortimer street to Foley street as you walk up you will see indented into the concrete a Y shape, this marks the area or space that the market stall holder had to put out their stall.

Did you also know that Boris Johnson has plans to put part of Great Titchfield street and some of the surrounding smaller streets into pedestrianised areas, forming part of his transport strategy for the capital.

Did you also know that the month of June is the London Festival of Architecture. Formally biennial, 2013 is the first year that it has become and annual event.

http://www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org/

With all these things combined, one of the architecture firms in the area, Morrow and Lorraine, have approached council with the idea of closing off Great Titchfield street from Mortimer to Foley to hold a street festival, celebrating the heritage of the area and also holding various architecture demonstrations on the street with music, face painting, balloons and of course food and beverage.

So, on Saturday June 22nd from 12 pm to 6 pm, the street will be closed off for all traffic, allowing pedestrians to walk along and see these architecture demonstrations and competitions happening on the day and all of the food and beverage operations on the street will have tents outside their premises with various food offers.

Kaffeine will operate a coffee cart that is used at some of the UK's major events and we will also be extending our food offer from the cafe for takeaway service from another tent.

This is a great opportunity to promote this quiet area of Fitzrovia not only for it's heritage but also for the design firms who work in the area and the hospitality operations who support it.

We hope to see you on the day.

Please enjoy this weeks menu, as we have enjoyed putting it together and 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 yoghurt)
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

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

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Blueberry and bran 2.20
Savoury Scone: Tomato, basil and cheddar 2.20
Strawberry and elderflower friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Ham, apple butter, gherkins, gruyere, rocket

Asparagus, crushed peas, feta, mint and spinach

Foccacias 5.00

Smoked salmon, aioli, red onion, capers, dill, spinach

Roasted peppers, courgette, brie, pesto and rocket

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Chicken poached in water celery stock and served with spinach, roasted almonds and red pepper dressing
Roasted courgettes and burdock with hollandaise sauce

Pineapple, celery, blue cheese, red onion with pineappleweed dressing

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Fish cake topped with strawberry, lemon and sea sandwort salsa

Week beginning June 10th - The O.C's (Original Customers)

We are almost four years old now, amazing really. We have been described on a certain blog somewhere as being old school but still cool. Chef Jared is our longest serving employee since day one, and on the floor and kitchen we have staff who have been with us for two years, Claire, Julia, Karolina, Khan.

Now there is something I've noticed recently and that is we have had a few of our older, original customers returning after being away either through work or for living purposes and this is really nice for us and I hope for them. The staff faces may have changed, but the standards and quality and service still remains the same if not better.

So when these customers come in it's like greeting an old friend, and I say to our current staff 'oh that's Paddy/Sam/whoever, he's an original customer'. We also very much still have customers who have not even moved away, but are still in the area and still frequenting Kaffeine and when I say how long we have been operating for they say 'my goodness, that long?!'

So I came up with the simple term of endearment, the O.C's. It's a term of respect, a 'tag' that perhaps if you are one of these people, who have been visiting us and supporting us since 2009 when we opened, you are known as an O.C., an Original Customer. If you are an O.C, please allow me to thank you for supporting us this long, and long may the relationship continue. And if someone says to you, 'do you know a place called Kaffeine, have you been there?' you can perhaps say ' oh yes I do, I'm an O.C.'

Respect.

Please enjoy this weeks menu, as we have enjoyed making it and will enjoy serving it.

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 yoghurt)
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

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

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Flat peach 2.20
Savoury Scone: Linseed, mustard and watercress 2.20
Elderflower friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Speck, camembert, apricot and spinach
Salmon, cucumber, lime soft cheese, basil and rocket

Foccacias 5.00
Ham, grilled pineapple, gorgonzola, coriander pesto and rocket
Spicy red onion marmalade, mature cheddar, gherkins, mustard and spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Roasted rabbit with raw spring greens, peas, carrot, sauteed fat hen and garnished with rosey garlic flowers.
Baked burdock stems served with nectarine, toasted pine nuts, wood sorrel, raw wild asparagus and dressed in a goats cheese and water-mint dressing.
Curried roasted sweet potato with wild rocket.

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Polenta with courgette and capers

Week beginning June 3rd - Nothing to report, just the menu this week

Just the menu this week, no blog reports of news to tell. But please enjoy the menu, we have elderflower back in season making up the flavour in our friands as well as a mayonnaise in one of our foccacias.

Please enjoy the menu this week, as we have enjoyed designing it and 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 3.50Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
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

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

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Blackberry and oat 2.20
Savoury Scone: Creamed mushroom 2.20
Elderflower friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Pancetta, roasted cherry tomatoes, gruyere, basil, rocket
Carrot pickle, mature cheddar, coriander, spinach

Foccacias 5.00
Ham, elderflower mayonnaise, english strawberries, spinach
Tomato, aioli, mozzarella and rocket

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Curried chickpeas with goats curd, water mint, bourbon and rose water dressing
Brown sugar roasted aubergine, saute fat hen with a yoghurt, chilli and thyme dressing, garnished with ox-eye daisy flowers
Hot smoked salmon coleslaw

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Baked coriander soft cheese and pear