Week beginning June 30th - French menu week - Just because

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70 (GF, V)
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 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Apple and Calvados (V) 2.40
Savoury Scone: French onion and gruyere (V) 2.40
Friand: Apricot and Regents Park Elderflower (V, GF) 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Raspberry and coconut slice 2.00
Canele 2.40

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Ham, Gruyère. Dijon, gherkin, red onion, spinach

Tuna champagne hollandaise, with cucumber, dill and rocket (V)

Foccacias 5.30

French lamb meat loaf with St Albray cheese, tomato and rocket
Tomato, burrata, basil, garlic mayonnaise and spinach. (V)

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Carmargue red rice with salmon and dittander tartare, roasted chestnuts, thyme and lemon (F, R)

Celery, apple, capers, pistachio with tarragon and remoulade dressing and garnished with pea shoot flowers(V, R)

Puy lentils with St Maure goats cheese and gooseberries (VE)

Tart: 5.50 or 7.90 with salad
Quiche Lorraine with Gallant Soldier herb

Week beginning June 23rd - The Roux at Landau experience

We could not be more lucky really, or fortunate. What an opportunity.  One of our customers is the Head Chef at the Michel and Albert Roux restaurant at the 5 star Langham Hotel on Portland Place, just around the corner from Kaffeine, called Roux at Landau.

http://rouxatthelandau.com/

Chris often comes in on his split shifts, drinks long blacks and is usually seen reading over a new recipe book. He also sometimes comes in the head barman Alex from the Artesian bar at the Langham, which has now been named Best Bar in the World two years in a row.

http://www.artesian-bar.co.uk/

They are both true gentlemen and I personally very much enjoy talking to them and looking after them.

When I was teaching and training hospitality students in Australia, we often used to take the students to five star hotels to show them around on a tour, often back of house. Sometimes we were able to arrange work experience for them. We wanted to inspire them, to show them a different world and to be able to put into understanding what they were learning in the class room. You never knew, one of those students may end up one day running that hotel.

I asked Chris one day if this may be possible, to be able to take our staff on a tour of one of London's greatest and grandest Hotels, to be able to inspire them further, to show them a different world.

He instead offered something different, and even better. This was for each of our four chefs to be able to do a one day work experience within his kitchen alongside his chefs. We have four chefs working for us here, Jared, Khan, Silvio and Win and while Chef Jared has worked in a la carte high end places before, the others have not. Importantly, they all work very, very hard for us and are committed and dedicated employees. I am very proud of them and very appreciative. It was also very important to me to be able to try to say a little thank you to our kitchen brigade, for the early hours and dedication they show to the business and to allow them some time outside of our kitchen, a different experience.

So one day per week, over the past four weeks, each of our chefs has had the opportunity to work in not just one of London's most famous and high end kitchens, but one of the world's, under the tutelage of one of the worlds best chefs.

To have this opportunity and to learn and see how such a kitchen operates is a very, very fortunate experience indeed, and I am very thankful to Chris for organising it all and for making our chefs feel so welcome within his brigade.

We hope you enjoy this weeks menu, as we will enjoy bringing it to you. It may not be high end fine dining, but we still put in a great amount of effort to make it the best cafe food in the U.K.


Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70 (GF, V)
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 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Strawberries, melilot and cream (V) 2.40
Savoury Scone:  Cheddar and pickle  (V) 2.40
Friand: Apricot and Regents Park Elderflower (V, GF) 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Melting moments biscuits 2.00
Canele 2.40

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Cured beef, hot English mustard, caramelised red onion, mature cheddar and spinach

Asparagus with crushed minted peas, feta, gin mayonnaise and spinach (V)

Foccacias 5.30

Ham, pickled cherries, soft bath blue cheese and rocket
Crumbed aubergine, spicy tomato dressing, mozzarella and spinach (V)

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Pimm's gravlax, cucumber, mint, British strawberries, lime, watercress and sea kale peas (F, R)

Raw garden peas, spring onion, radish, parsley with pineapple weed mayonnaise (V, R)

New potatoes, capers and sea rocket (VE)

Tart: 5.50 or 7.90 with salad
Giant scotched gooseberries with ground lamb

Week beginning June 16th - Tamper Tantrum Birmingham - Peter Dore-Smith Live Speech

In case you were not aware, Tamper Tantrum is probably best described as a forum for selected coffee professionals to be able to put across a viewpoint in front of an audience, which is then allowed to go live on the internet via iTunes and the Tamper Tantrum podcast.

What makes this even more amazing is that it was set up about three years ago by two of coffeelands most respected and knowledgeable (and funny) people, Steve Leighton of Hasbean and Colin Harmon of 3FE in Dublin.

Apparently over 400,000 views of the 50 or so podcasts over three years have since occurred and if you look at the iTunes podcast menu and see the list of names who have been invited to talk about their most passionate feelings and thoughts on the coffee industry, it is no wonder.

I was invited to speak myself back in February at the UK Barista Championships held in Birmingham. What we were not told was that it was to be held in an IMAX theatre, where our visuals would be on the giant screen behind us, with up to about 50 people in the dark of the theatre were in the audience.

On the day James Hoffman, Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, Cory Bush and Steve himself all presented a speech and I highly recommend you watch all of them. Last on was me, and if you can spare an hour, perhaps you may wish to watch it to. It was not easy, and I wish the visuals I presented were able to be seen as well (I understand why they were not, it is an IMAX screen!), but just to be able to say I am on this level of podcast, with this level of world respected speakers, is a very, very proud and humbling moment indeed. I hope you enjoy it, I would be glad to hear any of your feedback.

Contractual arrangements meant that Steve was committed to putting the final speeches on the SCAE website first, where members were allowed to see them before anyone else. However, that period has now finished and the speeches are now all on iTunes for the world to see.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tamper-tantrums-podcast/id317635118?mt=2

NB: Please may I make a very special thank you to Steve, for all the hard work he has put in for the UKBC, as well as all the work he has done and is doing for the coffee industry in general and to both Steve and Colin for allowing/inviting me to speak and to them both for all the hard work they put into Tamper Tantrum. I am truly honoured.

Chef Jared has created a bit of a Brazilian inspired menu this week, for obvious reasons. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we will enjoy bringing it to you.


Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70 (GF, V)
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 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Mango and cashew  (V) 2.40
Savoury Scone: Courgette and feta (V) 2.40
Friand: Apricot and Regents Park Elderflower (V, GF) 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Melting moments biscuits 2.00
Canele 2.40

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Blue bath cheese, amarillo nectarines, red onion, mayonnaise and rocket (V)

Smoked salmon, lime cream cheese, thai basil, cucumber and spinach

Foccacias 5.30

Ham, saute mushroom, mozzarella, basil and spinach
Roasted red peppers, courgette, and red onion with olive and feta paste and rocket (V)

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Crab, lime, chilli, cucumber, coriander, sea arrow grass and passion fruit dressing 

Sweet potato and beans with slow roasted peppers, broccoli, sea radish pods, coffee dressing and garri (VG, GF)

Brazilian slaw with wild water cress stems, sweet cicely seeds and caipirinha dressing (VG, GF)

Tart: 5.50 or 7.90 with salad
Coxinha - Chicken and pineapple weed (Brazilian crumbed pear shaped dumplings)

Weekend Menu:

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Tuna steak with green beans, boiled eggs, new potatoes, red onion, olives, parmesan and baby spinach

Roasted squash with hazelnuts and watercress (V)

Mixed watermelon with almond, red onion, basil, smoked mozzarella, pommery mustard dressing (V) (VG)

Tart: 5.50 or 7.90 with salad
Spinach with eggs, new potatoes and hollandaise sauce

Week beginning June 9th - Back at Lords for the cricket

A very, very exciting week  as it is the first Test of the cricket season at Lords Cricket Ground. We have already had the One Day international against Sri Lanka, this time it is Sri Lanka against England in the Test Match. The ground looks amazing, we are in the Harris gardens once again and if you are lucky enough to have a ticket to this game or any other major match this season, please do come and say hello.

We then have the MCC vs the World match on July 5th, then the hugely anticipated England vs India in the test Match of the summer. There is nothing better than going to work in the early morning sunshine to make coffee at the most famous cricket club in the world in their premier outdoor dining area. Absolutely fantastic.

We are very much looking forward to it, as we are also looking forward to presenting our menu for you this week.


Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70 (GF, V)
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 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Apricot and orange (V) 2.40
Savoury Scone: Sweet chilli and cream cheese (V) 2.40
Friand: Apricot and Regents Park Elderflower (V, GF) 2.40
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Melting moments biscuits 2.00
Canele 2.40

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Ham, gherkin, Dijon, red onion, Gruyère and spinach.

Heritage tomatoes, avocado, pesto, mozzarella and rocket (V)

Foccacias 5.30

Smoked salmon, dill, capers, aioli, red onion and spinach
Sauté mushroom and leeks, mustard fondue and rocket.(V)

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Pancetta with roasted beetroot, blanched hogweed stems, soft boiled egg, wild fennel leaf and lemon butter dressing (GF)

Wild watercress stems, Wensleydale, sea kale peas, poppy petals and a orange dressing (V, GF)

Cucumber, red onion, poppy seeds, parsley, mint, pomegranate dressing (V, GF, Raw)

Tart: 5.50 or 7.90 with salad
Toasted brioche with grilled herb chicken, cheese pate, gem lettuce, caramelized onion

Weekend Menu:

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Tuna steak with green beans, boiled eggs, new potatoes, red onion, olives, parmesan and baby spinach

Roasted squash with hazelnuts and watercress (V)

Mixed watermelon with almond, red onion, basil, smoked mozzarella, pommery mustard dressing (V) (VG)

Tart: 5.50 or 7.90 with salad
Spinach with eggs, new potatoes and hollandaise sauce

Week beginning June 2nd -

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70 (GF, V)
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 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet muffin: Flat peaches and blueberries (V) 2.40
Savoury Scone: Eat your greens; courgette, peas, spinach and herbs (V) 2.40
Apricot and Elderflower friands 2.40 (V, GF)
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Melting moments biscuits 2.00
Canele 2.40

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Tuna and onion fondue with roasted red peppers and spinach

Tomato, mozzarella, basil, aioli, rocket (V)

Foccacias 5.30

Ham with sour cherry, Camembert and spinach
Aubergine, sweet chilli, Thai basil, goat’s cheese and rocket. (V)

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Mixed heritage tomatoes with broad beans, capers and horseradish dressing (V, GF)

Pink grapefruit with blue cheese, avocado, king prawns, olives and watercress (GF)

Steamed artichoke with lemon, mint and parmesan. (V, GF)

Tart: 4.40 or 7.90 with salad
Salmon and watercress

Week beginning Tuesday May 27th

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70 (GF, V)
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 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffin: Summer berries and white chocolate (V) 2.40
Savoury Scone: Apple, mustard, thyme, cheddar (V) 2.40
Apricot friands 2.40 (V, GF)
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Melting moments biscuits 2.00
Canele 2.40

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Roasted red peppers, courgette, butternut with pesto and camembert (V)

Ham, bubblegum berries, gorgonzola, basil and rocket

Foccacias 5.30

Pancetta, mushroom, grapefruit soft cheese, rosemary and spinach
Tomato, avocado, periperi mayonnaise, mature cheddar and rocket (V)

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Grilled marinated tofu with soba noodles, edamame, carrots, spring onion and lemongrass (VE, GF)

Roasted sweet potato with sea beet flowering tops and satay dressing (VE, GF)

Baked round courgette salad with rosey garlic flowers, pineapple and wild rocket dressing (VE, GF)

Tart: 4.40 or 7.90 with salad
Spring vegetable gratin with fat hen (foraged herb), grilled apricots and pistachio (VE, GF)

Week beginning May 19th - It's been a proud week

Last week was pretty busy, not just in the shop itself but all over the place. On Monday on my day off I caught up with Kaffeine legend Karolina Malinowska for lunch and we went to Workshop in Clerkenwell, then on Tuesday I had minor surgery to my elbow to remove a cyst, leaving me with four stitches, then on Wednesday I worked the floor and we got hammered busy, it was a great day, but I did my old trick of not eating properly and that has it's consequences.

I have discovered that by doing this, at about 2 am in the morning my body says 'help, need energy' and so releases all this sugar into my system and you end up wide awake for the next four hours, till the alarm goes off or the children wake up at 5:30 am. So on Thursday I was a bit tired.

But on Thursday I went to the Cafe Culture show, where I was honoured to be on the speaking panel with Hugh Gilmartin, formerly of the Coffee Boys, along with four others. We were talking about how to provide great coffee when it is not your core business and I was there to relate the stories about Marylebone Cricket Club and how we provide espresso and filter at major match days.

I remember going to see the Coffee Boys talk at Cafe Culture back in 2008, and they said to the crowd then that of all the cafes you must go visit, be sure to go visit Flat White. I promised myself that one day, they would say that about my business, and on Thursday not only did they do that exact thing, but I was even on the speaking panel!

Then back to the shop to change into my Black Tie, pick up the children, take them back to Walthamstow, meet Mrs K who took them home and then I was back into town to meet Chef Jared as we were off to the British Sandwich Awards.

Over 650 people at the four and a half star Lancaster Hotel for a four course/half a bottle of wine, band and entertainment and even Aldo Zilli as compere and awards presenter. We were shortlisted in the category of Best Independent Cafe Bar Retailer and received a Gold Award, coming in second.

This is twice we have won an award from the BSA, as we also won a Gold Award in 2011.

Very, very proud of all the staff and the hard work and effort they put in to even be able to be considered for this award, and especially proud to be able to take Chef Jared along too, as he has done so much for the reputation of Kaffeine with our menu development.

Home by midnight, up at 5:30 am again, and off to work where we met with the Director of the London Living Wage Foundation who came to see us in action. Again, this is some thing I am very proud of, that we can and do pay our staff a fair and decent wage per hour and that we are recognised for that. I was able to tell the story about the days when I used to work for £5.85 per hour back in 2005 and how I have come across so many hard working people who only get paid the basic minimum and how I feel this is not fair. We are the only cafe in the U.K. who does this, and the Director told me that their mission now is to get more and more hospitality businesses involved as well.

Then, in the middle of all this, Jay Rayner walks in and orders a double espresso, which he told us reminded him very much of blueberries in it's profile. He stated that he is doing a piece on the London Coffee scene and could he talk to some of our customers, which he did, and then he spent five minutes with our lead barista Bianca talking about our processes and documentations including extraction yields, our dialling in sheets and our preferred brew recipes.

Finally, on Friday night I received a photo of the Melbourne Coffee Expo, where five of our former staff (Amy, Missy, Luke, James and Nick) had met up as two of them were competing in the Australian Brewers Cup (well done James and Nick by the way).

Talk about feeling like a Dad, seeing your 'family' all together on the other side of the world, it was another, very proud moment indeed.

So bit exhausted, very, very proud and very, very happy. That's London life for you.

Please enjoy the menu this week, as we will enjoy bringing it to you.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.60 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.70 (GF, V)
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 1.90
Pumpkin seed and apricot fruit toast 2.40
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 1.90
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffin: Apricot and almond 2.40
Savoury Scone: Insalata caprese (tomato, mozzarella and basil) 2.40
Buckthorn and white chocolate friands 2.40 (GF)
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Melting moments biscuits 2.00
Canele 2.40

Lunch

French retro baguettes 5.00
Hummus, carrot, cucumber, olives and rocket (V)

Ham, gherkin, Dijon, Gruyere, red onion, spinach

Foccacias 5.30

Smoked salmon, aioli, capers, dill, red onion and rocket
Crumbed aubergine, tomato sauce, mozzarella, spinach (V)

Salads: 5.50/6.90

Roasted H&G Walters’s organic duck with mango, cucumber, shredded carrot, Asian herbs and oregon grape dressing

Asparagus and foraged sea aster, parmesan, lemon, basil and mustard (V)

Raw rainbow radish and honesty seed pods with spring onion, chives and parsley (GF)

Tart: 4.40 or 7.90 with salad
HG Walters Organic Chicken pie in a pistachio pastry