Coffee Enquiry L: Two birds down in Spitalfields (Department of Coffee & Social Affairs, and Rapha)

You present an interesting dilemma. Each of you seemingly has a legitimate claim to the bicycle, and yet the bicycle can have only one rightful owner. Quite the conundrum. As a federal employee, I believe the law is all we have. It's all that separates us from the savages who don't deserve even the privilege of the daily mail. Stuffing parcels into mailboxes where they don't belong!

Newman (Seinfeld episode “The Seven”)

I love coffee as you know, so the other day while in Spitalfields market couldn’t resist getting a couple macchiatos.

 First stop: Department of Coffee & SocialAffairs

A nice place in one of the corners of the new market. Quite simple and neat place, plenty of seating outside to watch the action in the market.

The place

Beans: Department of Coffee & Social Affairs

Espresso Machine: La Marzocco

Score: 4/5

Lovely coffee, nice acidity, some fruity notes, good balance with mild bitterness, medium body, and short aftertaste. Latte art top marks.

Small cup

Department of Coffee & Social Affairs

Coffee Shop

Approx Damage: £5pp

Area: Spitalfields

Borough: Tower Hamlets

Twitter: DeptOfCoffee

Second stop: Rapha

My second coffee was in the cyclist shop Rapha, you can get yours while watching a video of the latest tour de France.

Rapha

Beans: Alchemy

Espresso Machine: La Marzocco

Score: 5/5

Great balance with long aftertaste, sweet notes coming from chocolate, and decent latte art.

Coffee or treats?

Coffee time

Rapha

T: 020 7426 2000

Cycling Shop

Approx Damage: £5pp

Area: Spitalfields

Borough: Tower Hamlets

---

---

Back in Moo

Elaine's down there causing all kinds of commotion. Somehow she got a hold of his recipes and she says she's going to drive him out of business! The Soup Nazi said that now that his recipes are out, he's not going to make anymore soup! He's moving out of the country, moving to Argentina! No more soup, Jerry! No more soup for any of us!

Newman (Seinfeld episode “The Soup Nazi”)

The other day I was looking for a place to eat in Bricklane and bump into Moo Cantina. Moo is an Argentinean restaurant specialised in street food classic Lomitos, a toasted steak sandwich.

Sandwich time

I went for the Lomito Porteño, ribeye steak, roasted peppers, rocket, and provolone cheese. The service was a bit slow but the food was spot on as usual, nice flavours, and a nice steak sandwich. Don’t forget to wash out all that food a cold Quilmes beer.

Three locations around London to get these Argentinean treats

Moo Cantina

T: 020 7377 9261

Argentinean Cuisine

Approx Damage: £20

Area: Brick Lane

Borough: Tower Hamlets

Twitter: MooCantina

---

---

Craft Beer Delivery to your door

Too many people go their mail! Close to 80%. Nobody from the post office has ever cracked the 50% barrier! It's like the 3-minute mile!

Newman (Seinfeld episode “The Andrea Doria”)

If you’re a passionate for craft beers and want to get them in the comfort of your home keep reading. Flavourly is the new craft beer club. Only for £24 a month you will get 8 different craft beer and 2 snacks on your door.

Beer right on your door

The club offers exclusive small batches brews, the chance for you to discover new beers, a community where you can interact with other craft beer enthusiast and even with the microbrewers, and most important based on your reviews and your online taste profile the team in flavourly will personalise your deliveries and send you new beers that you will love

Time for a Cheers!

A great idea so if you love craft beers why not give it a try! Cheers!

Flavourly

Craft Beer Delivery

www.flavourly.com

Twitter: Flavourly

Disclosure: I received a box with products from Flavourly in return for trying them out. Flavourly did not influence my opinion of this product. All views and opinions expressed in the post are my own and no other compensation was provided

Argentine Steakhouse Time

Elaine is down there causing all kinds of commotion. Somehow she got a hold of his recipes and she says she's going to drive him out of business! The Soup Nazi said that now that his recipes are out, he's not going to make anymore soup! He's moving out of the country, moving to Argentina! No more soup, Jerry! No more soup for any of us!

Newman (Seinfeld episode "The Soup Nazi")

We were looking to eat dinner the other day in the borough and decided to try our local branch of Buenos Aires. Similar and from the same chain of the one in Wimbledon, with most of the staff dominated by friendly Argentines, a big place, big wall full of Argentine Wine, and a fully booked place, good for us we could squeeze in the bar on a busy Saturday night.

Great Argentinean Ribeye

We got for starters the spicy chorizo and the black pudding or morcilla. Both were nice but the chorizo was excellent, nice heat of the spicy sausage. Finally as you imagine you have to have the steak. I got this time the Rib Eye. It was outstanding, perfectly cooked and rest. Great quality of Argentine beef.

A nice place with friendly service and great steaks, it took a while to get the food but it was worth the wait.

Buenos Aires

T: 020 8747 8772

Argentine Steakhouse

Approx Damage: £30pp

Area: Chiswick

Borough: Hounslow

Twitter: barestaurantuk

---

---

Burger Wars Episode LXXVIII: The Bleecker Padawan [BurgeReview]

You know Ron's Records down on Bleecker? They pay big cash for used records!

Newman (Seinfeld episode “The Old Man”)

Another burger I tried during my last visit to Kerb was Bleecker St Burger. New York style burgers, toasted buns, and even with a secret sauce, all this brought to you by an ex lawyer that while practising law in New York realised that burgers was the dream! So  moved to London opened a burger truck, and objection overruled.

The food truck

The blue burger cannot be more simple, blue cheese, lettuce, and sauce.

Blue Burger Time

The verdict, great flavour, cooked just a bit under medium so not too juicy. The melted blue cheese was amazing definitely the star of the show, and the sauce was great

The damage, 6 quid for the burger

The conclusion, really nice burger, top flavours, ppresentation a bit sloppy but who cares when the taste is spot on. I will give the Bleecker crew a solid 8. As most of the street food traders, the best way to track them down is by twitter or in their website

Bleecker St Burger

T: 077 1254 0501
Burger Joint / Food truck

Approx damage: £10pp

Various Locations
London

Twitter: bleeckerburger

---

View Larger Map

---

Franco gets to Balham

A slice of pepperoni pizza, and a large soda, and three times a week I will require a cannoli

Newman (Seinfeld episode “The Calzone”)

Franco Manca is expanding, the pizza empire is growing, those days of queuing in Brixton as it was the only one are over. These days with six restaurants across London, it’s easier to get their traditional Neapolitan pizza. I went this time to the one in Balham.

Balham place

Same concept as the original place in Brixton, authentic Neapolitan style pizza, my only worry was if they will be able to maintain quality despite growing.

Special menu 

Franco Add

I got the meat special, Franco & Lloyd's mozzarella, organic tomato, wild pig fennel salami, watercress, and goat's curd. It was amazing, the salami was perfect, and the pizza had a great balance, lovely flavours. I have to say Manca’s pie is still one of the best pizzas in London. 

Meat Special

No Logo beer

You will get fresh ingredients, a pizza made in a traditional oven, and a the same detailed train to their chefs. This is resulting in consistency and quality for Franco Manca.

Traditional ham & mushrooms with extra olives

Franco Manca

T: 020 8772 0489

Pizzeria

Approx Damage: £12pp

Area: Balham

Borough: Wandsworth

Twitter: FrancoMancaPizz

---

View Larger Map

---

A walk in the French Riviera: Movie start treatment at Saint Tropez [On The Road: Saint Tropez]

I had gone up to Westchester. I go there every Tuesday. I do charity for the blind in my spare time for the Lighthouse. I was in the middle of a game of Parcheesi with an old blind man and I excused myself to call my friend as he was very depressed lately because he never became a banker

Newman (Seinfeld episode “The Ticket”)

Next stop was Saint Tropez. Once a modest fishing village, then a military stronghold, these days a seaside resort favourite between the jet set since Brigitte Bardot went in the 50s. The place is definitely a gem, you can get lost walking in the old city, climb to the Citadelle de Saint Tropez for a great panoramic view, enjoy a tarte Tropezienne, and relax for a full day in Plage de Pampelonne.

View from the Citadelle

We got to Au Caprice des Deux a lovely restaurant in the old town. Recommended by Lonely Planet guide, a quite nice quiet place in a laneway. Really nice menu took us time to make a choice, definitely the best restaurant of the entire trip, amazing cuisine, service was slow, but the food good enough to make you forget. We got the crab cannelloni in crayfish sauce that was superb, a steak seared with truffles in truffle sauce that was amazing and scallops and truffle risotto that was divine. Highly recommended, expect to pay 65pp for your diner.

Crab cannelloni

Scallops with truffle risotto

At Pampelonne there are plenty of options, a bit overpriced, but you are already there so at least enjoy. We got into Nioulargo, nice food, great view, you pay for the spot. Expect a bill of 70pp.

Pampelonne

Calamari

Before leaving we did a bit of driving around the Peninsula including a quick stop in the walled village of Ramatuelle, get another panoramic view from the Paillais mill, and a lovely drive to France second tallest lighthouse the Semaphore de Camarat.

Ramatuelle

Saint Tropez

Cote d'Azur

---

View Larger Map

---

Coffee Enquiry XXV: Rapha in Soho

You present an interesting dilemma. Each of you seemingly has a legitimate claim to the bicycle, and yet the bicycle can have only one rightful owner. Quite the conundrum. As a federal employee, I believe the law is all we have. It's all that separates us from the savages who don't deserve even the privilege of the daily mail

Newman (Seinfeld episode “The Seven”)

I have seen many things but a cyclist shop and coffee place is a new one. The place Rapha Cycle Club, with stores in New York, Sydney, Osaka, San Francisco, and London. A nice coffee shop surrounded by the retail shop, flat TVs with race screenings so you can enjoy a coffee while watching Tour de France. Sandwiches, salads, even beer and wine in the menu. So if you are in the mood for a coffee and a ride this is the place for you.

The place

The Cycle Club

The Store

I got a Macchiato, nice and strong, good bitterness contrasted by the creamy milk. The beans are divided between Workshop Cult of Done and also single origin from JB Kaffee. Latte art work in progress, but it’s nice to see the effort.

Macchiato

Espresso Machine: Synesso

Beans: Workshop

Score: 4/5

Postcards from a coffee shop

Personalised cups

Nice place for relaxing after completing the stage at Le Grand Boucle.

Rapha Cycle Club

T: 020 7494 9831

Coffee Shop / Cycle Shop

Approx Damage: £3pp

Area: Soho

Borough: City of Westminster

Twitter: rapharacing

---

View Larger Map

---