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The striking interior will draw me back on every trip, even if the cafe is not worth a trip |
While in London last week I made a special trip back to
St Bartholomews to have breackfast. http://maturesolotravel.blogspot.com/2013/05/travel-warrior-day-4.html
I wrote last year about the great selection and staff at the cafe. The architecture is wonderful and the setting is so peaceful.
So I was very sad to see the major changes to the cafe:
NO FOOD selection
NO fresh food
NO customers
It could not have been the day I was there nor the time (late morning). It was the cafe.
I have to complement the man who staffed the cafe. He tried to offer me a selection (3 or 4) of cakes from the day before. Lunch was not available until noon (I arrived at 11+ am). Having skipped breakfast so I could enjoy the cafe, I was hungry but did not want to leave this quiet spot in the middle of a city with so many people.
The wifi connection is great here so I sat and uploaded photos while I enjoyed the BEST cup of coffee I had been served in the 2+ weeks I was in the city. I also drink tea but a good coffee is wonderful.
Chatting with the staff I was told it was a special blend and a drip process, something I did not find elsewhere. NOTE: I drank coffee at McDonalds 1.20 pounds and not bad, very, very hot' at the multiple locations of take away foods, warm, bitter and not worth a refile. So this cup of coffee was wonderful. WARNING: the coffee is VERY hot. If you have ever had a pizza burn (a USA event) you know what to expect. I had a burn for 7 days after this coffee, my fault, not the cafe's.
By this time it was lunch time and the kind staff asked if I would like soup. Great! not so. It was vegetable but from a can and 4.5 pounds. Again NOT the staff's fault. He was trying to offer me something because I said I was hungry and not willing to pay $5.00 us for cake! The french bread served with the soup was good.
I shall be sending a review to the management of the cathedral. A great cafe in London has been replaced with something that resembles a bar with a microwave. If you have visited this year, please give me your opinions.