Rabot Estate, Borough Market, South London, UK

The Rabot Estate is a cacao grower and chocolatier with a shop and cafe in Borough Market. The estate where the chocolate is grown is all the way over in the West Indies but lucky for us back in the Spring of 2010 they opened this store.

I warn you that the chocolate is pricey but also totally awesome, you can and should treat yourself. The cafe prepare various items including the coffee which we will come to but the number one choice for eating must be the chocolate crepes. I've not yet eaten one but I've seen and smelt these beasts and even writing this is making me salivate. Rabot also prepare little chocolate mousse pots which complement a coffee perfectly if you want something small and sweet.

Their hot chocolate is 70% coco and I think the Mocha comes close to that so be ready for the buzz. The coffee took time to come, they took care over making it but when it arrived it looked the part. It was an oily brew and was giving off a good aroma as I approached with my snout. It had a good full flavour and was smooth throughout. That flavour perhaps crossed the line and was a little overly cheewy at points. Make no mistake it gave you something to taste and to contemplate as you got through it. 

• Black Americano, double shot, take away
• £2.00
• Medium strength
• Good aroma, powerful 
• No crema, oily and swirly
• Size: small (6 ounce)
• Beans: Monmouth

A very good full coffee and a great option if you are not game for queuing at Monmouth.

http://www.rabotestate.com/

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Elliot's Cafe, Borough Market, South East London London, UK

I love Elliot's, I could eat here every day till the end of time. This is by far my new favourite place in Borough Market if not all of London. A market "cafe" which really is a full on fancy pants restaurant but completely unpretentious, friendly and very relaxed. They change the menu based on what is available and in season at the Market so every visit is a journey. The food is excellent.

Mismatched and sometimes shared seating gives it a vibey intimacy, enhanced by the bare brick walls and low lighting. The distractingly attractive, knowledgeable staff will pop down next to you to go through the menu in detail so don't be afraid to ask what things are.

I wish I was writing a restaurant review as I could write for a long time and it would be gushing with praise. I've had rare melt in the mouth burgers, slow and perfectly cooked beef, char-grilled squid with a bite, the raw simplicity of oysters, endless mussels with comforting corn and bacon broth, breaded pig cheeks with an emulsified joy waiting inside, a sharp and filling beetroot salad, pate, cheese with fine oatbreads, flavoursome olives and even the complimentary bread and butter is what you would expect to eat on a fine farm house kitchen table. 


All great, every time and the wine has been top notch too however this review is all about one thing and that is the coffee.

The espresso arrived with a good frothy crema layer, underneath it was as dark and oily as the sea near an exploded BP rig. I was highly anticipating this coffee but after taking my first sip I was rocked by the tartness of the coffee, tugging my tongue to the roof of my mouth. I cleansed my mouth and went again, I watered it down but try as I might I could not get along with this shot. 


It was an incredibly sharp and sour coffee. My partner in dine however liked it very much which is why I am being rather more gentle than if I was drinking alone. It looked the part and considering everything else it should have been excellent but alas it was not for me.

• Double espresso, drink in
• £2.00
• Medium strength
• Sour
• Good crema
• Size: Short in a big cup

On another visit the Americano had similar high quality trappings and was less sour but that taste was still there.


A coffee that I didn't get on with. Not awful but too sharp for my tastes. I will go again and again for the food but will skip the joe.


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http://www.elliotscafe.com/
@elliotscafe
email: info@elliotscafe.com
Blog and menu: http://elliotscafe.tumblr.com/


Even the bread tastes like heaven.

Flat Cap Coffee Co, stall, Borough Market, South East London, UK

A  couple of coffee stalls have appeared in Borough market, right under the nose of my sacred Monmouth coffee. For such audacity they must be braved and the first one I visited was the Flat Cap Coffee Co stall. Their stall seems to visit a few places and should not be confused with Flat Caps Coffee of Newcastle. The guys who run the company are Brazilian barista champion, Favio Ferreria and his business partner Robert Robinson.

The stall has a nice wooden caravan vibe (like the one in Wind in the Willows) about it and is dominated by a polished La Marzocco. They were selling Square Mile Coffee Beans on the counter and serving the Red brick seasonal espresso. A nice touch were the recommended serving instructions on a little stand that you can take down and follow. 

It was a rainy and pretty grim day; I had already purchased some fine Portuguese custard tarts so this coffee was going to be the finishing touch. I took a small long black (always a double no matter the size, clearly noted on the coffee board). It had a dark thick crema and layer of oil floating on top. 

The initial reaction was that it was overly tart but that sharp citrus tang relaxed and then grew on me and was quite reminiscent of Prufrock (is it the Square Mile beans?) Coffee. A little watery on the front of the palette the coffee packed in plenty of flavour further back and did a good job of filling out my mouth. Those full on flavours eventually resided to leave a sweat after taste. 

• Long black, double shot to take away
• £1.80
• Medium strength
• Sharp citrus taste, full of flavour
• Thick dark crema
• Size: small (6 ounce) 
• Machine: La Marzocco
• Beans: Square Miles Red Brick Seasonal Espresso

• Flatwhite
• £2.00 - double

A proper stand up coffee served with politeness and a bow, packing plenty of flavour that takes you on a journey.


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@faenrique
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/page/3032/Drinks/175
http://faenrique.blogspot.com/
http://shop.squaremilecoffee.com/products/red-brick

Brindisa, Borough Market, London, UK

Year round this is an incredibly popular Tapas bar right on the corner of Borough Market. Luckily Brindisa also run an excellent store in the market where you can get your hands on all the wonderful ingredients they cook up here. 


To complete the facts they also have two other restuarants, one in Soho and the other in South Kensington. I have tried to get into this eatery but quite late many a time but if you are not prepared to wait (hours) then you won't get in. This time we went early and found it is popular for a reason.

This is not a food blog but the food was great so I have to list what we devoured. We consumed divine manchego, succulent olives, crusty bread, little deep fried parcels of Monte Enebro cheese with honey. 


We demolished an Iberico selection of sliced meats, tortilla and an anchovy salad. The salad was the least green salad I have ever had but it was pitch perfect. This was all washed down with a lovely bottle of  Blanc Planell, a Macabeo Sauvignon Blanc, yums.

After such a great meal you want to have a little digestive or a coffee. I opted for coffee, an espresso to be precise. It came in a shot glass and was short, hot, sealed with a layer of crema and like the meal the coffee was simply excellent. 


No bitterness, not overly espressed and so it was silky smooth and hit me with sweetness when it was done.

• Double shot espresso, drink in
• Strong
• Smooth and sweet
• Thick crema
• Size small
• £1.90

A lovely short espresso, velvety smooth and honey sweet. A perfect end to a rich, satisfying dining experience.


Map
http://www.brindisa.com/

Monmouth Coffee, Borough Market, London, UK

Let us start with some transparency. Monmouth is my favourite coffee in the world. It is the one I base my judgement of all others on. If you go back to my 1st post you will see it was finding Monmouth that stopped me logging coffees in my book and loosing Monmouth that made we start up Damn Fine Joe.

Damn Fine Joe was started in Brighton. A place with such an incredible coffee scene, I feel so lucky to have been there whilst it went through such a strong period of growth. Wow, have I drunk some great coffees down by the sea. 


But Monmouth holds a spiritual place in my heart, the original mind blowing coffee and that can never be taken away.

So 3 years later how does it fair? Still excellent, still great attentive baristas, a lovely refit on the Borough Market store and some old faces working the machines.

The coffee is always strong at Monmouth and always made short. They roast their own beans at the Covent Garden roastery and perhaps this is part of the secret, those beans are fresh. 


You get plenty of flavour from their espresso blend and the coffee comes out hitting all the right notes.   It smells right, not stale, it tastes strong but is not bitter and at the end the sign of a great coffee, without any aids you are left with a sweet taste in your mouth.

Lets neg on something. Back in the day they kept their espresso and americano at an incredible £1, then finally it went up to £1.50. Now for some reason I pay an extra 35p for my hot water in my americano over my espresso. A minor grumble and I don't really care. It is still cheaper than most foul chain cups but I had to have some kind of counter point here.

• Double shot black Americano, take away
• Very strong
• Full rounded and sweet
• Thick healthy looking crema
• Small cup
• £1.65
• Beans: Monmouth Espresso Blend

A full flavour with a rounded smooth taste which leaves a lovely sweetness behind. This is as close to perfection as coffee gets. I look forward to becoming a regular again and having them remember what I drink.

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http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/

A huge thanks to the excellent Casey Fulton who made this an extra special post by coming and taking photos for me. You can check out more of Casey's great photographic work here: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/f8125/

http://photoart.blog.com/