Boulangerie Bon Matin, Finsbury Park, North London, UK

After visiting the excellent Vagabond in the morning, on the way back I spied Boulangerie Bon Matin. A traditional French style patisserie. The cakes in the window and the attractive sign had me quite excited, this could be the taste of France; delicate pastries with expertly brewed coffee.

I think I’m starting to gain a sixth sense on whether a place will be good or bad and as soon as I walked through the door my spider sense was tingling. Something about the atmosphere gave me a warning, the air didn't have enough coffee in it.

The decor was nice enough, white tiles, bare brick work, industrial style lighting, wood floors and a good amount of art all felt right but a little cold perhaps. The cakes had me drooling, just look at those lovelies.

As I watched the barista rather absently make the coffee I knew it would be poor. It was a big old take away cup which for a regular coffee I knew was going to weaken things so when I received my truly American cup of joe I was not surprised with the taste.

Watery and weak, overly bitter but with some redeeming sweetness and a dry tannin finish. I've read a few other reviews which praised the coffee so perhaps I was just unlucky this time and got a large over espressed serving.

In their favour the cakes did look great and had I not been a good boy I would have sampled one and let you know.

• Regular Black Americano, take away
• £2.50
• Weak
• Large size
• Overly bitter with some sweetness.
• Frothy crema

Not a good coffee, it tasted like a chain cup. Stick to the cakes.

Map

http://boulangeriebonmatin.co.uk/

Twitter: @B_BonMatin

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Vagabond, Finsbury Park, North London

I don't really venture North that much but today I had a photo shoot at the London School of Capoeira in Finsbury Park. Having left early and bereft of coffee I was on the hunt for some joe and stumbled upon Vagabond along the route.

On stepping inside the cosy and warmly lit interior the fantastic smell of fresh coffee (brewed and just ground) hits you. The cafe has what it needs for a good experience, cakes, robust wooden tables and plenty of coffee.

It was refreshing to see coffee on sale and in use from a number of independent roasters including Nude Espresso, Has Bean and Square Mile. To me this meant they were getting the best coffee for the job and keeping a rolling menu for the single origin filter lovers out there. Top marks for that.

The coffee has a good dark layer of crema and had a beautifully rich aroma with subtle tones of cocoa. The taste was rounded, strong but not overbearing. 

The chocolatey aroma carried through into the flavour and a gentle cherry tartness developed alongside this without being too acidic. It was a little muddied and unclear at times but proceedings finished with a sweet lick of cherry.

Another winning factor in favour of this tasty little cafe were the take away cups being biodegradable from Planet Harmony. 

• Black Americano, take away
• £2.00
• Strong
• Small 8oz
• Hints of coco and a mild cherry tartness
• Thick dark crema
• Beans: Nude Espresso - But serve other beans for other drinks e.g. Has Bean
• Machine: La Marzocco Linea 
• Grinder: Mazzer, Mahlkonig

A very good coffee with broad appeal served with care from a cosy coffee house.

Map

@VagabondN4