Workshop Coffee Co

Ah, the thrill of the chase. C and I had made it our mission to search for that elusive winning cup of coffee, obsessives that we are. Workshop Coffee Co was on my list for rather obvious reasons, initially starting out as London's very own St Ali, a rather famous coffee empire in Melbourne. They have since parted ways, hoping to blaze a trail in its own right and haven't they done just that.

Shine like a diamond: the rather trendoid logo/signage out front

Three coffee bars and a café later, Workshop has proven it's the real deal. Sourcing and roasting their own beans is definitely a plus, and don't the East London hipsters know it. Their Clerkenwell branch is a veritable hub of tatt sleeves and cropped pant legs. The interior is a simply stylish affair with a smattering of seats, perfect for a quick gathering. Upstairs is where the roasting's at.  The whirr of the espresso machine is a very welcome sound. A quick perusal of the menu reveals a substantial number of choices from quinoa salad to slow-aged lamb loin. It all sounds rather scrumptious to me!

The timber coffee bar acts as the café's centrepiece (left) and some lilies to brighten up the grey day (right)

But now to the most important order of the day: coffee. My stock standard regular cappuccino was served promptly and it didn't disappoint. This cup had some great depth and punchy flavour; it shakes you awake. Certainly enjoyable and a solid effort, it sits pretty in my top 3 London coffees. As you probably know, Monmouth reigns supreme in my book. 

My default order (hey, at least I'm consistent) - a regular cappuccino grazie!

As with several of these cafés I do take slight issue with cost. In London you basically pay the equivalent value but in pounds. It is woeful for us Aussies. To illustrate my point, Trip Advisor has recently named London as the world's most expensive travel destination...ah-ha! Sydney manages to round out the Top 10 (fyi). It all boils down to the fact that I'm looking for an 'Australian' café experience with great coffee and high quality seasonal food at a reasonable price. I'm glad to say that we've pretty much nailed this at home (no bias or anything).

Hello healthy lunch! Maple smoked chicken salad with avocado and baby tomatoes. The menu description is quite literal but I didn't have any qualms there. It was very tasty but the smokiness didn't quite shine through in the chicken. The serving size was quite generous, even with the hefty price tag

Workshop Coffee has set a very clear message for itself in focussing 90% of its efforts in sourcing the best coffee beans, roasting and delivering good coffee to the masses. The other 10% is spent on cranking out a rather impressive brunch/lunch menu. On weekdays they even do a dinner service which is rather handy dandy. But the question remains, was it the best coffee I've had in London? Not compared to some of the crackers I've had in Oz, but it wasn't too far off the mark.

Lights! Camera! Coffee (please)!

Thanks for reading!

xGourmand