On the perennial hunt for amazeballs coffee in Angel, so any sniff of a new cafe sparks immediate interest. I only had time for a speedy cuppa, so dashed in for a coffee which, presented in a crafted barista fashion, was not bad. Still not the strength and secret little something that the clerkenwell coffee shops have mastered, but not a put off.*
Appearing somewhat like Soho's 'Princi', I was a little bit suspicious of the mouthwatering display of decadent pastries and salad bar piles high with the likes of pumpkin, ricotta, rocket, pine nuts etc as being a beautiful but hollow eating experience. They don't have a food menu as they change up everything to be what is freshly prepared everyday but they do have a salad bar where plates are 4.50 for a small, 5.80 for a large. And they do look good. They also do pizza slices and have a hot food bar, but is served only after 11.30, unless you want to snap up a cake or pastry, which frankly look the bees knees. Though I can only comment as a window shopper so far on the dulces.
Very 'swish' décor, white stone clad back wall (which I am not such a fan of to be honest) but quite elegant thick oak panelled side walls with black granite floors and serving bar. The bathrooms are timber bedecked with black quartz tiles, which make for a very sumptuous wash room experience.
The downstairs seating is mainly long (stone and wooden) communal benches lined with tan-leather stool-chairs, with a few private or 2-seater niches along the walls. Outdoor seating in the morning sun (if you are so lucky) under the awning at the front, and upstairs there is an amazing roof deck scattered with small 2-4 seater tables. There is a lot of space here...
So cafe/bakery/salad servery by day, wine bar by night... I am looking forward to experiencing the different masquerades of Vivo, to get a better picture of the 'whole'. So far, looks quite good though...
*Quick though: was wondering as to why a latte or cappuccino costs 2.30 and a flat white costs 2.60 here... I made me a little curious as to if they knew what a flat white was (still technically all three drinks comprise of a single espresso shot, the amount of milk varies, but is LESS in a flat white...). Are they just jumping on the bandwagon of knowing pretentious coffee drinkers are going to order a flat white becuase that's what they want or it's trendy so they can charge a bit more, or is some special barista employed only to craft the flat whites for coffee snob customers, thus charging a premium for his/her sought-after services or are they making it incorrectly with 2 espresso shots to cover up that they can't make a single one strong enough, and are charing extra for the extra shot...? Sorry quite the complex little day dream there but I can't see why the price of these espresso drinks would vary so much. read more