Snapshot: Chocolate eclairs, coffee and chai

By Rosie Findlay

Just some of the loveliness on offer at Maison Bertaux (28 Greek St). It's London's oldest patisserie, and was revealed to me by my good friend Liv who knows all the best places to go eat cake and stalk designers (The George and Dragon in Shoreditch, sorry, what?). The chocolate eclair was sublime.

Brick Lane Coffee, the most hipster cafe I've ever been to, arguably the most hipster in existence, had lego stirrer holders, posters torn from the pages of TV Hits featuring all my nineties favourites like S Club Seven, Westlife and Robbie, bleached and bad and post-boy band.

They have the 'Dirty Chai' on the menu which is coffee and chai mixed and served in a used cup. I thought it was a joke but the deadpan waitress raised an eyebrow when I asked and said it's one of their most popular orders. Of course it is.

Talking of coffee, I take it very seriously. And I've now compiled a comprehensive list of the best coffee shops in London. Mostly located in Soho and West London because they're my digs, yo. You're welcome:

- Fernandez and Wells. I prefer the 73 Beak Street (Soho) location because the baristas are extra-lovely and the cakes are off the chart. All plum this and malted caramel that. Uh-huh.
- Sensory Lab, 75 Wigmore St Marylebone. Best macchiato of my life.
- Granger and Co., 175 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill. My local. Creamy, smooth coffee and it was founded by Sydney darling Bill Granger. Represent. Also: the scrambled eggs? Don't even get me started. Like a cloud of breakfast in your mouth.
- Leila's Shop, 17 Calvert Ave Shoreditch. Lovely. And the croissants are perfection and the fried eggs with sage are pretty damn good too and they don't even judge you if you order both at the same time all for yourself (um.)
- Monmouth Coffee, worth lining up in the frigid air at Borough Markets for.

Stay tuned for Foodademic, my follow-up PhD. Gonna be huge (much like myself if I keep eating chocolate eclairs at Maison Bertaux. Worth it, but...).

Read Rosie's full and wonderful blog at Fashademic.blogspot.com.