A great brownie and a very cool drink
I had no idea this bakery/café existed. Or that it would be so good.
Before I get to the drink and the brownie, which are from separate places, I wanted to let you know about
two upcoming chocolate-related happenings
“Chocolate & Ritual: Cacao History & Mythology with Marcos Patchett” at The Last Tuesday Society in East London on Monday 16th at 6.30pm
Reclaiming Cocoa documentary + Director Q&A at the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley on Saturday 21st June at 2pm.
(Thanks to the people who let me know about them!)
Also, I’m aware I haven’t set the date for our paid subscriber
summer picnic gathering!
Can you let me know which of these works better for you please?
You’d be welcome to bring your partner/friend/kids.
The drink I’ll be ordering all summer
Last week I went along to the launch of Weekend Journal’s 4th Edition of their Guide to Cornwall. It was at Origin Coffee and the education team there kindly spent time attempting to teach us to make latte art. I was very, very poor at it. The coffee I made with their beans on their machine was still delicious, even without a pretty pattern.
As was this drink:
What a genius idea.
If matcha is good quality I prefer drinking it just with water (this is absolutely terrible if it’s not good quality), but I loved the fact that the sweetness here came from hydrating and delicious coconut water, rather than milk or some fruit syrup. And, as best as I could tell, the matcha used in the foam is great quality. I will absolutely be ordering this every time I am near an Origin coffee shop.
The chocolate cookie they buy in from Layers is very good, too. Not as good as this cookie, but a worthwhile purchase.
📌 This Origin Coffee Shop was in Southwark (near Waterloo East station) but you can see the full list of locations in Cornwall (Porthleven), London (also Shoreditch and the British Library), Bristol and Edinburgh here and order beans for home, too.
You can buy the very useful and beautiful Cornwall guide at weekendjournals.co.uk, along with gorgeous guides to Oxfordshire, Somerset, London and Provence.
The surprising bakery I didn’t know existed
A few weeks ago I was invited to try a bakery that had completely passed me by. I certainly didn’t expect to like it so much.
They don’t make bread or croissants, just brownies and cookies, but I’m still calling it a bakery because it’s all baked onsite.
And they’re available by post!
I found out on the way - after asking their PR - that they use Callebaut for everything.
You’ll know that I mostly try to share places that are not using Callebaut (see my list here of now 54 British & Irish Chocolate Makers and the video I just posted here about how to tell what craft bean to bar chocolate is, just by looking at the packaging).
I understand why businesses buy Callebaut and in some cases, particularly in baking, it tastes fine; the whole product might even taste very good. Just like here!
The recipe is so important with baking. From a taste perspective, I’d rather have an excellently-made cookie or brownie with Callebaut, than an average cookie or brownie with great chocolate. One of my favourite cookies in London uses Callebaut, and recently I bought a brownie that I didn’t finish, despite it using great chocolate.
I still won’t take the risk at a restaurant.
If a restaurant uses Callebaut I’m not ordering the chocolate dessert. It might be good, but I’m not willing to pay to miss out on a non-chocolate dessert I’m more likely to like. Also I kind of wistfully (and naively) hope that by rejecting it maybe they’ll consider using different, better chocolate?
Part of the reason these cookies (and this one) are so good is because they are packed full of chocolate chips. IMO a cookie is best when it is a just enough batter to hold together a handful of chocolate chips.
(I felt that deserved being in bold.)
My pastry chef friend and I enjoyed a few products in particular (there was also good matcha) and would recommend you visit. The service from the co-owner was also some of the warmest and most enthusiastic I’ve had in a long time and they are actually there most days. It’s a real hidden gem.
(I’ve included it in the latest update of the London Cakes, Cookies & More Map.)
Here are the items I don’t think you should miss: