The Green Room Cafe (N16 0UD)

113 Stoke Newington Church Street

Stoke Newington N16 0UD
http://www.greenroomcafe.co.uk/

I must have walked past The Green Room quite a few times  before I realised there was a café out the back of the shop.

Walking through the front plant and flower filled room takes you to the spacious café, overlooking the rear garden. It’s light and bright inside with a modest selection of cakes along the tiny bar.

 

The café comes into its own once you step outside. The outdoor space is huge (in comparison to many courtyard garden cafes), with “exposed” seating arranged around a paved courtyard, plus “covered” seating tucked in nooks under a large pergola surrounded by hedges and vines. A pleasant place to sit on a warm summer’s day, if you don’t mind crowds.

The cake selection was small on my visit, and I wasn’t overjoyed by my lemon drizzle cake – it was dry and lacked drizzle. Ben rated the coffee as “fine”. I’ve read other reviews about the service being poor, but I didn’t feel strongly about it either way – neither great nor terrible, although perhaps a little slow (granted, it was a busy day).

Despite its potential and attractive street frontage, this café left me feeling a little underwhelmed and I won’t hurry to return. There was just something missing from the experience, but I’m not sure what.

Some parting words of caution…. The conveniences are downstairs, tucked into an obscure corner in the dining area. Don’t make the mistake Ben and I both made, which was to walk into the broom cupboard instead. 

CakeMyDayLondon Rating

Love Walk Cafe (SE5 8RS)

81 Denmark Hill, Camberwell, SE5 8RS 
http://www.lovewalkcafe.co.uk/

Love Walk? Why yes I do thanks.

This café is more than just a walk of love. It’s a Love Parade. Set on the busy, leafy Denmark Hill in Camberwell, you’ll be lucky to find a seat on weekends. This is a popular café and draws a crowd. 

I can appreciate its appeal, as it has the best of both worlds, with lots of seating indoors (upstairs as well as in the basement) plus seating outside for soaking up some rays.  

The downstairs area isn’t as grim as one would expect, mostly because this café makes good use of colour and quirky interior design. It has a personality that shines through in the very appealing décor. 

But what really makes this place awesome is its grand selection of cakes. I was blown over by the vast array of sweet temptations. So much so that I bullied Ben into having a cake (mostly so I could eat half of it), even though he was on a training diet for cycling (comprising of toast). 

 

I loved the chocolate toffee slice; it was chocolate-y and toffee-y. The lemon cake was wonderful too. I regretted offering to share with Ben, because he tucked into the cakes with relish. In the cake vs toast battle, cake always wins.

The only negative point (and it’s a minor one) was that I didn’t like what our waiter was wearing. He wore a football shirt, which to me seemed a bit… well…. bogan (which is Australian slang for a “person with an unsophisticated bjackground, or whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplify a lack of manners and education”). 

His service and manners were fine, so I’m only commenting on the clothing aspect which didn’t really fit with the clientele of the café. Like I said, it’s a minor (and some may say highly picky) point, but I can only say it like I see it.

All in all, I loved Love Walk and I am looking forward to returning. And next time, I might not share. 

CakeMyDayLondon Rating

Wilton Way Cafe (E8 1BG)

63 Wilton Way
London E8 1BG
www.facebook.com/wiltonwaycafe

Don't be confused by the "A Johnson & Son" sign above the windows... this is, in fact, Wilton Way Cafe.

It's an ultra-tiny mini cafe, with the disadvantage of not having a toilet (I'm not sure whether they have an arrangement with their neighbours?). That's its only drawback however. 



The clever, simple decor inside shows what can be achieved on a minimal budget. It's as if the tables and benches were constructed from wooden packing crates (which indeed they may have been), and the interior also features corrugated iron sheeting wrapped around the bar, so overall I had the impression of an Outback shearing shed (don't ask me why). 

There's seating on a long bench out the front, spanning the large window stretching the length of the cafe. It's a nice spot to sit in the sunshine.


 
I’ve caked here a couple of times, and this was the first café where I encountered chocolate Guinness cake (rich, moist, decadent). This time around I opted for a carrot and orange cake, and found it to be of excellent quality, taste and consistency (not to mention it was a decent sized slice).


 
Ben ordered a chocolate & banana slice, which was quite heavy and dense. I had mixed feelings about it, but Ben enjoyed it which is what counts, since it was his cake.

The coffee was proclaimed to be of good quality. I decided to forgo a tea (no toilet, remember).

Wilton Way café is a great place to pop into for a quickie. It’s not configured for lingering or working on a laptop, but being so small I think that’s perfectly reasonable. All it really needs is a sheep or two to complete the picture.

CakeMyDayLondon Rating

The Convenience (E9 6DF)

Brooksby's Walk
London E9 6DF
http://theconvenience.co.uk/

The Convenience, located on cafe hub Chatsworth Road, is housed in the men's half of a former public toilet (the woman's half still remains a public loo). Sounds gross, doesn't it, but it's not. Honestly!

 

The former public convenience has been transformed into a stylish little cafe/bar. Interestingly, the cafe is run during the day by NANA (http://www.wearenana.com/). 

 
High ceilings give it a light and airy feel, with gleaming tiles in a pretty shade of pale green, and a petite bar tucked into one corner. Best of all, there is a large roof terrace that spans the length of the entire building, accessed via a flight of stairs inside.


 
On the day we visited it was dry and sunny, so we headed straight upstairs. Umbrellas provide shelter from the elements, and there is plenty of seating available from which to do some people spotting along the high street. 

 

I also spotted a BBQ tucked into a corner... a lot of potential here!

 

As far as cakes go, the selection was limited to two, thereby rendering this venue more bar than cafe. Two cakes... two people.. made the selection easy! Ben had the coffee & coconut, and I had a slice of what was described to me as "an apple-based twist on the Victoria Sponge". I can't say I loved my cake. I found it a bit dry, and lacking in oomph... it needed cream or icing just to give it some moisture.
 
 

Ben enjoyed his coffee, and I have no complaints about my tea, other than observing (not complaining) that the water was the hottest I've ever encountered and I burnt my fingers on the teapot!

I wouldn't come back here insofar as seeking a cafe experience is concerned (cake selection was just too limited). But I would recommend it as a convenient (pun intended) spot to chill out on the rooftop watching the world go by.
 

CakeMyDayLondon Rating