Cinnabon

The most delicious and calorific cinnamon roll you are ever likely to come across.  Famous in the USA since 1985 and over here at Piccadilly Circus, Cambridge and Lakeside.  A tribute to baked fresh on the premises.

Happy Easter

Konditor & Cook poster

Carluccios simple, appropriate and high margin biscuits

Princi's £18 Colombina Easter cake

Kiwi berries

Spotted at my local neighbourhood store and you may have to wait until next year to feature them.  Season is December to March.

Get Cozy

Multi-coloured wraps outside at Bill's Produce Store, Covent Garden

plus a bit of one upmanship - microwaveable hot water bottles

Get cozy outside at Moosh, Fulham Broadway

Yum Yum

Gail's Lemon Meringues

check out other personal favourites at http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-yum-yum/

Savoury Treats

Pesto Bites at Albion Caff

Full English Pie at Sourced 

Vegetable Strudel at The Delaunay

Go Mobile

Camper Bar

Pizza Pilgrims

 Authentic Neapolitan Street Food

Mobile cart outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square 

No More Wobbly Tables?

Stable Table as exhibited at Hotelympia

Not necessarily stable but good looking external furniture as used by Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Brighton

Similar model from German company Go In. 

See previous blog http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/08/sit-back-at-spianata-co.html

We now have a Pinterest Board on tables and chairs http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-tables-chairs/

Create a Surprise

Upside-down cup at Create's restaurant in Leeds but the reveal is fun - a cube of flapjack.

Create is a social enterprise company "where good food and people matter".  A real case of corporate social responsibility or the Big Society in action.  Most impressive and they are expanding southwards from their heartlands in Doncaster, Sunderland, Manchester and the restaurant in Leeds.
http://www.foodbycreate.co.uk/

Not Your Average Brew Up

Salt not only has good quality tea but tells you the temperature of the water and the brewing time.  Terrific detail for the increasing band of tea connoisseurs.

Hot Drink ideas at our Pinterest Board http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-hot-drinks/

Hot Peas

Wasabi Pea snacks at Camden Food Co

see previous posts:

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/05/edamame-beans.html 

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2012/02/snacking.html

Salt's Sandwiches

Great sandwiches at Salt in Great Queen Street

Check out our Pinterest Board for more great examples http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-sandwiches/

Design Tips 2

Wall as menu in Barcelona

Communal 'distressed' table at Workshop Coffee (previously St Ali), Clerkenwell

Concrete chairs and sun loungers by Barcelona beach

See our Pinterest Board on cafe design http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-design/

Savoury Muffins

Salt is an independent cafe in Great Queen Street, Covent Garden and the owner also runs an artisan bakery.  It shows.  Spring onion, pancetta and cheddar muffins.  Check out our new Pinterest Board on Savoury Pastries at http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-savouries/ or click on the 'Savouries' label at the foot of this blog to see previous posts.

Birthdays - Our 24th & 1st

   

   

Turpin Smale is 24 years young this month and this blog is celebrating its 1st birthday.  How life has changed since 1988!

Our blog has reached over 50,000 page views and the cafe sector is just so dynamic - there is always someone, somewhere doing an even better, more quirky, tastier, more temptingly displayed cafe.  As a birthday treat for you all, check out our Boards on Pinterest:

• Design  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-design/
• Sandwiches  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-sandwiches/
• Hot Drinks  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-hot-drinks/
• Savouries  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-savouries/
• Fruit Display  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-fruit-display/
• Cake Display  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-cake-display/
• Cold Drinks  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-cold-drinks/
• Kids Food  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-kids/
• Humour  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-humour/

Barcelona Rocks

How to make rock with a message

The fat sugar sausage is pulled

The message is miniaturised

Nothing to do with cafes but fun to watch in a Barcelona shop

Belgium - Vivid, Fun & Unique

Belgium company Roltex seem to understand that trays don't have to be grey and dull.  See previous blog post: http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/12/are-you-fun.html

Westmoreland Services are one of the few with a little colour in their lives

Edible Petals

Edible flower petals - freeze dried or sugared - with no taste but good looks from Uncle Roy's Comestible Concoctions based in Dumfriesshire http://www.uncleroys.co.uk/Edible_Flower_Petals.htm

Adds a touch of (natural) class to any cake.

Video on the Shelf

Caffe Nero have gone high tech on their multideck chiller shelf with video selling the virtues of panini

Plus the old-fashioned back up - poster on easel

New Juices

Proganic's Mulberry Juice (sourced from Turkey) is not something you see very often - as much iron as a sirloin steak they say.  They have some interesting other flavours - fig for one.  Melia Foods  http://meliaorganic.com/