Week beginning June 17th - Great Titchfield Street Festival June 22nd

Did you know that up until the 1960's, our area of Great Titchfield street was an operating market? It was known as the Italians market. If you look on the right hand curb from Mortimer street to Foley street as you walk up you will see indented into the concrete a Y shape, this marks the area or space that the market stall holder had to put out their stall.

Did you also know that Boris Johnson has plans to put part of Great Titchfield street and some of the surrounding smaller streets into pedestrianised areas, forming part of his transport strategy for the capital.

Did you also know that the month of June is the London Festival of Architecture. Formally biennial, 2013 is the first year that it has become and annual event.

http://www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org/

With all these things combined, one of the architecture firms in the area, Morrow and Lorraine, have approached council with the idea of closing off Great Titchfield street from Mortimer to Foley to hold a street festival, celebrating the heritage of the area and also holding various architecture demonstrations on the street with music, face painting, balloons and of course food and beverage.

So, on Saturday June 22nd from 12 pm to 6 pm, the street will be closed off for all traffic, allowing pedestrians to walk along and see these architecture demonstrations and competitions happening on the day and all of the food and beverage operations on the street will have tents outside their premises with various food offers.

Kaffeine will operate a coffee cart that is used at some of the UK's major events and we will also be extending our food offer from the cafe for takeaway service from another tent.

This is a great opportunity to promote this quiet area of Fitzrovia not only for it's heritage but also for the design firms who work in the area and the hospitality operations who support it.

We hope to see you on the day.

Please enjoy this weeks menu, as we have enjoyed putting it together and will enjoy serving it to you.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Blueberry and bran 2.20
Savoury Scone: Tomato, basil and cheddar 2.20
Strawberry and elderflower friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Ham, apple butter, gherkins, gruyere, rocket

Asparagus, crushed peas, feta, mint and spinach

Foccacias 5.00

Smoked salmon, aioli, red onion, capers, dill, spinach

Roasted peppers, courgette, brie, pesto and rocket

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Chicken poached in water celery stock and served with spinach, roasted almonds and red pepper dressing
Roasted courgettes and burdock with hollandaise sauce

Pineapple, celery, blue cheese, red onion with pineappleweed dressing

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Fish cake topped with strawberry, lemon and sea sandwort salsa

Week beginning June 10th - The O.C's (Original Customers)

We are almost four years old now, amazing really. We have been described on a certain blog somewhere as being old school but still cool. Chef Jared is our longest serving employee since day one, and on the floor and kitchen we have staff who have been with us for two years, Claire, Julia, Karolina, Khan.

Now there is something I've noticed recently and that is we have had a few of our older, original customers returning after being away either through work or for living purposes and this is really nice for us and I hope for them. The staff faces may have changed, but the standards and quality and service still remains the same if not better.

So when these customers come in it's like greeting an old friend, and I say to our current staff 'oh that's Paddy/Sam/whoever, he's an original customer'. We also very much still have customers who have not even moved away, but are still in the area and still frequenting Kaffeine and when I say how long we have been operating for they say 'my goodness, that long?!'

So I came up with the simple term of endearment, the O.C's. It's a term of respect, a 'tag' that perhaps if you are one of these people, who have been visiting us and supporting us since 2009 when we opened, you are known as an O.C., an Original Customer. If you are an O.C, please allow me to thank you for supporting us this long, and long may the relationship continue. And if someone says to you, 'do you know a place called Kaffeine, have you been there?' you can perhaps say ' oh yes I do, I'm an O.C.'

Respect.

Please enjoy this weeks menu, as we have enjoyed making it and will enjoy serving it.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Flat peach 2.20
Savoury Scone: Linseed, mustard and watercress 2.20
Elderflower friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Speck, camembert, apricot and spinach
Salmon, cucumber, lime soft cheese, basil and rocket

Foccacias 5.00
Ham, grilled pineapple, gorgonzola, coriander pesto and rocket
Spicy red onion marmalade, mature cheddar, gherkins, mustard and spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Roasted rabbit with raw spring greens, peas, carrot, sauteed fat hen and garnished with rosey garlic flowers.
Baked burdock stems served with nectarine, toasted pine nuts, wood sorrel, raw wild asparagus and dressed in a goats cheese and water-mint dressing.
Curried roasted sweet potato with wild rocket.

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Polenta with courgette and capers

Week beginning June 3rd - Nothing to report, just the menu this week

Just the menu this week, no blog reports of news to tell. But please enjoy the menu, we have elderflower back in season making up the flavour in our friands as well as a mayonnaise in one of our foccacias.

Please enjoy the menu this week, as we have enjoyed designing it and will enjoy serving it to you.


Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Blackberry and oat 2.20
Savoury Scone: Creamed mushroom 2.20
Elderflower friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Pancetta, roasted cherry tomatoes, gruyere, basil, rocket
Carrot pickle, mature cheddar, coriander, spinach

Foccacias 5.00
Ham, elderflower mayonnaise, english strawberries, spinach
Tomato, aioli, mozzarella and rocket

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Curried chickpeas with goats curd, water mint, bourbon and rose water dressing
Brown sugar roasted aubergine, saute fat hen with a yoghurt, chilli and thyme dressing, garnished with ox-eye daisy flowers
Hot smoked salmon coleslaw

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Baked coriander soft cheese and pear

Week beginning May 27th - The Cricket wrap up

Last week we continued our residency at the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lords Cricket Ground with the New Zealand vs. England Test match. It is our third season there and it truly is a wonderful experience from all points of view.

We are set up as part of the Veuve Clicquot champagne dining area in the Harris Gardens. Gates to the members open at 9 am, the public are allowed in at 9:15 and the first ball is bowled at 11 am.

What happens is that over 700 people pass into our area in the first 90 minutes and can either opt for filter coffee only at one end of the bar, or speciality coffee and/or filter at another end. We supply the two group Linea and two baristas and the club supplies us with four of the Bravilor 20 litre filter monsters. The prime bulk of our business is in that first session when we get absolutely smashed, especially on espresso and the girls Jess and Claire have a wonderful time chatting to the members and guests and pushing our machine to the limit. I am out the back running the two filters with help from M.C.C. staff and by 11 am when all the crowd is inside the arena ready to watch, we have settled down and get ready for a la carte lunch service for 150 covers.

On the Saturday morning we had a special treat though, we were given a full tour of the Members Pavilion. At 8 am, myself  Jess and Claire were taken all around the pavilion, through the Long Room, we walked down the England players walkway and through the central doors towards the pitch, up to the roof terrace and then went up to the New Zealand dressing rooms. Luckily for us, our tour guide knew the dressing room attendant and we were allowed into the actual dressing room itself. Now this is pretty special, to be allowed into one of the most famous rooms in sport. We felt very fortunate indeed. We dropped off some ANZAC biscuits that we had made for the Kiwi boys and went back to our area ready for the Saturday rush. We hope they enjoyed them.

Our next game is this coming Friday, a One Day International with New Zealand and then we are back again in July for the Ashes against Australia. We are very much looking forward to it.

Please enjoy this weeks menu, as we have enjoyed putting it together and will enjoy serving it to you.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: peach and almond 2.20
Savoury Scone: ham and nettle pesto 2.20
Japanese knot weed friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Ham, apple butter, gherkin, gruyere, spinach
Roasted courgette, tomato, parmesan aioli, avocado, rocket

Foccacias 5.00
Smoked salmon, capers, dill, red onion, aioli, rocket

Saute st george's mushrooms, camembert, onion jam, spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Chicken adobo with camargue red rice, coriander and rocket

Roasted scots pine flowers, fresh peas, confit garlic, tomato mayonnaise, gem, parmesan, croutons,

Green beans with peanuts, chilli and fish sauce

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Roasted red peppers with goats cheese, honesty seed pods

Week beginning May 20th - Blackboard of knowledge - We'd thought we'd lost him

He is our second longest serving staff member after Chef Jared. Turns up every day for work (well actually he stays over night, like a guard dog), and is put outside every day whether it be rain, hail or shine. Unfortunately, when it's windy he tends to fall over, so we bring him in.

Everyone knows him, and he knows everyone. People look for him every day to see what he has to say, he is creative and witty, with sayings that sometimes you get, and sometimes you have to think about. He loves a karaoke and has often been known to sneak out at night for a cheeky few after we lock up, returning before anyone sees him. (we have it on video).

He is the blackboard of knowledge and after three years he is getting a bit worn around the edges. He has had a couple of face lifts with let's just say 'not fully qualified' surgeons (me) and like all bad face lifts, he was starting to fall apart at the seams.

Then on the weekend just gone, this happened. We think he went all a bit bashment and Roots Manuva and got carried away. You know how it is after a large weekend. This may be how you feel on a Monday too. Poor thing.

We thought perhaps we had lost him, in fact he needed two days to recover. People were asking what had happened, had the council asked for him to be removed? Support and best wishes came from everywhere.

So we contacted a better surgeon (Chef Rory), and he had a good one hour session. Drills, screws, measuring tapes and he is all back together again. Ready to face the summer and continue to make peoples days. We've changed the locks so he can't get out, but if you ever see a blackboard in the local pub, dancing to Roots Manuva, please send him home.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Mango and brazilnut 2.20
Savoury Scone: Curried peas and feta 2.20
Damson and melilot friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Salmon, cucumber, lime cream cheese, thai basil, rocket
Mushroom pate, crushed minted peas, red onion, spinach

Foccacias 5.00
Ham with baked golden delicious, rosemary aioli, spinach

Tomato, mozzarella, rocket, chimichurri

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Fish goujons with bucks-horn plantain and cucumber pickled in honey vinegar, sea kale and garnished with wood sorrel

Roasted baby beetroot with oak leave, hazelnut crumble, mature cheddar, watercress and garnished with purple and white nettle flowers

Edamame beans in pod with pepperwort dressing

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Tomato and mozzarella risotto balls baked in sliced cured pig cheeks

Week beginning May 13th - England vs New Zealand - Lords Cricket Ground

Big, big week this week. It's a huge one for us as we are off again to work at the most famous cricket ground in the world, Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's Cricket Ground. Those who follow us will know this is our third year and once again we are located as a concession within the premier outdoor dining area, the Veuve Clicquot Harris gardens, just up from the Grace Gate.

We set ourselves up with a 2 group linea from our friends at Coffee Hit UK and the club provides us with 4 Bunn filter machines, each capable of holding 20 litres of filter.

We only make up to ten litres at a time, but in the 2 hours between gates opening and first ball, we will serve up to 100 litres and 200 or so espresso drinks.

We are very, very excited to continue to partner the Cricket Club in providing the best possible filter and espresso drinks, and we also very much look forward to the Ashes for England vs Australia in July.

We will be there the first four days, Thursday to Sunday. If you are lucky enough to get a ticket, please come see us and say hello.

Please enjoy the menu for this week, as we will enjoy serving it to you.

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Raspberry and passion fruit 2.20
Savoury Scone: Chilli jam and cream cheese 2.20
Damson and melilot friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Chocolate chip cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Bresaola beef, creamed fennel, gem lettuce, red onion jam
Tuna and capers with rouille and rocket

Foccacias 5.00
Ham, poached rhubarb, brie, spinach
Mixed heritage tomatoes, rock samphire, taleggio, oregano

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Parma ham, maple syrup, cornmeal balls pickled rainbow radish
Cucumber spaghetti with pesto, fresh peas and sea arrow grass
Miso roasted asparagus with linseed crisps and darwin's barberry blossom

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad

Goats cheese pie with gooseberry marmalade

Week beginning Tuesday May 7th - Wouldn't it be amazing if they really did come in....

In planning the design of Kaffeine, we were, some may say...particular. I had a long, long list of what we did like and what we did not like. The architects we employed also had some very strong and great ideas. They suggested the bench style service, the espresso machine being at the back end and were adamant about the use of the up lights on our walls, but it was left to us to source our lights above the counter, the laboratory style tables and the bar stools.

We wanted to have the area down the back as a sort of movable, casual style seating area and we were  particular about the high tables and being able to sit with the back to the wall and look over the action. We eventually found, at the last minute, a very famous Swedish design company to supply the bar style seats.  The brick wall was discovered behind red painted concrete wall, so my wife (3 months pregnant) a friend Lara and I spent a whole weekend stripping it back to get the wall we have today.

Then one weekend, my wife and I were walking down past Victoria Park and we saw a small design shop, very nice, with these great lights on display. They'll be perfect above the counter, we thought. They are called Caravaggios and at £300 or so each, were a big purchase, but we went ahead with it and had them installed. They have proven to be very popular, we get people asking all the time about them. Here is an example....

Just the other day, we went to a Pret store in Kensington and found they had these.....(as well as a brick wall)

Of course it could be a complete coincidence, but, what if Mr. Pret really had been into our store and seen these lights and gone, 'let's get them in'.

If that was true, isn't it incredible to think how a tiny, small splash in a big, big pond can create ripples that go on and on and on. How little influences are taken and used in other places. Of course I took a whole lot of inspiration and ideas from other places too, but to, let's assume, have a multi national, multi millionaire company come into your independent store and directly copy one of your design features, well that would be pretty amazing.

Then again, I could just be making all this up.....

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 3.50
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit, peach) 3.70 (add 30 p for granola or yoghurt)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Croissant with gruyere cheese and plum tomatoes 4.00
Seven seed bakery bloomer toast with homemade preserves 1.70
Coffee, cherry and walnut toast 2.30
Banana bread 2.40

Porridge - Served with rhubarb and raspberry compote, chopped nuts, muscovado sugar, golden syrup or honey 3.00

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissants 1.80
Pain au chocolat 2.40
Almond croissants 2.80

Baked Treats
Sweet Muffins: Blueberry and bran 2.20
Savoury Scone: Pancetta, parmesan and sun dried tomatoes 2.20
Sticky date friands 2.20
Super moist chocolate brownies 2.40
White chocolate blondies 2.40
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 1.80
Afgan cookies 1.80

French retro baguettes 4.90
Smoked salmon, lime cream cheese, cucumber, thai basil, rocket

Parma ham, pear, gorgonzola, spinach

Foccacias 5.00
Ham, avocado, tomato, rocket, chilli aioli

Pickled beetroot, mature cheddar, creamed leek, spinach

Salads: 5.50/6.50
Bresaola beef, radish, sliced fennel, goats curd, radicchio, ground ivy

Julienne Japanese knot weed, rock samphire, fresh peas, carrot, wild horseradish and lime

Shredded Dittander and asparagus, willow catkins, grapefruit, pistachio

Tart: 4.00 or 7.50 with salad
Raw vegetable lasagne salad