The Glad Cafe – Glasgow

I've been on a bit of a blogger's hiatus, and I'm not sure why. No longer do I have work or exams to lay the blame on, or any other major commitments, for that matter. I guess I've just been out of the habit – and I don't really like that word.

A couple of weekends ago, however, I revisited a cafe I like in Glasgow. My first visit there was way back in March with my mum and dad when we had some yummy breakfast on a very cold morning. Going back there with my Grandpa, I felt pushed to start writing again.

My grandpa is a great host. At 85 he still insists on making me breakfast, and when I was ill on one of the days of my visit, he made me toast and brought it to me in bed. I have never seen anyone so sad about someone else not feeling very well – he has a heart of gold. The next day, when I was feeling better I suggested we go to the Glad Cafe. We often go to Moyra Janes for lunch – the absolute best mince and tatties are served there – but we must always go out for coffee, too.

Both times I've been, the cafe had just been opening up and, although quiet, it didn't feel empty, more peaceful and relaxed.

First visit: I ordered the brioche french toast with bacon and maple syrup and a black coffee, my mum picked the brioche french toast with fruit compote and my dad had a 'morning roll' (Scottish speciality – you must try one) with haggis and flat sausage.

Second visit: Cinnamon toast for both Grandpa and me, and two pots of tea – black for Gramps, green for me. We decided the toast needed more cinnamon – we both like it pretty laden with butter and sugary dust, and when my Grandpa gave this feedback to our waiter, he graciously received it – Scots are the nicest people.

The aesthetic of the Glad Cafe reflects its name – it makes me feel glad, like I've come to a friend's house. I'd like to go again later on in the day, even the evening, when there's a band playing – as this place is a music venue, too. I imagine groups of friends go here and play board games til closing time – it's certainly one for the hipsters, but everyone is welcome, as its website so warmly insists.

Find out more about the Glad Cafe here – and if you're in the Shawlands area in Glasgow, make sure you pop in for your morning coffee, it's worth taking half an hour just to absorb this community-driven venue.

Shoreditch Grind

There's something comforting about entering a coffee shop - be it old or new - the smell of coffee and the warmth of people relaxing and conversing has always been a catalyst for fond memories in my life. Plus, coffee tastes so much better when it's made just for you. For me, the novelty of going out for coffee will never wear off. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember - from juice and hot chocolate when I was a child with my parents, to lattes and americanos when exploring towns and cities with friends. It's a ritual that I will savor forever.

I would visit a new coffee shop every weekend if I could, and Shoreditch Grind had been on my list for at least a year, until finally, I went with Elly and Simon, the same day as our magnificent cereal feast at Cereal Killer Cafe in Brick Lane. It was in quite an odd location - at a busy junction surrounded by big office buildings. However, once inside, the built up location didn't detract from Shoreditch Grind's pared down atmosphere at all.

 

Sunday afternoon means sleepy relaxation, and Shoreditch Grind delivered. Considering how busy London is, there is still time for quiet, and we had space to really enjoy our time at this coffee shop.

We ordered a flat white, black coffee and ristretto. Simon forcibly drank his ristretto - it tasted like marmite, apparently - before ordering a more palatable latte. I enjoyed my black coffee, it was strong, exactly how I like it, but after my visit to Monmouth Coffee, I don't think anything else can compete.

And here's a close up of Elly's flat white. It's just too pretty not to include in this post.

Have you been to Shoreditch Grind? It's been hyped up by so many bloggers and although I enjoyed my visit, it doesn't knock Monmouth off the top spot, I'm afraid!

Cereal Killer Cafe – Shoreditch

I was sucked into the Cereal Killer Cafe hype, and I'm not even sorry. I love breakfast, and I love cereal a lot, so when I read about this place opening last year I knew I had to go. Back in January when I visited my friend Elly, we went over to Shoreditch on a Sunday morning and waited in line for forty five minutes – apparently Sunday is the day for Londoners to go out for brunch.

Once we were inside the excitement levels peaked, and we had to shut up and decide what we were going to order. There was a lot of cereal to choose from, not to mention milk, toppings and sides. We thought it might have been helpful to have a hand out menu to read while queuing to save feeling rushed when we finally got to the front of the queue, but that's about the only criticism I have. This place was awesome.

I went for a cereal cocktail called The Lion King, mainly because I friggin love lions, the lion king, anything lion-y, and also because it looked darn delicious.

It was about 1 o'clock so I also ordered toast with peanut butter and nutella and a coffee – a cereal killer feast! The service was prompt and friendly – they've got the system under control, I'll give them that – and I was especially happy with was the seating arrangement. While queuing we worried we would get our food and then have nowhere to sit, but the done thing at Cereal Killer Cafe is to wait in line and then go find a seat – no queuing while your pal nabs a table. This meant we could eat our cereal straight away in the 90s style basement, Care Bear table light and everything.

Elly ordered the same as me and Simon picked Reese's puffs with oreos for a topping. Did I mention the milk? It was toffee flavoured and out of this world tasty. You might be thinking all of this sounds like sugar overload, but I promise it was on the same scale of sweetness as a bowl of coco pops.

Mars mix topping made my cereal cocktail 100%. The toast and coffee were spot on, too. Overall I give Cereal Killer Cafe 9.5/10, and highly recommend it to all my fellow breakfast lovers. Price wise it was pretty decent, too. My meal came to £8 which I think is reasonable for breakfast in London. 

There were so many other cereal cocktails I wanted to try – the chocolate orange being one (think coco shreddies and orange juice!) and I'll be going back next time I'm in London, for sure. The hype ain't worn off yet.