R&S were in town this weekend and were keen to go to Portobello Road market, so we met up at Notting Hill Gate tube and decided to have a quick snack there. It was thus that Bagel Factory got five of my heard-earned quids for a pretty titchy bagel and a bottle of still water. The bagel was OK - cream cheese and salad on onion multigrain - but eating it brought home how important a perception of value is to eating out, and how perceived poor value will always lead to a poor experience and to you abandoning thoughts of going back. Anyhow, at the end of the walk we ended up looking for a cafe in Ladbroke Grove and chanced upon what must be one of the most charming cafes in London, Tea's Me Cafe Deli, 129a Ladbroke Grove. In spite of its naff, naff name, it is a super stylish place with one big communal table, see-through chairs (wow!), trendy wallpaper of the kind you see in Guardian Weekend, and a nifty chandelier. The place only sits about fifteen or so people, so I've no idea how they make money, but the cakes and coffee were excellent and after the hubbub of the market it was a very welcome zone of calmness. The brioche with some kind of candied coconut topping in the picture is much to be recommended. If I lived close by and I spent lots of time hanging out in coffee shops being cool, then I would come here a lot.
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