Southerden

I was wandering in this neighborhood, when i stumbled across this little coffee shop, tucked far away from the massive high street brands (Starbucks, Costa…)
Yes, they serve good coffee as any other independent coffee place which makes me happy but when a place serves Monmouth coffee beans, it really makes me always enter and try them out. (but it is the ambiance that makes me stay).
This is the kind of place you would want to chill in to read a book or just to talk with friends on a lazy sunday. They do serve also some interesting pastries but I haven’t got the chance to try any.

Another predominately Aussie run coffee shop because Aussies know coffee.
As well as the excellent caffeine, they do the most tempting looking sweet treats. Possibly one of the most extensive glass cabinets in the area of every cake, tart, cream filled something that you could dream of. As a non sweet tooth I’m even tempted. The eclairs look amazing and there is some sort of tart with a rose shaped Apple flower on top which has my name on it.
The sandwiches here are really, really good too. Get them toasted. The pork and pear one blew my socked off and the Brie and grape: wow yum. I will be sampling the others shortly. If you turn up hungover they have tiny little bacon roll ‘bites’ to supplement your breakfast.
They sell tea and gourmet chocolate too.

I remember wandering down Bermondsey Street about 10 years ago on a Saturday … all the exciting independent designer outlets were shut (they were workshops with shopfronts and only open during the week), the pubs were still a bit rough around the edges and not a coffee shop in sight. Zara Rhodes’ fashion museum was the only highlight then.
… how things have changed! I didn’t bother counting the number of coffee shops, and I could swear they are different from the last time I visited the area a couple of months ago. Southerden is one of the latest additions and I am always drawn in by the promise of Monmouth Coffee. They didn’t disappoint, my flat white was brewed to perfection.
Not sure that the choice of black wallpaper was a wise one for London’s hottest summer; the lone fan wasn’t quite strong enough to cool down the hot air that had collected in the small café during the day. Still, it hardly ever is this hot, so they should be doing well — the cakes looked amazing!