Mada Mada

LITTLE COFFEE VAN, BIG COFFEE TASTE

In this post I mentioned "Nude Espresso", and how they claimed to have the "best coffee in London". I've had their coffee before, and it was nice, but I wanted to do a proper review of their very fancy shop off Brick Lane (Hanbury Street), but, alas!, they weren't letting anyone in on the day - takeaway only. I'd have to come back on a day they're open, because I want to have a proper seat down and take in the ambiance of that coffee shop. I've waked past it a thousand times but never been inside.

Down on the same road, across the other side of Brick Lane, is another very cool shop called "Shisha Lounge". They serve the cheapest good(ish) coffee in London, maybe even in the United Kingdom entirely. Any coffee, £1! Crazy, I know. The ambience also looks very cool. I've never been in there since it's become the Shisha Lounge, it used to be a very cool Jamaican lounge where you could get some food and drink and just chill on the indoor-outdoor sofas. Sadly, like Nude Espresso, they were only doing takeaway as well.

I was starting to wonder if there was something going on that day. The weather was quite nice, so it wouldn't have been that bad to sit outdoors somewhere and enjoy the coffee, but I wanted to get some indoorsy vibe for my blog post :)

After walking about for almost an hour, taking photos, I came back and they takeaway only signs were still there. So it wasn't a time thing. Fine. Some other day then.

I still needed some coffee though and, at that point, some food too. I headed to Dray Walk where there's an open space that doesn't actually have it's own name, but everyone knows where it is. There are usually mobile food stalls there serving a variety of things, including vegan options. When I worked in the City I would sometimes have lunch there.

It was quite empty on the day with the food part partially cordoned off. There was some kind of festival going on and they space was being used for something else. As such, there was a pretty limited choice of food. I eventually went for the German sausage in a baguette.

Actually the main reason why I decided to stay at the square for lunch was the cute little mobile coffee van called "Mada Mada."

For a moment the weather changed and it seemed like it was going to rain. I had already paid for my food and coffee and was thus committed already. The designated sitting area with the canopies were completely full as well, so I'd be exposed to the rain if it did fall. It didn't, thankfully, even though I had decided to take my chances. I sat on the log of timber in the square, like many other people, to have my food and coffee.

I was glad to see the provided bins, which people were using surprisingly. There was also an ash bucket provided for smokers, which weren't as used as the trash bin.

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Mada Mada

So, how good was Mada Mada coffee? Well, first, I got the Americano for £2.20, which is a descent price for this part of town. Second, WOW, I was shocked! It was amazing. Turns out the proprietor knows a thing or two about coffee and uses very good quality beans, not the generic stuff you get from most of these takeaway vans. My third takeaway option turned out the best. It was a little coffee van with a big coffee taste.

I decided to look them up online and, wow. Rather than talk about it here, I'll lave you a link to their story - utterly cute and heart-warming stuff. I recommend you check it out.

Peace & Love,

Adé