City Safe Haven -- Top Chef Cafe on Brockley Road

Passing shuttered businesses along Brockley Road (SE4), we head toward the sign board announcing Top Chef Cafe is open for custom.  We're rugged up against the cold wintry air, so delight in the warmth as we step inside.

The warmth extends to our welcome. Uger and Musa greet us into what is clearly a mens-zone at this point. They've been flipping eggs since 6:30, yet have energy and interest to ask about our foreign accents. Turns out they hail from Cyprus and have resided in South London for 24 years. 

No food photos, no menus and no music stack up the points in their favour when it comes to pleasing our simple tastes.  The décor consists of a rack of newspapers and six clever sign boards concerning coffee, summed up as "Life begins with coffee." And the eggs are perfectly crisped with runny yolks -- yum!  Mugs of strong steaming tea tops things off.

We notice the "City Safe Haven" poster in the window, and realize our local church's footwork has indeed made an impact on our community. 

Our church, St. Andrew's United Reformed Church Brockley (on the corner) is a paying member of South London Citizens, a branch of Citizens UK, a not-for-profit organization bringing together numerous faith communities, trade unions, and schools to address local concerns and make a difference in people's lives. 

A first focus of action, about 14 years ago, was initiating the Living Wage Campaign which has resulted in communities, corporations and government across Britain taken the steps to ensure workers a "living wage" -- enough above minimum wage to enable a worker to take the tube instead of the bus and take their family out once a week for a meal -- ensuring more family time which, one might be tempted to believe, means healthier and happier families, which, one might be tempted to believe, means healthier and happier communities.

The City Safe Campaign arises from the concern that children and youth feeling bullied or being hassled on the streets have no place to go to find protection and safety.  Historically, businesses here as in so many other cities, might keep their doors locked so young people can't come in and "loiter."  Or shoo "problem" youth out, not wanting to get involved in potential conflicts, and wanting to keep their shop in an isolated island of calm. I can understand that age-ism sentiment, and am excited about this alternative: City Safe.  Proprietors receive some training, ideally, in conflict resolution, and agree to allow threatened and fearful youth to enter their space for sanctuary.  They agree to call the police who are included in the plan, so there is immediate intervention on the behalf of the hassled youngster.  Remember, police officers here do not carry guns, and store owners for that matter, and the youth involved, legally do not carry guns. So there's the opportunity for a reasonable and safe intervention.  So, the City Safe sign in a window promises sanctuary and reasonable response in the aid of frightened children and youth -- what a concept!

We stroll home through crisp air under a brilliant blue sky.  Signs of spring abound!  Another pleasant Breakfast in Britain.

A Rainbow over Ladywell Village Cafe

This morning’s threat of rain keeps us close to home.  A bright half moon and street lights glow as we walk over the hill.  London’s morning skyline shimmers. 

We pass our local NHS (National Health Service) Clinic -- there are enough free public clinics throughout London that there's almost always one near enough to walk to!  What a concept...health care on your doorstep!  And if you're getting older (60 or over) and that walk seems to long, hop on a city bus for free with your Pensioners Pass. Seems like a no-brainer to us.

Washington, are you watching?

We hike down into Ladywell Village where the “Village Café” welcomes us with smiles and mugs of piping hot tea.  

Two years ago our hosts took over the café’s management, installed attractive white and black tiles, and started serving “tea concentrate” – tea brewed extra-strong in a large pot, then served with diluted water, the way we enjoyed it in Zimbabwe.  No tea ba, to figure out where to put.  Just dark hot tea.  With hot milk, this is a treat today.  

Another pleasure is the absence of food photos – just the menu board and the shiny tiles, all the way to the loo! 

There’s a TV high in one corner, but thankfully the volume remains soft until “Dancing with the Stars” comes on.   Then it fades again.

The poached eggs on brown toast make a pretty picture. Happy Husband gratefully digs in.

The main street of Ladywell Village has been recently redone.  We were expecting trees and benches and something to show for the price tag.  The main feature is flagstones instead of pavement, but nothing green and no benches that might invite passers-by to loiter….except the two picnic tables under the awning in front of our own Village Café! 

 The proprietors explain that they have had to postpone external improvements.  Because this is a Conservancy Area, regulations require they use only wood on the front exterior, and for now the cost is prohibitive.Today workmen paint road surface traffic signs, and the windows get a wash

I realize I’m in a serious men zone; no other female (other than the proprietor) enters the Café during our two hour meal. Lots of take outs.  A favourite dish seems to be Bubble, a large green patty made from yesterday’s over-cooked (my opinion) Brussels sprouts mixed with…I’ll need to look that up.

The bonus of the morning...a rainbow stretching across Ladywell!

On our way, we encounter people 

who remind us that we really are in London.  And a row of derelict sheds – might they be protected by royal edict? – add a Dickensonian flare. 

We pass the towers and spires of the old Lewisham court and police station, recently refurbished into numerous flats. 

Lewisham High Street entertains us with its daily market which has continued for close to 100 years except for a few occasions during WWII when the High Street was mostly flattened by bombings.  Only the clock tower remains.  Smells of fish, bread and fruit surround us.

We load up with fresh Brussels sprouts, mangos and garlic, a pound sterling for a bowl of each.  

So, next time you're in Lewisham, at Ladywell Village, drop in to the Village Cafe and enjoy a hot cup of brewed tea.  They're open at 6:30 am!

Drury Lane Revisited -- ECCo Cafe

"Why back to Drury Lane and its ballet shops?" you may ask. Truth be told, it's an easy destination being at the end of our local bus line. A big draw used to be ModelZone which was around the corner before the chain went bankrupt and closed down. And then there's the ECCo Cafe which serves a free croissant with each coffee, and the British Museum and its mummies, only two streets away, opens at 9:30. 

ECCo is actually a chain, but we didn't know that for about two years, during which time we thought we were supporting a friendly Indie concern.  (It's actually English Coffee Company ) 

 Even though the view is rotten (a giant concrete TravelLodge across the street) and the seating is basic, Carlos's friendly greeting always makes our day -- though I managed not to catch that smile in a photo. Carlos is the primary person behind the counter -- lovely chap from Ecuador, "where the sun shines everyday," or so he claims (and wanted me to put on the blog). I may have missed capturing Carlos's smile on film, but I did, however, catch Happy Husband expressing his amazement at Carlos's satisfying presentation of a Full English breakfast.

Another reason we favour this ECCo Cafe --- it provides a convenient location near High Holborn tube station for meeting folks coming in from Heathrow on the Piccadilly line, a place to enjoy a cuppa before the next leg of our homeward bound bus journey. Also provides warm and dry waiting space before heading out for a flight departure. That's where the back  room comes in handy -- always space and no one is bothered when we've stayed for a couple hours.  
So what makes a cafe okay with us? One would think it was decor and runny yolks, but today it's familiarity and friendliness.  No decor, no view, uncomfortable seats, cold draft from the open front door next to our table, no newspapers, and a dark descent to the loo, but...but...our most frequented cafe in London.  Go figure.  

I was going to say it is location, too, but Cafe Verona (the "cafe of no returns" which we visited on Boxing Day) is next door!  I guess we tend to overlook a lot when positive relationships develop.  So ECCo Cafe on Drury Lane can thank Carlos, along with the free croissant, for bringing joy to lots of people's mornings.  

The bonus for the day is heading up a couple of streets to the British Museum, then rambling through the University of London, and even a visit (our first) to Dr. Williams Library -- an intriguing attic-like collection with disconcertingly minimal shelving organization, where many of the archives for the Congregational Church and now the United Reformed Church are kept. 

London is an amazing city.  It's an honour and privilege to live here.  And ECCo Cafe on Drury Lane is a great place for us to start our day.  Just ask for Carlos!

Verona Cafe on Drury Lane -- a place of no returns!

Boxing Day -- wonderful to have our Day Off match a Day Off for the city...We ramble in on our regular double-decker, hopping off at Waterloo Bridge for the best views of London!  We watch the preparation of the ice rink at Somerset House for another day of skating.

We stroll up Drury Lane, past the shops filled with dance paraphenalia, heading to our favourite ECo Cafe.  Alas, closed for the holiday.  But we're in luck...the lights are on at nearby Verona Cafe.  But that's where our luck stops.


Unfriendly, okay -- rude staff, hard-boiled yolks in our poached eggs, no hot milk given, and a charge of £2.20 ($3.50) for a refill of hot water poured over our used teabags add up to not a great breakfast experience. And the special deal advertised on the outside sandwich board is "not available today," and that comment right after a greeting of "Merry Christmas."  Yes, the tea was hot, but not piping, and three times the cost of a usual mug.  

 The expedition  to the loo down the stairs in the middle of the room was the icing on the cake...or the cream on the scone.... 


No stars of approval for this place -- except, thankfully, the place is dead silent which means a peaceful background as we chew our hard eggs and dry toast.  And after a complaint about the charge for the cup of hot water, the waiter reluctantly and with a snarl returns the £2.20. 

Sorry Verona, but we will not be coming back. 

Happy Boxing Day!