Author Archives: Matt's Tale
The Secret Corner of a Cafe
It has been such a long time since I posted anything on this site (2017!), and so much has happened since to disrupt not only my life but everybody’s – and to the extent that many of us couldn’t go … Continue reading
Happy at Hoochie Mama’s
So the idea with Hoochie Mama’s was to create something a little edgy on the edge of Walthamstow, with a touch of Irish and a touch of Aussie to boot. What could go wrong? Well, are Walthamstow and E17 ready … Continue reading
Singing in The Garden of My Secret Tearoom
Well, it’s been some time since I caught up with “Sometimes She Dances”, aka Sarka, and since then there has been a development amongst the little community of cafes in my local neighbourhood. A traditional, Victorian-style tearoom has opened – … Continue reading
Sometimes She Dances
It was only last Sunday, at the Queen’s Park Farmer’s Market, I was reminded about one of the principles of this blog-site – about “way leading to way“, as taken from the Robert Frost poem – and how I thought … Continue reading
Hooked on a chain
Once again I have been “caught by the chain”. This time it’s Pret A Manger at Regent’s Square, near to the head offices of yet another large retailer who I have been contracting to as part of my day job. … Continue reading
Heart of The Chain
Outwardly the Pret A Manger at Turnmill Street in Farringdon looks much like any other cafe that is part of a chain: distinctive branding above the door, set in a bustling part of the city where there is a lot … Continue reading
From The Park to Pakistan
I said I would come back to tell a story from the Queen Park Farmer’s Market. It comes from one of the people I met at Chad’s stall called Pete Durnford. Now what are the chances of meeting someone who … Continue reading
The “Happy Days” Cafe
Growing up in New Zealand there was this TV programme which seemed to capture what life was like living in American suburbia, and between the poorer Italian immigrants and the richer white Americans. It made things look rosey there, and … Continue reading
The Syrian “sin” of The Coffee House
Spare a thought for Syria next time you are in a coffee house reading a newspaper, or simply talking freely with a friend in one, because the origins of the coffee house – now more commonly known as a café … Continue reading
Bridging the Bohemian and The Bourgeois
There are so many good little cafes in the Borough of Camden that it is really hard to know where to start. Taking it to the bridge – in combining it with a garden centre, antique shop and healthy organic … Continue reading
Café Quest 