It started with a blue door, and some promising signage. “Elliot’s Cafe. Opening Summer 2011”.
Monmouth is my go-to local for coffee and plotting. I love it.
What I don’t love is that I can’t always get a seat. That the queue can be crazy. That if I don’t feel like bread and jam or pastries, then the eating options can be limited. And what I really find hard to swallow is that on a Sunday when Monmouth and the markets are closed, that part of London Bridge is as barren and cold as the concrete underfoot.
The only options for caffeine are the plethora of Starbucks and Costa that dot the stretch between the Tate and Tower Bridge. And that’s just not an option.
So imagine our delight when this morning we discovered the door was open.
Elliot’s is a glamorously distressed space, with exposed brick walls, charcoal accents and blonde wood tables. It’s the offspring of a New York warehouse and an upstate farm.
It may have only been with us for a week, but it feels like it’s always been part of Stoney Street.
And to an extent, it has. Rob, one of the owners and his Ceylon tea stall have been part of Borough markets for the past eight years. Rather than letting a chain come in and take over this empty space he and his partners created a haven to showcase the best primary producers from across the road.
To add to the allure, they’re also baking on site.
Laid out to welcome us are a selection of three buns; marmalade, chocolate and cinnamon (£2).
Yet there’s also a full breakfast menu. It skirts from toast and jam (they’re embarking on quest to bake the best sourdough in London), to bacon sandwiches and poached eggs, spinach and hollandaise (£7.50).
The spinach and eggs are a song on a plate. The toast carries sexy griddle markings on its belly (the toast equivalent of a six pack stomach). The sourdough mellow, but pronounced. And since it’s a relatively new starter, things should only go up from here. Meanwhile the eggs are perfectly poached, with the yolks running across the wilted greens like a kid after an ice cream truck.
This morning there was a soundtrack that included the strains of Cat Stephens, cheerful floor staff and the tapping of laptops as locals click to the fact that there’s also wifi.
The coffee is marginally more expensive than Monmouth (£2.50 for a cappuccino and latte, as opposed to £2.35), but is made with skill and Square Mile beans. And for the moment there are plenty of spots to sit.
Just a week ago we’d re signed our lease in Borough for another year. It feels like the neighborhood is conspiring to never let us leave. First Jose, now this.
It’s a cracker of an addition to the suburb.
Elliot’s are currently open Monday – Saturday. We’re now clearing the schedule to find a time to go and check out the offerings for lunch and dinner (and maybe a few cheeky glasses of wine).
But beyond all that- here’s the best bit.
Sometime in September they’re hoping to be open on Sundays for brunch. Weekends in Borough just got a whole lot brighter.
Elliot’s Borough Market
12 Stoney Street
London, SE19AD
Tel: 0207 407 7436
http://elliotscafe.tumblr.com/
Open Monday-Saturday (with Sunday brunches coming sometime soon)
Oooh – it's finally open! Looks fabulous, great write up and pics
I wish I had something like this near my place too so it looks like I've to make a trip to London to check out the coffee soon! Is the coffee better than Foxcroft and Ginger?
Those eggs and that coffee look divine. Nothing's as heavenly as a well-poached egg warmed well down one's throat with a good, strong latte.
Fantastic! Great reviews and a great addition for one of my favourite foodie areas. Will be down there soon I'm sure!
Agree on the Sunday caffeine – no Maltby either! The coffee in that bookshop at Bermondsey Square is ok.
I can't imagine ever being in SE19 early enough to eat brunch – but this place looks gorgeous! Marmalade buns and coffee for me please.