Flat White World

Flat Whites I have known and loved.

[flatwhiteworld]

North Star . Leeds Simply impeccable. North Star is the real deal - go there as soon as you possibly can, if not sooner!!

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The Sportsman . Seasalter . UK The Sportsman is ALL about the food. Beautifully crafted, delicious, locally sourced, artisan food. And it is incredible. This flat white was pretty great too, but don’t go for the coffee - stay for the 13 course tasting menu. It’s an absolute treasure.

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Two Magpies Cafe . Southwold . Suffolk . UK

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Nelson Coffee Co . Eastbourne . UK An excellent flat white is served at Nelson Coffee Co on the English southern coastal resort Eastbourne - bravo!

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Blueprint . Whitstable . UK A truly excellent flat white in the Kentish coastal gem of Whitstable. This place reminds me of a cross between Duke's in Melbourne and Monocle in London - that's high praise and well deserved!

[flatwhiteworld]

Association Coffee . London EC3

What to say about Association coffee in The City of London? It’s good. The flat white was full of flavour, although the milk was slightly too airy. Bucking the third wave aesthetic trend, there were no squirrel cage bulbs in sight, which was also a bonus in the originality stakes... but exposed brickwork and raw floorboards were in full effect. Overall, Association is a very welcome establishment and great alternative to the coffee chains to keep London’s City workers stimulated (although I'm not certain that’s a good thing…).

[flatwhiteworld]

Mount Zion Coffee . Saint Ives . UK

Signage inside Mount Zion Coffee, based in the crown jewel of the Cornish Riviera, St Ives, provides ample warning of the proprietor’s fastidious approach to making coffee: “We’re not quick”. Indeed! Although this might frustrate those rat-racers who are used to getting everything in an instant, it’s unlikely that this establishment will be catering to rushing commuters, so time shouldn’t be much of a concern here... and with a beautiful view of St Ives bay to feast your eyes on while waiting, punters should relish a short delay.

That said, be prepared to look on as the Square Mile coffee beans are carefully ground, the appropriate quantity is weighed and the espresso shot timed to the second - nothing is left to chance. It’s a very scientific process at Mount Zion with instinct given short shrift.

But is the eventual flat white good? The answer is a resounding yes, but you’d be well advised not to visit when you’re in a hurry!!

[flatwhiteworld]

Noble Espresso . King’s Cross . London

Noble Espresso’s mobile facility outside King’s Cross station is a godsend for coffee enthusiasts using the nearby train terminals - without Noble the coffee options are restricted to the generally poor chain offerings.

This flat white is the one to beat if you’re looking for a quick fix before boarding a train - bravo!

[flatwhiteworld]

Greggs . Blyth Services . A1(M) motorway Ok. A flat white from Greggs. That's right. A flat white from GREGGS, yes, THAT GREGGS! For the benefit of those outside the UK, Greggs is a high street bakery chain that is renowned for cheap cakes and greasy sausage rolls. Apparently, when they introduced their flat white, share prices fell by 8% or so, saying a lot about what the company's shareholders think about change, and about the idea of their favourite cake shop serving such 'soft southern nonsense' as a flat white! The good news is that this flat white wasn't actually terrible and I'd probably choose it over some other UK high street staples, like Costa whose coffee generally tastes burnt and bad. So, Greggs, thanks for taking the leap and getting involved in the flat white game and helping a weary driver to stay focused on a long drive!

[flatwhiteworld]

The Good Egg . London N16 OK, full disclosure: The Good Egg, a relative new-comer to the well-established Stoke Newington cafe scene, is co-owned by my neighbour - so I might expect accusations of conflict of interest regarding the following post! In any case, the flat white at the Good Egg is very good. Robust espresso flavour and velvety milk prep. A worthy addition to the crowded N16 cafe mile.

[flatwhiteworld]

The Grand Howl . Well Street . London Like many neighbourhoods in the London borough of Hackney, Well Street is undergoing a transformation. New retailers are replacing old with rapid pace as part of the unstoppable march of gentrification. The Grand Howl is one of the relative newcomers - offering the usual brunch and coffee options of the third wave. Good news: The coffee is good, very good in fact! Strong, hot and full of flavour. Great milk prep on this flat white too - a delicious FW.

[flatwhiteworld]

Hopper . London Flat white on the hoof from London newcomer Hopper on Roger Street near Gray's Inn: great flavour and texture, a welcome addition to the area.

[flatwhiteworld]

Coffee Angel . Pembroke Street Lower . Dublin . Ireland

The capital of the Emerald Isle seems awash not only with rain and Guinness but also with coffee shops. Recently, while on a short trip with limited time to do my research or explore widely, I consulted Beanhunter to locate my nearest promising candidate and braved the wind and wet weather to visit Coffee Angel in Pembroke Street Lower.

One inside-out umbrella and €2.80 later, I was enjoying a well-prepared flat white - a very welcome reward for my windswept efforts.

There may well be better coffee shops in Dublin, and I’d like to do some more exploring to find out, but Coffee Angel did a great job with rich espresso cutting ably through a velvety milk prep. Good stuff.

[flatwhiteworld]

Idle Hands . Manchester . UK

With a logo (probably) inspired by the cover art to Canadian rock group Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s album “Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven”, Idle Hands is a third wave coffee shop next to Manchester’s Piccadilly station.

They don’t sell “flat whites” but the offer ‘espressos with milk’ in 3 sizes. I plumped for the 6oz and effectively received a flat white - and a delicious one at that! Great milk prep and espresso flavour.

Food is also available and while it features the usual Melbourne explants like sourdough, smashed avocado etc., the quality is certainly up there - predictability by no means detracts from the experience in this case.

So while it’s no St Ali, Idle Hands is an excellent place to hide from the Manchester rain.

[flatwhiteworld]

The Black Penny . London Workers, visitors and residents of London's Covent Garden and Holborn areas rejoice, for the flat white served at The Black Penny is delicious! Expertly crafted and a delightful flavour. Perfect!

[flatwhiteworld]

Tina We Salute You . E20 . London

3 years in, what has become of the London 2012 Olympics legacy? The Olympic village is now flats and many of the facilities are open to the public… More importantly, medal-winning coffee is now available at the Stratford-Olympic-Park-incarnation of Dalston originator Tina We Salute You. Great flat white preparation - full of flavour and velvety texture. Bravo!

[flatwhiteworld]

Headfirst Coffee Roasters . Amsterdam . Netherlands

Ten out of ten for the flat white at Headfirst in Amsterdam - excellent work from these roasters on Westerstraat. Wonderful!