Kondi Brasserie, Henleaze, Bristol

Who'd a thunk it. Quality independent FW right on my doorstep! Down the 'leaze no less. Yes it's like Cocoon round these parts, but there's good coffee to be had. Oddly they have two varieties listed - Australian (single shot) and NZ (double). I had the latter and while it had a bitter edge, it was a very good cup of coffee indeed. Good work. Nice art too.

40 Alfred Place

Restorative Friday morning Flat White alongside a fab bacon roll. Smooth but not sickly creamy; no art, granted, but it was a to-go; a really nice Extract roast, with just the merest bitter edge. Really enjoyed it and well-priced too. Good work. Give it a try - a very nice laid-back café.

Bitter

Chickpea, Cotham Hill, Bristol

I've not strayed far from the path these few months - I know where I can get a FW I like, so that's where I go.  But this morning I thought I'd give Chickpea a go - it gets rave reviews for its cakes and lunches.  Boy, their coffee is bitter! It was a creamy Flat White, with a full body that lasted to the end.  But the creaminess couldn't outweigh the bitterness. With a smoother roast  it would have been top-drawer, but the taste was a killer. Shame.

To misquote Rihanna...

...we found coffee in a hopeless place.

Well, it's a lot more hopeful now!

You know those lovely people from The Coffee House in Weston? You know....the ones I posted about earlier in the year....about how they have fantastic coffee and really know their way round a Flat White... Remember? And how I was whinging about them not being on my doorstep?

Well they are now. In the least likely of places. "There's somebody in the bearpit!"* Yup, right in the middle of St James Barton roundabout - in the bearpit itself. And they're going by the name of Bearpit Coffee.

There's regeneration afoot and first off the blocks are Vince & Tim serving up the finest coffee in town - seriously. From the back of their tricked-out van, they grind the finest beans for you there and then and serve up a proper FW - velvety texture and creamy finish just like it ought to be.

And if you fancy a change there's a full range of coffees, teas and hot chocolate, and pastries. They're big into locally- & ethically-sourced too - seriously, what's not to love.

Just get down there, get yourself some and be part of something good.

* Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

To be beside the seaside

OK, it's been months since the last post. But there's been nothing new. Same old same old. Lashings, Costa (the kosher ones, not the naughty planning enforcement notice ones), Coffee#1, Bird Table. All of which I've already reviewed. And none of which have changed much.

So what's new you ask. Well seeing as the kids are off school, we went to the beach. I say beach. Weston. Sur mère. Not so much faded as mouldering grandeur. Brown waves lapping on the mud. And not much to look at on a grey winter's day. But good coffee.

Very good coffee in fact. The Coffee House on the High Street are proud of their coffee. And rightly so. Double shot of a quality roast, proper microfoam and good art. Foam lasted as it should, ending with the archetypal velvety bottom. Just the right size too - take heed Costa. If I wanted a soup bowl, I'd have ordered the chowder.

Great shakes & smoothie-type drinks for the kids. An understandably busy place, my only gripe is it's not on my doorstep.

Good work.

Starbucks Cabot Circus

Balcony seat - nice. Coffee - not so much. Thin layer of micro foam. Bitter chemically-tasting coffee underneath. Didn't finish it.

Lashings - sitting in

Art of a kind. Nice coffee. Velvety enough. Good work.