Sometimes a trip into Birmingham is a delight. Sometimes it is unavoidable! Todays' visit was a bit of both. Had to buy some uniform stuff, some provisions for a weekend camping trip and some 'bits'. The children were actually very good and the sneaky coffee at the end was right up their street!
Krispy Kreme Donuts, Selfriges, Bullring
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie
Bought: Coffee for me, original glazed donut for Ethan, Powder blueberry donut for Naomi, Strawberry Kreme donut for Edward, Cinnamon apple donut for Susie
Cost: £7.15 - eeeeek!
And: The coffee was actually amazingly nice. AND I got the last bite of Susie's donut - also very nice.
Showing posts with label New place. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New place. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Sunday, 29 August 2010
18th August 2010
In contrast to the previous day today was dry and even warm!
Cafe Main, Cromer
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Marjorie, Naomi and Edward
Bought: Two coffees, two smoothies and three pieces of cake
Cost: Nanny paid! (Anyone notice a theme emerging?!)
Cafe: Functional, not unpleasant. We sat outside overlooking a road like yesterday but in the sunshine roads look much nicer it seems!
And: The cake was nice, the smoothies were really nice and the coffee was excellent. The loos were a long way away though.
Cafe Main, Cromer
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Marjorie, Naomi and Edward
Bought: Two coffees, two smoothies and three pieces of cake
Cost: Nanny paid! (Anyone notice a theme emerging?!)
Cafe: Functional, not unpleasant. We sat outside overlooking a road like yesterday but in the sunshine roads look much nicer it seems!
And: The cake was nice, the smoothies were really nice and the coffee was excellent. The loos were a long way away though.
17th August 2010
Anna and I plotted an escape from the holiday house and the infestation of children! We walked into town with the express purpose of using a cash point (and having a coffee!)
Julios, Cromer
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Anna
Bought: A small coffee and a small tea
Cost: Anna paid (again! Thanks!)
Cafe: We sat outside as it was dry, albeit a bit gray and damp. The view wasn't much to write home about - a road. But there was no children and the chance of uninterrupted conversation!
But: It started to rain. At first it was just the odd spot but quite soon we were having to drink up as our cups were re-filling with rainwater!
And: The coffee (in its undiluted state) was pretty ok!
Julios, Cromer
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Anna
Bought: A small coffee and a small tea
Cost: Anna paid (again! Thanks!)
Cafe: We sat outside as it was dry, albeit a bit gray and damp. The view wasn't much to write home about - a road. But there was no children and the chance of uninterrupted conversation!
But: It started to rain. At first it was just the odd spot but quite soon we were having to drink up as our cups were re-filling with rainwater!
And: The coffee (in its undiluted state) was pretty ok!
14th August 2010- part two of two
Now this is more like it - a proper sneaky coffee!
Tides Restaurant, Cromer Pier
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Naomi
Served: by a waitress!
Bought: A filter coffee, juice for Naomi and a slice of carrot cake to share
Cost: £6 including a tip
Cafe: On the pier on a sunny day. Sat outside and smelled the briny spray, the sun on our skin and watched the waves roll in. Lovely.
And: lovely coffee, nice cake, a nice interlude with Naomi. Having four children does mean spending individual time with them can be a challenge
Tides Restaurant, Cromer Pier
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Naomi
Served: by a waitress!
Bought: A filter coffee, juice for Naomi and a slice of carrot cake to share
Cost: £6 including a tip
Cafe: On the pier on a sunny day. Sat outside and smelled the briny spray, the sun on our skin and watched the waves roll in. Lovely.
And: lovely coffee, nice cake, a nice interlude with Naomi. Having four children does mean spending individual time with them can be a challenge
14th August 2010 - part one of two
We are on holiday in Cromer with Simon's extended family. The house we're staying in has nine bedrooms and can technically sleep eighteen. There are fourteen of us. Our holiday house is immaculately decorated and I quickly wished I had photographed it when we first arrived before all our 'kid junk' started to clutter up the place! We had a sea view from almost every window and only a five minute walk into town. It promised to be a good week, with plenty of coffee!
Cromer Esplanade
This might not count as a sneaky coffee under normal circumstances but as the first 'coffee out' of the holiday I am going to include it anyway!
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Auntie Anna, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Cody and Kian
Bought: Eight donuts (I do realise there are only seven of us, but they came in bags of four) and a coffee
Cost: Anna paid - but it would have been about £4.75
Cafe: A caravan on the esplanade with patio chairs! A great sea view and in the sunshine it was quite pleasant!
And: Not great coffee, but the donuts were hot, fresh and sugary and the promise of a whole holiday stretching before us was enough to make me overlook slightly bland beverages!
Cromer Esplanade
This might not count as a sneaky coffee under normal circumstances but as the first 'coffee out' of the holiday I am going to include it anyway!
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Auntie Anna, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Cody and Kian
Bought: Eight donuts (I do realise there are only seven of us, but they came in bags of four) and a coffee
Cost: Anna paid - but it would have been about £4.75
Cafe: A caravan on the esplanade with patio chairs! A great sea view and in the sunshine it was quite pleasant!
And: Not great coffee, but the donuts were hot, fresh and sugary and the promise of a whole holiday stretching before us was enough to make me overlook slightly bland beverages!
Friday, 13 August 2010
12th August 2010
My National Trust membership has really been worth its weight in gold over the last week! As a child I was taken (dragged?) to NT places and I swore never to do that to my children. Now I take (drag?) my children to NT places regularly because they are free (or at least our pre-paid card gets us in free), educational, wholesome, etc etc....! The easiest way to make a NT visit palatable to them though is to combine it with a get together. Today we not only met my parents and Grannie but also my Uncle, Aunt and two cousins who although technically are the the same generation as me are much closer in age to my children and thus great favourites with them.
Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie; Mum, Dad and Grannie; Uncle Lloyd, Auntie Isobel, Mark and Tim
Bought: Our family had a cafetiere of coffee, two 'afternoon tea' for kids (carton of apple juice and a chocolate crispie cake), a glass of milk and a bottle of posh juice. Lactose intolerance has made cream tea a treat of the past.
Cost: Dad paid! Thanks Dad!
Cafe: In the actual hall - unusual and charming. A bit on the small side and we were lucky to get three tables on which to spread out.
And: I was on a table with Auntie Isobel, Tim and Susie. We had fun. Susie shared her drink and cake with her doll.
Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie; Mum, Dad and Grannie; Uncle Lloyd, Auntie Isobel, Mark and Tim
Bought: Our family had a cafetiere of coffee, two 'afternoon tea' for kids (carton of apple juice and a chocolate crispie cake), a glass of milk and a bottle of posh juice. Lactose intolerance has made cream tea a treat of the past.
Cost: Dad paid! Thanks Dad!
Cafe: In the actual hall - unusual and charming. A bit on the small side and we were lucky to get three tables on which to spread out.
And: I was on a table with Auntie Isobel, Tim and Susie. We had fun. Susie shared her drink and cake with her doll.
Monday, 9 August 2010
9th August 2010
School holidays present long periods of trying to keep the children entertained and busy without spending too much money. National Trust properties are ideal but the kids are not always enthusiastic! However - this lack of enthusiasm can be avoided if the visit is made with another family. Today we did exactly that!
Croome Park, Worcestershire
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Sarah, Chris, Elliot, Maddie, Esther
Bought: I bought a cream tea (scone for Ethan and Naomi to share, tea for me) three cartons of drink, one can of drink and a large hunk of shortbread for Edward and Susie to share.
Cost: £9.60 (eye watering I know, I know I previously suggested that Heaven would contain a National Trust tea room but since have decided this will only be so if it is free - and as many people have pointed out it WOULD be free because Jesus has already paid the price!!!)
And: The cafe here is in an old RAF base which makes it spacious and suitable for a cafe if a little featureless otherwise. In fact the main feature was copious amounts of wasps.
Croome Park, Worcestershire
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Sarah, Chris, Elliot, Maddie, Esther
Bought: I bought a cream tea (scone for Ethan and Naomi to share, tea for me) three cartons of drink, one can of drink and a large hunk of shortbread for Edward and Susie to share.
Cost: £9.60 (eye watering I know, I know I previously suggested that Heaven would contain a National Trust tea room but since have decided this will only be so if it is free - and as many people have pointed out it WOULD be free because Jesus has already paid the price!!!)
And: The cafe here is in an old RAF base which makes it spacious and suitable for a cafe if a little featureless otherwise. In fact the main feature was copious amounts of wasps.
8th August 2010
I should point out that the date here is a SUNDAY! Sunday sneaky coffee is extremely rare for two main reasons. Firstly church - which takes up the first half of the day. And secondly church - which leaves me too exhausted to go out again.... only kidding! The second reason is that Simon is at home at weekends and Sunday is designated as a family day and he doesn't seem to get the glory of the sneaky coffee!
Kinver Rock Tea Room, Kinver Edge
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Simon, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie
Bought: A cup of Earl Grey tea, three cans of fizzy stuff and two fruit shoots
Cost: £5.05
Cafe: Built into the cliff which is sandstone. However, it also has a garden which we sat in. Very peaceful little garden with a lawn and old fashioned cottage-y flower beds.
And: The kids don't quite get the restorative point of sneaky coffee so it was fortunate that the 'upper terrace' of the Kinver Rock Houses (to all intents a purposes a series of room sized caves connected by tunnels) were just the other side of the gate. They went off and played, the grown ups enjoyed the garden and the drink.
Kinver Rock Tea Room, Kinver Edge
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Simon, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie
Bought: A cup of Earl Grey tea, three cans of fizzy stuff and two fruit shoots
Cost: £5.05
Cafe: Built into the cliff which is sandstone. However, it also has a garden which we sat in. Very peaceful little garden with a lawn and old fashioned cottage-y flower beds.
And: The kids don't quite get the restorative point of sneaky coffee so it was fortunate that the 'upper terrace' of the Kinver Rock Houses (to all intents a purposes a series of room sized caves connected by tunnels) were just the other side of the gate. They went off and played, the grown ups enjoyed the garden and the drink.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
26th July 2010
My wonderful parents have taken my adorable children away for the first week of the holidays. They have only gone as far as Stafford and they are camping... but it's at a Bible Week which the kids really get a lot out of as well as having a lot of fun. I nurtured the idea of romantic interludes with Simon but various work and church commitments have got in the way. So I have decorated Susie's bedroom! It looks so good and, amazingly, can be done very quickly when there are no interruptions! Anyway - on the Monday of the Bible Week there is no daytime meetings so I went up and joined them for a day. We ventured out to Sudbury Hall, a National Trust property which has the National Museum of Childhood on site, and (crucially!) a National Trust tea room! (I suspect Heaven will feature National Trust tea rooms!)
Sudbury Hall
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Mum and Dad
Bought: Three coffees, four ice creams, three variations of cake (fruit for me, millionaires shortbread for Mum, a tea cake for Dad), then later on three mugs of coffee
Cost: Not cheap! The first round was £15.?? and the second was nearly £6.
Cafe: Typical of the genre, a converted stable block (or similar!) with light pine tables and chairs, canteen style service with unutterably tempting cakes on display!
Position: But we sat on the picnic tables outside!
And: Nice coffee BUT the cheapest option (still £1.60) was a CUP, a small cup! You can pay more for a mug or even more for a large mug but I think the cup is too small.
However - the rest of the museum and the play area are excellent and very well worth a re-visit.
Sudbury Hall
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Mum and Dad
Bought: Three coffees, four ice creams, three variations of cake (fruit for me, millionaires shortbread for Mum, a tea cake for Dad), then later on three mugs of coffee
Cost: Not cheap! The first round was £15.?? and the second was nearly £6.
Cafe: Typical of the genre, a converted stable block (or similar!) with light pine tables and chairs, canteen style service with unutterably tempting cakes on display!
Position: But we sat on the picnic tables outside!
And: Nice coffee BUT the cheapest option (still £1.60) was a CUP, a small cup! You can pay more for a mug or even more for a large mug but I think the cup is too small.
However - the rest of the museum and the play area are excellent and very well worth a re-visit.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
21st July 2010 - part one of two
The last week of term is always busy. There are assemblies, awards nights, parents evening, parties, proms and all manner of 'end of term' events which make the week exceptionally full. By this point in the week I had done Ethan's parents evening and Susie's 'graduation' and though I was looking forward to the holidays with the children I also knew that some of my term time pleasures would be sorely missed until September! Danni and I knew our usual Friday breakfast would not be possible as various children would be off school for 'teacher training' so arranged to use an excess Tesco voucher and head into town for an indulgent breakfast.
Cafe Rouge, The Bullring, Birmingham
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: We each had the 'complet' option which had a coffee, a glass of fruit juice and a pastry (we both had pain au chocolat) and I also had a glass of water for my vitamin tablet to effervesce in!
Cost: The menu was £5.50 each but we had a £10 Tesco voucher so it cost me £2 (I tipped!)
Cafe: It was a sunny day and Cafe Rouge has a nice outside deck where you can sit, but the sun was still quite low in the sky and we found that one or other of us was blinded wherever we sat - so we moved and sat in a window seat inside. The restaurant inside is classic 'pretend French' but charming nonetheless.
And: The pastry was warm, the coffee nice and the fruit juice a little warm due to being served in a warm (straight out of the dishwasher?) glass. The ice battled bravely but ultimately the heat won. However - the conversation was nice and neither of us had much to do so we enjoyed a very nice jaunt around town afterwards - savouring the last opportunity to do so in such a care-free (aka child-free!) manner for a couple of months!
Cafe Rouge, The Bullring, Birmingham
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: We each had the 'complet' option which had a coffee, a glass of fruit juice and a pastry (we both had pain au chocolat) and I also had a glass of water for my vitamin tablet to effervesce in!
Cost: The menu was £5.50 each but we had a £10 Tesco voucher so it cost me £2 (I tipped!)
Cafe: It was a sunny day and Cafe Rouge has a nice outside deck where you can sit, but the sun was still quite low in the sky and we found that one or other of us was blinded wherever we sat - so we moved and sat in a window seat inside. The restaurant inside is classic 'pretend French' but charming nonetheless.
And: The pastry was warm, the coffee nice and the fruit juice a little warm due to being served in a warm (straight out of the dishwasher?) glass. The ice battled bravely but ultimately the heat won. However - the conversation was nice and neither of us had much to do so we enjoyed a very nice jaunt around town afterwards - savouring the last opportunity to do so in such a care-free (aka child-free!) manner for a couple of months!
21st July 2010 - part two of two
OK - I hope you read the previous post... because this one follows straight on!We were jaunting and savouring and the prospect on one last coffee entered one or other of our pretty little heads and almost by magic we found ourselves in M&S Cafe Revive. That decision was mine. I have a distant memory of M&S coffee being amazing and suggested trying it again... maybe not the best decision ever!
M&S Cafe Revive, High Street, Birmingham
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: A caramel cappuccino for Danni, a large black for me
Cafe: WAS CROWDED! We brought the average age of customer down by a decade or so and waiting so long to be served was frustrating. Almost every table was occupied and the ones with leather armchairs and coffee tables more so! However - the provided a pile of trashy magazines (the type you like to read but could never actually buy!) which the aged clientele were clearly not enamoured with so that was a plus! We learned much about the ongoing antics of Ms Cole and so on!
Cost: Can't remember exactly but expensive - at least Starbucks prices which one doesn't expect in a department store cafe
And: Well - the coffee WAS very nice, but the queue was long, the service efficient as opposed to friendly and the ambience somewhat elderly for us.
M&S Cafe Revive, High Street, Birmingham
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: A caramel cappuccino for Danni, a large black for me
Cafe: WAS CROWDED! We brought the average age of customer down by a decade or so and waiting so long to be served was frustrating. Almost every table was occupied and the ones with leather armchairs and coffee tables more so! However - the provided a pile of trashy magazines (the type you like to read but could never actually buy!) which the aged clientele were clearly not enamoured with so that was a plus! We learned much about the ongoing antics of Ms Cole and so on!
Cost: Can't remember exactly but expensive - at least Starbucks prices which one doesn't expect in a department store cafe
And: Well - the coffee WAS very nice, but the queue was long, the service efficient as opposed to friendly and the ambience somewhat elderly for us.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
20th July 2010 - part two of two
A spare Tuesday and, as the last one in the term, a precious Tuesday presented itself ad we struggled to fill it. None of us needed to go anywhere, no one wanted to spend money uselessly... and then it came to us....
Aston Hall
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Amanda, James and Viv
Had: A coffee, a glass of water and a chicken salad sandwich
Cost: £3.60
Cafe: In converted stable blocks, very nice with stone floor and wooden tables, also a lovely patio area where we sat today as it was warm and muggy albeit not sunny
And: The coffee was nice but only served in cups and I really would have liked a mug. The sandwich was a bit dry. The venue was wonderful with gorgeous gardens to potter about and extensive areas of the hall to explore. I've lived within a couple of miles of the place for 18 years and this is my first visit despite the fact that it is free. I shall be there again over the summer with the children.
Aston Hall
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Amanda, James and Viv
Had: A coffee, a glass of water and a chicken salad sandwich
Cost: £3.60
Cafe: In converted stable blocks, very nice with stone floor and wooden tables, also a lovely patio area where we sat today as it was warm and muggy albeit not sunny
And: The coffee was nice but only served in cups and I really would have liked a mug. The sandwich was a bit dry. The venue was wonderful with gorgeous gardens to potter about and extensive areas of the hall to explore. I've lived within a couple of miles of the place for 18 years and this is my first visit despite the fact that it is free. I shall be there again over the summer with the children.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
13th July 2010 - part two of two
After the traditional post shopping coffee comes a child free afternoon for me. I try (and usually succeed) to use this time wisely - in fellowship and relationship building activity (i.e. coffee). Today we headed to Wednesbury. We had some vague excuse to visit the large Next store there and also Ikea. Upon learning that Next actually featured a coffee shop the decision hardly needed discussion!
Lavazza Coffee, Next, Wednesbury
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv, Amanda, James and Louise M
Bought: A black coffee
Cost: Normal coffee shop price - about £1.50 I think
Cafe: Bright and white! Hard white chairs surrounding hard white tables on a mezzanine floor with two whole walls and the ceiling being glass! In bright sunshine I suspect it would have been uncomfortable hot and painfully bright. As it was actually dull and cloudy this wasn't an issue and the abundance of daylight was lovely.
Position: Upstairs, at the front of the shop with expansive views of the car park and M6
And: The coffee was good, the company exemplary and there was even the interesting side show of filming going on just within our view!
Lavazza Coffee, Next, Wednesbury
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv, Amanda, James and Louise M
Bought: A black coffee
Cost: Normal coffee shop price - about £1.50 I think
Cafe: Bright and white! Hard white chairs surrounding hard white tables on a mezzanine floor with two whole walls and the ceiling being glass! In bright sunshine I suspect it would have been uncomfortable hot and painfully bright. As it was actually dull and cloudy this wasn't an issue and the abundance of daylight was lovely.
Position: Upstairs, at the front of the shop with expansive views of the car park and M6
And: The coffee was good, the company exemplary and there was even the interesting side show of filming going on just within our view!
Friday, 11 June 2010
11th June 2010 - part two of two
Ok - this one's going to look at bit random. Danni, Viv and I had an afternoon to play with. All of us had more worthy things to be doing - it cannot be denied - but somehow the lure of 'going out to play' won out over the laundry, cleaning and housework!
We'd aimed for Ikea as Danni had stuff to return but I needed a DIY place and B&Q is right opposite. I suggested combining the two and Danni, shockingly, pronounced that coffee at B&Q was probably nicer than coffee at Ikea!
B&Q, Wednesdbury
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv and Susie
Served by: A lady
Bought: Two cappuccinos and a black coffee, a muffin for Susie and I to share and a scone with jam and butter for Danni
Cost: My drink and cake cost £2
Cafe: Not brilliant. A few tables and chairs in the corner of the DIY shop.
Position: Views of radiators!
Food: Lovely, really lovely, muffin. Apple and toffee I think. Took vast amounts of self control not to scoff Susie's half.
And: How can coffee and time with these lovely ladies be anything but wonderful? Plus I bought blinds for my newly decorated bathroom and toilet!
We'd aimed for Ikea as Danni had stuff to return but I needed a DIY place and B&Q is right opposite. I suggested combining the two and Danni, shockingly, pronounced that coffee at B&Q was probably nicer than coffee at Ikea!
B&Q, Wednesdbury
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv and Susie
Served by: A lady
Bought: Two cappuccinos and a black coffee, a muffin for Susie and I to share and a scone with jam and butter for Danni
Cost: My drink and cake cost £2
Cafe: Not brilliant. A few tables and chairs in the corner of the DIY shop.
Position: Views of radiators!
Food: Lovely, really lovely, muffin. Apple and toffee I think. Took vast amounts of self control not to scoff Susie's half.
And: How can coffee and time with these lovely ladies be anything but wonderful? Plus I bought blinds for my newly decorated bathroom and toilet!
Sunday, 30 May 2010
30th May 2010
Simon graduated 25 years ago and last night there was a reunion meal and pub crawl around St Albans to celebrate. Given the 'pub crawl' aspect of the evening we decided to stay in a hotel for the night, leave the children with his Mum and thus we had a child free 24 hours together! Wooo hooo!!!!
After breakfast this morning the sun was shining on this pretty little cathedral town and after strolling around for a bit I insisted on a coffee! After all he is my husband and I ought to share my favourite pastime with him on occasion!
Bellaccino's, French Row, St Albans
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Simon
Served by: a waitress!!! Unusual but lovely!
Bought: An americano and a de-caff cappuccino
Cost: The bill was $4.35 or somthing but we left a fiver as the service was prompt and friendly
Cafe: We sat outside as it was sunny and mild. The inside was buzzing - it's obviously a popular place (and I chose it because they spelled 'Espresso' correctly on their signage. I get frustrated with the inaccurate 'Expresso' seen regularly.)
Position: The cafe was on a narrow pedestrian street and our table on the opposite side of the street. It was fun to 'people watch' (or in Simon's case Dog watch as the couple sitting opposite had a beautiful black labarador - his favourite type of dog). The cafe played music of which we heard agreeable snatches. Then a bag pipe player walked by, then a small but very talented group of Christian singers began to sing fantastic worship songs! It was almost like being at church - but with nice coffee!
And? It was lovely all round. I had bought a paper which we both flicked through. We found lots of nice things to chat about. We enjoyed our temporary childless state and remarked how much childlessness is wasted on the childless! As we left the bill came with two very small bars of chocolate - the packaging on which proclaimed them to be 'Useless bit of chocolate'! This made us both smile!
I love my husband SO much. He drives me slightly demented from time to time but I know I am an extremely blessed lady.
After breakfast this morning the sun was shining on this pretty little cathedral town and after strolling around for a bit I insisted on a coffee! After all he is my husband and I ought to share my favourite pastime with him on occasion!
Bellaccino's, French Row, St Albans
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Simon
Served by: a waitress!!! Unusual but lovely!
Bought: An americano and a de-caff cappuccino
Cost: The bill was $4.35 or somthing but we left a fiver as the service was prompt and friendly
Cafe: We sat outside as it was sunny and mild. The inside was buzzing - it's obviously a popular place (and I chose it because they spelled 'Espresso' correctly on their signage. I get frustrated with the inaccurate 'Expresso' seen regularly.)
Position: The cafe was on a narrow pedestrian street and our table on the opposite side of the street. It was fun to 'people watch' (or in Simon's case Dog watch as the couple sitting opposite had a beautiful black labarador - his favourite type of dog). The cafe played music of which we heard agreeable snatches. Then a bag pipe player walked by, then a small but very talented group of Christian singers began to sing fantastic worship songs! It was almost like being at church - but with nice coffee!
And? It was lovely all round. I had bought a paper which we both flicked through. We found lots of nice things to chat about. We enjoyed our temporary childless state and remarked how much childlessness is wasted on the childless! As we left the bill came with two very small bars of chocolate - the packaging on which proclaimed them to be 'Useless bit of chocolate'! This made us both smile!
I love my husband SO much. He drives me slightly demented from time to time but I know I am an extremely blessed lady.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
8th May 2010
The Victorian Tea Rooms, Kings Heath Park, B14 7TQ
It was a rainy Saturday afternoon. My daughter was at a swimming party some distance from home. Too far away to bother with two return journeys so coffee was the obvious solution. The companionship of a friend (the mother of my daughter's friend) made the decision even more inevitable. We politely declined the opportunity to 'enjoy' our 'coffee' at the leisure centre and struck out in search of something nicer.
Kings Norton was very disappointing. Both coffee shops on the square closed just after lunch. However - their loss was the gain of the very nice establishment we stumbled upon in a desperate (and possibly erratic) coffee shop search driving tour.
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Viv
Bought: A pot of coffee and a large cappucino
Cost: Well Viv paid (thanks!) but the total bill was £3.75
Served by: The staff were all very polite, friendly and helpful.
Cafe: In a Victorian building in the park. The cafe has many lilac covered tables complete with small vases of (silk) flowers. An adjoining conservatory is presumably used in busy (sunny?) periods.
Position: Lovely views of the park which still looked attractive in the rain!
Busy: Busy enough - no problem getting a table but no echoing conversation in an empty room either.
Food: We got FREE biscuits with our coffee! A digestive an a strawberry custard cream each!!! Viv (with admirable self discipline) didn't eat hers but I dunked and ate mine!
Complaints: The cappucino (of which I had persuaded Viv to have a large) was served in a small vase type receptacle. No handle! Very odd but I don't suppose it impacted on the flavour.
And? What a find! The coffee (served in a miniature cafetiere) was perfectly acceptable. Free biscuits felt like a lovely bonus. Viv and I had a nice chat. Then we had a nice (albeit short due to the weather) stroll in the park. We both commented that coming on a nicer day for a longer stroll (and possibly cake with the coffee to replenish the burnt calories) would be a good future plan.
It was a rainy Saturday afternoon. My daughter was at a swimming party some distance from home. Too far away to bother with two return journeys so coffee was the obvious solution. The companionship of a friend (the mother of my daughter's friend) made the decision even more inevitable. We politely declined the opportunity to 'enjoy' our 'coffee' at the leisure centre and struck out in search of something nicer.
Kings Norton was very disappointing. Both coffee shops on the square closed just after lunch. However - their loss was the gain of the very nice establishment we stumbled upon in a desperate (and possibly erratic) coffee shop search driving tour.
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Viv
Bought: A pot of coffee and a large cappucino
Cost: Well Viv paid (thanks!) but the total bill was £3.75
Served by: The staff were all very polite, friendly and helpful.
Cafe: In a Victorian building in the park. The cafe has many lilac covered tables complete with small vases of (silk) flowers. An adjoining conservatory is presumably used in busy (sunny?) periods.
Position: Lovely views of the park which still looked attractive in the rain!
Busy: Busy enough - no problem getting a table but no echoing conversation in an empty room either.
Food: We got FREE biscuits with our coffee! A digestive an a strawberry custard cream each!!! Viv (with admirable self discipline) didn't eat hers but I dunked and ate mine!
Complaints: The cappucino (of which I had persuaded Viv to have a large) was served in a small vase type receptacle. No handle! Very odd but I don't suppose it impacted on the flavour.
And? What a find! The coffee (served in a miniature cafetiere) was perfectly acceptable. Free biscuits felt like a lovely bonus. Viv and I had a nice chat. Then we had a nice (albeit short due to the weather) stroll in the park. We both commented that coming on a nicer day for a longer stroll (and possibly cake with the coffee to replenish the burnt calories) would be a good future plan.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
5th May 2010
in Dunelm Mill, B9 4HX
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Danni and (honorary) Susie (honorary as she is only 4 years old and doesn't drink coffee!)
Bought: A hazelnut latte (for Danni), Americano with a shot of cinnamon syrup for Anna and a flavoured water for Susie.
Cost: £2.75 for the Americano and water. The shot of syrup was 40p.
Served by: Young man who was somewhat bemused by our excitement. Not chatty but quite smiley and efficient. He did splosh my coffee into the saucer a bit but that was mainly because the cup was properly full so it would be churlish to complain....
Cafe: Mainly high padded chairs or hard chairs and tables but two sets of arm chair and coffee table combinations. We had one of those.
Position: At the back of Dunelm Mill. No natural light or windows BUT a lovely view of ladybird dustpan sets and gorgeous stripy and spotty brooms....
Busy: No - we were the only customers. (Though a couple arrived as we left)
Food: OK looking cake and good 'afternoon tea' deal. Very tempting lunch deals - we're planning to go back for lunch next week.
Complaints: The coffee was REALLY hot. I couldn't even sip it for a couple of minutes. Thus I ended up spilling even more of it into the saucer whilst trying to hold the cup. Only a small thing though.
And? All in all a very nice time. The coffee was good (apparently the latte was very good) and the novelty made it a lot of fun. Might add it to our regular haunts! Dunelm is also a lovely 'moochable' shop with lots of lovely things to look at.
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Danni and (honorary) Susie (honorary as she is only 4 years old and doesn't drink coffee!)
Bought: A hazelnut latte (for Danni), Americano with a shot of cinnamon syrup for Anna and a flavoured water for Susie.
Cost: £2.75 for the Americano and water. The shot of syrup was 40p.
Served by: Young man who was somewhat bemused by our excitement. Not chatty but quite smiley and efficient. He did splosh my coffee into the saucer a bit but that was mainly because the cup was properly full so it would be churlish to complain....
Cafe: Mainly high padded chairs or hard chairs and tables but two sets of arm chair and coffee table combinations. We had one of those.
Position: At the back of Dunelm Mill. No natural light or windows BUT a lovely view of ladybird dustpan sets and gorgeous stripy and spotty brooms....
Busy: No - we were the only customers. (Though a couple arrived as we left)
Food: OK looking cake and good 'afternoon tea' deal. Very tempting lunch deals - we're planning to go back for lunch next week.
Complaints: The coffee was REALLY hot. I couldn't even sip it for a couple of minutes. Thus I ended up spilling even more of it into the saucer whilst trying to hold the cup. Only a small thing though.
And? All in all a very nice time. The coffee was good (apparently the latte was very good) and the novelty made it a lot of fun. Might add it to our regular haunts! Dunelm is also a lovely 'moochable' shop with lots of lovely things to look at.
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