If you enjoy a coffee and cake in London,
then look no further. Whether it’s quality coffee, cupcakes, board
gaming, tall cakes, or unique cookies that you can drink from, we have you covered. This is Suitcase Monkey taking a well earnt
break at Londons must visit cafes. First up, is one of my favourites. Located on Elizabeth Street, Dominique Ansel
Bakery is about a 10 minute walk from Victoria station and on the way to Sloane Square. As with everything that follows in this video,
I have linked below for details. It has a welcoming style, a great assortment
of of all things sugary and specifically its famous Cookie Shot. Ordering at the counter is often the definition
of a first world problem with its numerous pastries, savoury snacks and imaginative cakes. I mean, look at Chilly the Penguin here, whats
not to like? The whole place has a relaxing atmosphere
but we always try and grab a seat in their enclosed garden area, a conservatory around
the back. The thing that grabbed our initial attention
however is the always delicious and Instgrammable Cookie Shot. (And while we are mention it, please click
the links below to follow Suitcase Monkey for all travel and food related shenanigans
as they happen in future) So, the Cookie Shot is a chocolate chip cookie served warm, cut
into the shape of a cup, with cold vanilla milk poured inside. This is where design meets taste. Its hard chocolate coating on the inside keeps
the liquid contained, but also provides a nice contrast of soft cookie on the outside. Coupled with the hot of the cookie and the cold vanilla milk. It’s both genius and tasty at the same time. Whilst this may be the hook to bring you in,
there is certainly enough variety and atmosphere at Dominique Ansel Bakery to welcome you back
many times over, and to see how Chilly that Penguin really is. Whilst there are a number of board game cafes
around London, the one that grabbed our attention was Draughts, in Haggerston, East London. With a library of over 600 board games and
a staff that all know their stuff, there will always be something old or new to get yourself
stuck in to. The way it works is as follows. They take bookings Monday to Friday with a
£5 cover charge. This gives you a table and then as many board
games as you can handle for as long as you like. On a weekend, it’s first come, first served
but time is limited to 4 hours. We arrived at 12:30 on a Sunday and were able
to get a table easily but within the hour it was pretty full so arrive early to avoid
disappointment during peak hours. For us, we spent our 4 hours playing Hero
Quest and Ticket to Ride. Hero Quest was one of my favourites as a child. Getting to play something I wouldn’t normally
purchase makes Draughts the board game version of Netflix and it was great fun being the
Dundeon Master once again. Ticket to Ride, a more modern classic, just
happens to be our favourite iOS game. The objective being to create multiple train
routes across Europe and hopefully blocking your opponent in the process. For food and drink, yes, they do coffee and
cake which were good, but that’s not really the niche here. The staff create a relaxing yet energetic
buzz around the place and it does feel like a home away from home. Our 4 hours came up quickly but with a larger
group on a weekday, I can see how you might spend all day here. Next up on our list, located in Soho, is the
Cutter and Squidge, a short walking distance from Piccadilly Circus. Soho is cafe central but we enjoy Cutter and
Squidge because it ticks a lot of different boxes. They do lots and lots of sweet things, and
coffee of course, but also they serve champagne, hot savoury brunches, a full on afternoon
tea experience, and you can even choose your wedding cake here. Oh and its been featured on Made in Chelsea a couple of times with Toff, if thats your thing. We first enjoyed a grilled cheese and chicken
croque and an avocado and goats cheese tartine along with a coffee and green tea. We moved on to dessert, where we tucked into
what Cutter and Squidge call Biskies. Biskies are essentially a sweet sandwich and
can be combinations of biscuit, cookie, cake, jams, caramels and buttercream. They place an emphasis on everything
being fresh, being as sugarless as possible and with no artificial colourings. But whether its for a quick coffee and Biskie
or a more elaborate afternoon tea or wedding cake even, you can be sure that your sweet
tooth will be satisfied at Cutter and Squidge. Remember Elizabeth street from Dominique Ansel
Bakery? Making this road even more delicious is Peggy
Porschen, located about 10 doors further down. Peggy Porschen is THE celebrity on this list,
being a massive photography hit with bloggers and Instgrammers alike. With Vanity Fair saying they make “The Best
Cupcakes in the World”, they even have their own Academy where you can obtain a Grand Diploma
to prove your baking skills. So with all of this, expect a bit of a wait
to get a table inside. If weather allows, then a table outside can
be a really nice touch too. Cake and Cupcake is their thing and they do
not let you down on either front. We had the Salted Caramel Slice, which was
layer upon layer upon layer of sweet, sweet goodness and the best cake I can remember
having in a very long time. My wife, Chiaki, opted for the Strawberry
and Champagne cupcake and you could really taste the champagne in each bite, along with
the fluffy base and sugary topping. As it turns out, Vanity Fair may not have
been exaggerating after all. Equally the coffee was of a very high standard
and the whole vibe of the place is about as pink and warm and trendy as you can get. Due to its reputation, where possible I would
say to try and visit during off peak hours or when it is good weather. There are only a handful of tables inside
with many more outside in the sun. Outside tables were available within 10 minutes
but it was closer to 20 or 30 minutes for an inside table. But with arguably the best cakes on this list,
it certainly was worth the worth. If you enjoy food, why not take a look at
our must visit Japanese Food guide in London as well as a day out in Kew Gardens. And please subscribe for more London and UK
travel videos coming soon. When we aren’t at home, we are jetting around
the world to Japan, Kenya, Italy, Disneyland, Marrakesh and more so plenty to keep you busy
until our next movie, which is around once a month so hopefully they will keep you company
until then. And finally, follow us on Instagram, Facebook
and Twitter for food and travel as it happens, all links are below. Thanks for watching Suitcase Monkey.
