To-die-for chocolate/raspberry tart
If you look closely you can spot Brickwood Coffee and Bread coming out of Clapham Common tube station, the little bright green-painted hole in the wall looks cute but not much to the world from the outside. Inside it’s a different story.
The place is crowded, the only table large enough for us has got two wooden benches on each side of it and I can feel how uncomfortable it is the second I sit down. After about 15 minutes I get my coat and scarf and use them as a cushion, it’s not much better but the thing is… I really don’t care; everything else is pretty much all I ever wanted from a café.
The food, the décor, the people in there… everything about Brickwood is what I can only describe as incredibly Instagram-friendly. You’ll find everything from sourdough toasties to banana bread to American pancakes on the menu, which is covered with words like ‘organic’, ‘fair trade’, ‘free-range’ and ‘freshly home made’. The theme is rustic with brick walls, wooden tables and chairs (I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that’s where the name comes from) and green details such as plants, striped paper straws and an old fashioned pastel coloured coffee machine with matching cups – are you feeling the need to Instagram yet?
The usual struggle I have on a Sunday morning is whether to go for a nice brunch or have a lie-in; the beautiful thing about discovering Brickwood is now I can have both, as the brunch menu is available until 3pm. Since I’ve already had lunch, this time I go straight to the sweet section and a chocolate/raspberry tart that caught my eye the minute I walked up to the counter. The young barista that looks like he just stepped out of an Urban Outfitters-ad assures me it’s ‘to die for’ so that settles it. With my to-die-for-tart I get the iced coffee which comes in a mason jar and with ‘a dusting of chocolate’ – the perfect combination. My friend who is a self-proclaimed food expert tells me that ‘the poached egg is perfectly mozzarella-shaped, all of the white hardened and all of the yolk runny – just as it should be.’ Judging by the mouthful of food-‘oh my god’s’ around us (including us, actually), everyone’s enjoying their meals.
If you are not suffering from hipster-phobia I urge you to try this charming café – or even if you do, you should attempt some exposure therapy here, as both the place and the people are surprisingly unpretentious and friendly. It is a bit pricey but this place is evidence that you get what you pay for, the quality of the food is absolutely worth it and trust me, it feels good to eat with a conscience.
Oh, and everyone else seems to be resting comfortably on their sofas and chairs so just make sure to stay away from the wooden bench and you’ll have an amazing experience at the Brickwood Coffee and Bread.
Brickwood Coffee and Bread
16, Clapham Common South Side, Lambeth, SW4 7AB
Open 7-6 on weekdays / 9-6 on weekends.
