mondomulia

When I moved to London in 2006, I worked as an intern for a film company and one of the perks of the job was going to office in one of the coolest buildings in the city: The Tea Building. From the 6th floor boardroom I could see Shoreditch, Bishopsgate and the rising Broadgate Tower. Right under my eyes, a huge building site, replaced now - 6 years on - by Shoreditch High Street station.

If I could look down from the Tea Building today, I would see Boxpark, a "pop-up mall" made with shipping containers that was opened 3 months ago and will remain for 5 years. Two floors of boxed-shops and boxed-cafés!

While the ground floor hosts "fashion and lifestyle brands" (the sort of shops I don't even bother going in because too expensive), on the first floor you'll find a Food Court made of affordable cafés and quality chains, such as Chop'd, Crussh and Pieminster. I recommend stopping at Bukowski Grill for a juicy burger (great review on Katie Parla's blog )!

Taking advantage of a launch offer of 20% off food and drink, I made my way to Boxpark last week during my lunch break. My destination was set: the Foxcroft & Ginger café in unit 42-43.

Foxcroft & Ginger at Boxpark is in a narrow and deep space with wooden floor and metal shelves where plates, glasses, jars and coffee bags are on display. The small tables are lined up on the right, against one long wooden bench.

At lunch time on a Monday, the café was fairly busy, but offered a choice of few empty tables. The one next to me was not occupied by hipsters or designers or Japanese tourists (the usual inhabitants of cool East London), instead there were two businessmen having sandwiches and coffee!

I heard that the Ham and Cheese French Toasts are great, so it's a must try next time I'll visit the café!

The coffee at Foxcroft & Ginger is made by trained baristas, using beans from Climpson & Sons. I ordered a cortado and a slice of banana bread, which was served warm and with a thin layer of butter: delicious! And how cute are those vintage plates?! ;)

A special mention to the friendly and happy staff - it takes so little to smile and win over your customers! When I asked permission to take photos, the waiter not only said "yes, of course" with a smile, but also cleaned up the bar to offer me a better shot!

Not only for the good coffee and cakes, but I will definitely go back to Foxcroft & Ginger because of the welcoming atmosphere!

You can find the main Foxcroft & Ginger shop in Soho, Berwick Street.