Welcome to Dissonant Notes and Mixed Opinions: a serial in four parts, starring me and three branches of London’s independent coffee chain Notes. Spoiler: the Moorgate cafe review is right at the bottom, and it's a happy ending.
Notes serves beautiful coffee and beautiful cakes to go with it! I love coming to this cafe and it feels like a proper little coffee bar where you can get proper coffee, wine and treats.
The décor at Notes is sophisticated, and although short on space, it doesn't feel too cramped. The service is always friendly here too.
The Food Connoisseur
+4.5
You heard of cheese and wine, strawberries, champagne pairings, but have you heard of cheese and coffee. To heighten the taste buds, Notes invited me out to a night out of quirky combinations.
Wine and cheese tasting is so 2011, for 2014 and beyond it's all about Coffee & Cheese pairing. Not as unusual as you may think, cheese pairings are going beyond the realm of the after dinner staple into pairings with craft beers, cured meats and even chocolate. Â
Notes was founded in 2010 when speciality coffee was but a distant pipe dream and chain stores ruled the roost. Our coffee whisperer host for the evening, Fabio, also one of Notes founders tells us of his childhood growing up in a Brazilian coffee growing family. Despite this upbringing, he grew up not liking coffee and it was only many years later on his travels around Italy that he fell in love with the Italian way of drinking coffee, in cafes, in shops, for any time of the day. In Brazil, coffee was something to drink at home, not a drink to socialise with.
There are a few branches of Notes around London and what struck me most is that they're more than just your average joe cafe - sure they have cosy spaces for catching up with friends and family but their speciality coffee and dedicated brews set them apart. Their staff are knowledgable and more than happy to point you in the direction of what your personal tastes might lead you to and in the evenings, there are worse places to spend an evening curled up with a glass of wine and a little platter to keep you going.
You heard of cheese and wine, strawberries, champagne pairings, but have you heard of cheese and coffee. To heighten the taste buds, Notes invited me out to a night out of quirky combinations.
Notes has been around since 2013, the owner Fabio Ferreira from New Zealand saw a gap in the artisan coffee world and wanted to bring good coffee into the London scene. The very first branch opened at Borough market then quickly expanded with two more shops opening.
The very first cheese and coffee we had been Finca Pantanal & Cotherstone, coffee with granny smith apple acidity and notes of plum, melon, and white grapes. The Cotherstone cheese has crumbly and lemon flavour characteristics.
The second pairing Don Mayo & Cornish Yarg, we all had a smell of the Don Mayo in it’s bean form and it smelled like strawberry cheesecakes with tropical aromas. Cornish Yarg had a very smooth texture, moist and creamy.
Note cheese and coffee pairings totally transformed my taste buds, eating the cheese then snipping the coffee, enhances or completely changes the flavours going on in your mouth. The best thing about Notes is that it opens day to evening until the late hours and even has a wine bar. I struggled with walking around London looking for a place to have a hot drink after 6pm, the Notes branches open until 10pm.
One of the best cups of coffee I have had in London hands down but brought down by the lack of organisation and seating.
The entrance is on the other side of the natural entry way and is filled with people, with no staff to help with seating etc it's a mess.
Otherwise, truly great flat white with rich texture and flavour. Good selection of milk and espresso based drinks, would like to see selection of roasts available too.
Definitely still recommend if you're in the area.
If you liked my review feel free to give it a 👍 and follow me on Google Maps for more reviews!
Good coffee, one of the better places around CityPoint. Very corporate given where it is. Has an outdoor area on summer for drinks which gets very busy but with a nice buzz.
The coffee at Notes is really good but the servings are quite small, so if you are into 'big' coffee you might want to budget for a second one!!
Good food, coffee & tea. Breakfast menu until 4pm. Tables to sit and some of them have plugs on the wall next to them. Pleasant service. There is also a toilet suitable for people on wheelchair.
Very good atmosphere. Very good matcha latte, hot chocolate and drinks. The food is also amazing. It is a very good place for an after work. Highly recommended
The burrata is really nice appetizer
Friendly service, tasty cappuccino. Nice atmosphere. Will be back here again.
Highly recommended! Got a Matcha Latte and a Coffee shot, both extremely good! Plus, the person who took my order was very friendly (which made it an even better experience).
I love this places, I always come here for my morning coffee. Great coffee and brilliant customer service, especially ingrid with the green hair, Louis, Alex, Betty, Sophia and Marta! 5 star service!
A guaranteed good coffee in London.very nice seating too. I worked here and felt very comfortable. Will come back
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes