food, reviews and of course coffee
I went for a walk around Clevedon and decided to stop for coffee. I found a branch of Coffee #1 which was open, so popped in. The place was similar to other branches of Coffee #1 with lots of wooden furniture and Tintin artwork on the walls.
Wasn’t too busy and I ordered a skinny flat white. Once the drink was made I took a seat.
This was a delicious coffee, really nice flavour and well made.
I enjoyed sitting at my table looking out the window with the sun shining in.
We were up in Clifton Village and I quite liked the idea of a coffee. I had planned to go to Spiller & Cole as I had enjoyed my coffee there last year. However I got sidetracked and we ended up at Coffee #1.
I had a flat white which was really nice. It was expertly made and tasted great. I was quite tempted by the pastries and the cakes, but in the end I went with just the coffee.
This morning I was off to work in Bristol but decided before heading into the office I would have a coffee at Coffee #1.
I ordered a flat white.
It was a great cup of coffee.
With the new imminent lockdown coming on Thursday I took the the time and the opportunity to pop out to Weston town centre to do some shopping.
Wanting a coffee, I popped to one of my favourite regular haunts for coffee in Weston which is Coffee #1.
I first bumped into the Coffee #1 chain in Monmouth one lunch time a fair few years ago now. I thought at the time it was an independent, didn’t realise it was a chain.
Their branch in Weston opened shortly after that visit to Monmouth, so it became a place to go for coffee after shopping or after a walk along the seafront.
I ordered my flat white and they also had a vegan scone with cream (I know) and jam for half price, so I decided to have a coffee and a scone.
The scone was somewhat heavy, but I still enjoyed it.
The coffee was excellent, smooth milk and great tasting coffee. I was slightly disappointed that I had finished it, I think I might have had another one.
Back in 2010 I wrote a blog post about when I went out for coffee in Weston-super-Mare I went to Druckers, as it wasn’t just about the coffee, but about the whole coffee drinking experience.
Then there was very little choice in the town for drinking coffee, quite a few tearooms who did some nice tea, but no real coffee places.
Today the landscape is very different. There are the major chains of Costa, Coffee #1, Caffe Nero as well as a plethora of independent coffee places too. We have a much greater choice. There are now four branches of Costa in the town for example. We still don’t have a Starbucks, but as I don’t like the coffee there, I am okay with that.
Since I last wrote Druckers has shrunk considerably. The owners of the Sovereign Centre wanted to create a new eating experience, with multiple food outlets and a shared eating space. Alas the reality is that all there is, is Druckers. So what was an okay place for a coffee and cake, is now more like the inside of a fish and chip shop, but with stools and benches. Not a place for coffee.
My first choice is Coffee #1, though I prefer the coffee in Caffe Nero, the service always appears rushed and it’s popular, so not always a lot of space available.
From an independent perspective, I do like the new(ish) coffee place in the Waterstones in the Sovereign Centre.
I’ve always tried to take a proper lunch break when working. I think it provides me with a good break from the routine of work, doing something different and I also try and get some fresh air.
Working in Gloucester I can walk around the town or the docks, however at our Forest of Dean Campus in Coleford, there isn’t much to do around the site, and the lunch options on site are quite depressing as well, okay if you like sandwiches or burgers. Even Coleford doesn’t have too many choices either.
So this time I went off to Monmouth, which is a twenty minute drive away. Looking at the options available I decided to go to Coffee #1. This was my first visit to a branch of Coffee #1.
I really liked the look and feel of the place with assorted bits of wooden furniture and leather sofas and chairs. I had a delicious panini and a flat white.
I also treated myself to a summer fruits cheesecake.
While I was finishing off my coffee, I checked my e-mail before heading back to the college and my office.