Pandora's Kitchen, another quaint Norwich coffee shop

I met a friend for coffee today, and in my ever ongoing quest for new places to try I thought I'd give Pandora's Kitchen on London Street a try. It was a gorgeous sunny day here in Norwich so the outside seating was lovely and a great place to catch up with my friend.

I think there may be seating upstairs, I didn't explore too far, and I know they do hire out their space too.

The Coffee
As ever, my weapon of choice was the skinny latte, which was £2.15, pretty reasonable I think. There was only one choice of size, probably equivalent to a medium in one of the chain stores, so good price in comparison.

I'll admit, for me the first taste was a bit strong, I needed to add a little bit of extra milk, but it was a nice flavour, not bitter at all. According to their website the coffee is roasted and packed in nearby Suffolk, I shall have to find out more!


Everything else
The service really was lovely, smiley staff with a warm greeting and they bought the drinks out with milk and sugar. The food looked lovely (sadly not diet friendly! so I didn't partake) and the quaint touches, like bunting and decor made me feel very welcome.

Overall, if I'm that end of the city again I will definitely pop in, maybe I'll have to ask for less shots in my coffee though!

The Window Coffee, a special treat in Norwich

Today I had a rare chance to grab a quick coffee at The Window, a gorgeous, tiny coffee shop in Norwich.  Often described as "The world's smallest coffee shop" (I don't quite know if it is true, but it is tiny!) it really is a wonderful place to go.

Run by Hayley one of the nicest baristas in the world (that is true!) it is such a treat to go there and taste her beautiful coffee, there is even room to sit in, but my meeting today took place in the sun :)

This isn't a review, it is just a small post of joy! If you ever find yourself in Norwich and you love coffee then you should treat yourself to a visit with Hayley!

Strangers Coffee Shop, Norwich

Remember when I wrote about the local barista in the finals of the UK barista championships? Well, as I promised, I went back and visited the coffee shop, taking some notes whilst I was there.

The Coffee Shop
Strangers is a beautiful little cafe, in the heart of Norwich's lanes - kind of on the corner of Pottergate and Lower Goat lane.  I love this area of Norwich and twice now I've managed to snag the window seat to indulge in a little bit of people watching whilst enjoying my latte! The Lanes is full of little indie shops, charity shops and places to eat and drink with very few chain shops and Strangers fits right in.

With 5 tables inside the shop is small but perfectly formed and for warmer days there are some seats outside too. I love the atmosphere in the shop, the staff are friendly, the music is excellent (opinion I know!)

This is the counter - view from my seat by the window

The Coffee

My drink is a latte, usually with skimmed milk (if it is available) and as large as possible! The number of shots are advertised on the board and a large latte comes with 3 shots, costing £2.65.  3 shots is often a bit much for me, so I ask for just 2, and it is perfect.  The staff are happy to do it.

In the mornings, before 10am they offer a regular (assume medium size) latte/cappuccino for £1.50 and my large was only £2.  

According to their website they offer the best latte art in the city, and my beautiful coffee was not a disappointment: 

Pretty leaf in my latte

My coffee was served with a biscuit, those yummy lotus ones, all caramelly and lovely that go so nicely  with coffee so I was able to resist the amazing looking cakes (only just though!) though I did get takeaway sausage rolls and donuts for lunch.

The Verdict

Overall this is the kind of coffee shop that just makes me happy. The prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is welcoming and the coffee is out of this world. I didn't notice any kind of loyalty scheme (I'm a sucker for those!) but it doesn't matter! The coffee is enough to make me want to make it a regular haunt.  I can't wait to get back there!