capital cake: albion caff

5. Albion Caff

With utensils in recycled Lyle’s Golden Syrup tins, daily newspapers, Brown Betty tea pots, formica-topped tables, red leather banquettes, and simple wood panelling, Albion is an upmarket and stylish reincarnation of the endangered, much-loved, humble British caff. The only things missing are grease, smoke, and steam.

Albion is in the historically fascinating Boundary Estate in the heart of Shoreditch, an area which is now attracting all sorts of creative types and businesses, many of which, like Albion, are housed in converted buildings. It’s ideally placed for Sunday morning visits to nearby Columbia Road flower market, but also a haven of civilised café life all day, every day.

The kitchens are open to view, and the baked goods come out thick and fast, with large numbers of cakes, pastries, biscuits and breads cooling on racks before being despatched to seated customers, and to the large table laden with good things in the small shop area.

Although there is a French flavour to the breakfast baking, including the biggest, most richly filled almond croissant ever tasted (£2.90, could feed two), the rest of the line-up features impressively made, old-fashioned favourites fairly priced. Portions are generous: gingerbread men are truly mannish and not boyish, and a reworked filled Bourbon biscuit is the equivalent of a fistful of the tiny packet variety. Although there is the inevitable cupcake, the cakes are definitely what you would hope your mother would make: a rich, layered chocolate cake, a startlingly pink and yellow Battenburg with real marzipan and a pleasingly home-made appearance, and a creamy-jammy Victoria Sponge Cake that wouldn’t look out of place at a village fete.

Albion has much to recommend it: smiley staff, plenty of seating including tables outside on the pavement, fish and chips, a hotel above should you want to indulge in a cake blow-out, a restaurant below should you wish to stay all day, and a wonderfully rich neighbourhood to explore. It has all the hallmarks of a carefully designed Conran enterprise which is why it does cake n' caff so well.

Cake: £1.50 - £3.50

Tea: £2.50

Coffee: £2.50

2-4 Boundary Street

London E2 7DD

Tel: 0207 729 1051

Website: www.albioncaff.co.uk

Open: 8 am – 11.30pm seven days a week

And a slice of culture: Albion Caff is near Columbia Road flower market (Sundays only), the Boundary Estate, Brick Lane and the Old Truman Brewery, and is in walking distance of Spitalfields.

 

Comments

[Linnie Joy]

Oh, the first photo doesn't help with my not so recent but very intense desire for a proper Brown Betty of my own,I could always steal my Mum's, but that's just not nice! guess I'll have to order one...

[Annie]

Oh dear, all I'll be doing next time I'm in London is eating cake!

[Kathryn]

The cake is truly amazing at this place BUT be careful what you order from the savoury menu. Some of it is truly disappointing: ie. a limp, rubbery cheese omelette with no garnish which costs about £7, watery soup served in a huge bowl so it gets cold in seconds.

You should always go for the cream tea (shown in the first picture) which is a bargain with a massive scone, cup of tea, brownie and fruit-cake for something like 8 quid. I agree about how amazing the huge bourbons are, truly they're cake-y works of art.

The Hoxton knitting group meets here sometimes and the service is laughably bad, you have to request your order at least twice before getting it. That's fairly par for the course in Shoreditch cafes, as the staff are normally more interested in posing than working, but you'd expect better from a Conran enterprise.

[A Trifle Rushed]

The cream tea looks fab, and I'm with Linnie Joy...just off to order a brown Betty tea pot!

[Baleboosteh]

Can I just say how much I love this series of reviews! I'm a homeschooling mum and I don't get into London (or anywhere else for that matter) as often as I would like. When I do, I always want to go somewhere for tea and cake and, as cake lovers know, a mediocre piece of cake can ruin the whole day. Eating cake - it's a serious business. So thanks so much for all these fantastic suggestions.

[debbie @ happy little cottage]

Hi Jane,

You had me sold at Brown Betty Teapots! I wish there were more places like this where I live!

Happy weekend!

[Sally]

Just want to say thank you for all your arduous research on our behalf - I really appreciate it! It makes me feel better just knowing that these havens of tea and cake exist in these otherwise rather gloomy times.

[geraldine]

The first pic is so nostalgic of childhood holidays to Guernsey, where tea for four on the beach would come in a wooden trug with Brown Betty teapot, thick white china and fruit cake that you precariously carried down very steep steps to the beach! I'm back there - thanks for the memory Jane,

[Jessica]

This place is just down the road from me and I keep reading good reviews about it - really must check it out!