Coffee + Cupcakes in Covent Garden

Monmouth Coffee is some of the best I've had in London. It's strong, but not in that I got burnt in the roaster type of way. They also use full-fat jersey milk - can't start an order with a skim-this or a skinny-that! I almost always go to their Covent Garden location as its just a few minutes walk from my apartment - though they have other London locations.

Monmouth Coffee roasts coffee from single farms, estates, and cooperatives. They travel the world to find the best and follow the coffee from bean to cup. They also make it their business to know everyone and everything involved with those beans. The staff is super-friendly and laid-back - this is a must for me because its often my first interaction with the public pre-coffee. 

I love the cobblestone street its on, the little potted plants up top, and the nearby shops. Today I ventured a few blocks further to the Covent Garden Market area where they have recently welcomed a new member, Ella's Bakehouse. A few weeks ago I posted on a No-Bake White Chocolate Cheesecake that I found in one of London's local papers. Lorraine Pascale, founder of Ella's Bakehouse, provided the recipe and I quite liked the ease and taste of the cheesecake. So I thought a visit to her cupcake shop was a must.

The cupcake craze of the States - I've made trips to NYC for Magnolia and to LA for Sprinkles, as well as frequenting Kara's in San Francisco - has definitely made the jump over the Atlantic.  While the London counterparts, Primrose and Hummingbird, don't stand a chance in a cupcake contest, I had high hopes for Ella's. I found Primrose cupcakes to be hard as hockey pucks and little interest in the flavor department. Hummingbird's cupcakes are good and I love the American-inspired flavors. Though I find some of their other bakery contributions to outshine their famous cupcakes.

So how does Ella's compare?

Hands down the best Red Velvet Cupcake I've had in London. I gobbled it up - don't worry summer bikini, I ate a mini-Ella's Red Velvet Cupcake AND it uses some half-fat ingredients. Pleasantly and surprisingly it didn't taste like half-fat. It was moist and had the perfect cream-cheese frosting to cupcake ratio. It also wasn't heavily glittered like some of its friends in the cupcake case.

I also tried the chocolate and vanilla in mini-form as well. Chocolate was decent but unmemorable. The vanilla was really dry in a way that I suspect it was sitting in the case all day yesterday and hoped to be sold today. It was - to me. My friend got a Lemon-Raspberry cupcake that was great and a Peanut Butter cupcake was moist, but the flavor just didn't hit the mark with me. So, I'm absolutely going back for some Red Velvet and Lemon-Raspberry, but probably need some convincing to go for any of the others.

Comments

[Ann]

OMG!! I'm so tempted for that cup cakes.. yumm

[Natasha - 5 Star Foodie]

The cupcakes look scrumptious! I would so love one right now with a good cup of coffee!

[elra]

With all of this sweet treats to indulge, I would sit for hours in that cafe!

[cheffresco]

Latte art is seriously one of my favorite things! Man I'm jealous!

[Cynthia]

I always find myself tapping my foot when I'm at a coffeehouse and someone in front of me is ordering a complicated cup of coffee with skim this and that. And I'm so glad you got to try Sprinkles! It's one of my personal favorites. They started carting their cupcakes around in a catering truck, so instead of having to go to the stores, the truck will park somewhere and Twitter about its whereabouts. It's fun when the cupcakes come to you!

[Sophie]

MMMMMMM,...Everytime I am in London, I visit the Monmouth café. My husband & I love it too!

Thanks for the other adresses too!

Yummie yum!

[Tangled Noodle]

As much as I wanted to peruse Monmouth's coffee list from your second photo, I kept getting distracted by the pastries directly in front of it! 8-)

This was such a tasty post - coffee and cupcakes in one! If only I could have a taste of either right now - I'm hitting the mid-day slump . . .

[lisa (dandysugar)]

These are adorable and do sweetly delicious! I've been to all of the cupcakeries mentioned above but would love to try this one sometime!

[Lori]

Throw that bikini caution to the wind! That Red Velvet sounds like it was worth every bite. Those have to be some of the most attractive cupcakes I have seen. The cupcake craze has me wanting to try to make my own, but at the moment I lack the appropriate pan. :)

[OysterCulture]

This place looks amazing and I love the exterior, one of those places you stumble upon down a side street, reminds me of Mariage Frere in Paris - you open the door to a whiff of heaven.

Of course the incredible sounding coffee has nothing to do with this statement, and real coffee too, none of that skim milk.

FYI - A16 to open in Tokyo in September, A16 in SF keeps the same chef, and SPQR is a ? - Good thing we went there when we did.

[Nutrition to kitchen]

I would love to spend time in a cafe like that if it were near my house!

[Sam]

I love coffee shops like this, their cupcakes look amazing!

[laura]

really? i've tried 3 flavors. not impressed. dry red velvet - twice. and peanut butter was rather 'meh'

[gastroanthropologist]

Laura - I've been back once more after this post. My red velvet was good and moist, but I did try a coffee flavored one and it was so dry. I suspect they are selling day old cupcakes, because the frosting on some has thick crust that only comes with age... Don't think I'll be frequenting Ella's - sounds like you won't either...