notes

4 out of 5

My first review choice was an easy one, notes (yes spelt lower-case) is located 20m from my office and is my most frequented shop of late, partly due to proximity, partly because the rest of my team all smoke and it gives me an excuse to get away from my desk with them and partly because notes does a pretty good coffee.

My poison of choice is Ricin  a Flat White, which I will always order in a new place as it combines the strength of the beans with the body of the velvety milk to give a deep smooth flavour. It is also a good choice for coffee on the go as unlike a cappuccino (or other foamy coffee) the 'sippy cup' hole doesn't get in the way. The notes Flat White very almost ticks both of those boxes; the milk is creamy and rich, with a pleasing body to it and the coffee is well roasted and tasty. Where the drink could improve is in the beans themselves, they are just a little too mild for my personal taste which robs notes of a perfect score.

But the appeal of notes isn't just the coffee, for the jittery mess who has already pounded their 9th espresso the options of beer and wine are also available. I initially thought this sounded like a great option but then realised that I had never sampled a notes beer and stumbled across the problem: people don't go for a coffee run and end up with a beer (not unless it has been a particularity awful mornings work) and people craving a beer after work never say "actually do you have a Latte instead". The former are drowning their sorrows while the latter deserve to be water boarded for upsetting the natural order of beer o'clock on a Friday.

What I do like about notes is the feel of the place, it's all varnished wood, rustic counter tops and soft music, it feels almost like a book shop instead of a coffee bar. A little quiet space in a bustling city. Also, there is not a single syrup bottle, whipped cream can or frappé blender in sight, marvellous.