Loafing

Another gem discovered!
I just love coming here on the weekends. The main reason obviously is the chocolate fudge. It tasted like happiness. They have a wide selection of different kinds of baked sweet goods such as cakes, muffins, cupcakes and many more.
I’m obsessed with the backyard! It looks like a lovely little vintage garden.
But those brownies and cakes though… I wouldn’t mind eating them every day for the rest of my life.

One of my favourite spots in the east end, Loafing is located near the wonderful park in the so-​called Victoria Village.
They offer a wide range of coffees, teas and drinks, but their forte are their cakes and sandwiches. I especially recommend the Salmon and cream cheese or the Pork, cheddar and Chutney ones.

I went here with a friend after reading a recommendation. We went on a Sunday afternoon. It was busy but we managed to get a table as someone was leaving. the food was overpriced and the guy behind the counter was rude and pretentious. It looks great from the outside, and I guess they’re relying on the trendy area to sell themselves. However, I think that customer service is so important and is where it lets itself downand it’s a shame as this place could be so much better.

This has become one of two options for me for a quiet pre-​work coffee. Monmouth coffee and a simple food menu. Toast with jam and butter and they even cater for the little man offering spelt bread options as well.
The décor is just gorgeous and I’ve heard rumour, while quietly drinking my coffee, that its owned by an interior designer. It’s got a rustic feel and a gentle atmosphere. The food smells fresh and real which is no surprise in the village, but a welcome relief for te country girl in me.
Definitely worth a stop off for a break if you’re in the area.

For photos, please go to

I love having brunch and I love breakfasts, warm crispy toast ready to be slapped with butter and condiment, silky and fluffy scrambled eggs Need I go on? I can have breakfast stuff anytime of the day and love it when places offer all day breakfasts. As not everyone might be as crazy as I am, brunch is a good alternative where I can still go breakfast crazy while my friends can choose other options; all while chilling out on a sunny and relaxing weekend day.
Here are a few places that I’ve been to.
Let’s start with Loafing. A corner café with a cool vibe about it close to Victoria Park, shabby chic furniture and teapots and cups decorate the place.
I was only here for a quickstop and had the muesli granola. Alternating layers of muesli and yoghurt topped with granola and freshly sliced fruits. This tasted fresh and natural. My dining friend had a hot chocolate. Can’t wait to try out other options on the menu

I love having brunch and I love breakfasts, warm crispy toast ready to be slapped with butter and condiment, silky and fluffy scrambled eggs… Need I go on? I can have breakfast stuff anytime of the day and love it when places offer all day breakfasts. As not everyone might be as crazy as I am, brunch is a good alternative where I can still go breakfast crazy while my friends can choose other options; all while chilling out on a sunny and relaxing weekend day.
Here are a few places that I’ve been to.
Let’s start with Loafing. A corner café with a cool vibe about it close to Victoria Park, shabby chic furniture and teapots and cups decorate the place.
I was only here for a quickstop and had the muesli granola. Alternating layers of muesli and yoghurt topped with granola and freshly sliced fruits. This tasted fresh and natural. My dining friend had a hot chocolate. Can’t wait to try out other options on the menu.

Shabby-​chique, yes, lovely. And the cake! A large variety of homemade-​style cakes, all of them look very yummy. You’re not on the cheap side here, a piece of carrot cake and a small glass of coffee latte was £5.70.

A decent local bakery is a great addition to any neighbourhood. I’d recommend the bread and the meringues (!) from Loafing, which has fairly rapidly established itself with the local yummy mummy set. The décor is determinedly shabby chic and while it’s not exactly budget dining, you can head down to Percy Ingle on Mare St if that’s what you’re after. The coffee is reasonable, and I imagine it’s a good spot to watch the world go by on weekdays, though from what I’ve seen it’s hectic, consistently, on weekends. It has already expanded out into the back of the premises since its opening last year. Open six days a week, excluding Mondays.

This is my favourite sort of tea room; you feel as if you’re a guest in the proprietor’s parlor and the whole enterprise was a happenstance sort of thing. As if one day, a person woke up and decided to display some of their prized cakes in their front window with handwritten price cards, then hung up a sign: «Tea takers welcome! Come on in!» almost just to see what would unfold. Yes, Loafing has that sort of organic feel to it… where, after the sign was hung, the whole neighborhood anxiously arrived, hungry for the cake and tea and familiar company… and well, they just never stopped dropping in…
This homegrown neighborliness gives Loafing such a cozy buzz… at times the dapper men behind the counter (who are far too well-​dressed to be mere «help,» which again, gives you the distinct impression that you are their guests) seem flustered by the rush of their visitors… seeing to orders with a smidge of an amateur deftness, yet an unshakable level of poise… which is actually very charming and enhances the pleasantry of the experience.
The coffee is okay, the cakes and other baked things standout — although the pricing for them runs from *bargain* (i.e. mince pies, fruit squares) to standard (lemon torte, brownies), to just a *tad* overpriced (my coffee walnut cake slice, at £3.50, seemed to cost just a few pence more than should have), and the tea and scones look absolutely marvelous.
If you come here on a weekend, expect it to be packed, and if you come too late in the afternoon expect many of the yummy looking things to be gone…

This is Victoria Park at its best — I love the way this place looks with its reclaimed rustic wood detailing and floors, its quirky teapots and very strict menu.
It almost looks like an old bakery with large windows and a modern twist. Specializing in British tea various flavours are available.
This little tea house offers cream tea for £7.00 and scones and sandwiches. The sandwiches particularly the mature cheddar with cranberry is really good and prices are compettive.
There is something to be said about a small menu — the conviction applied to those foods is great and this little place is very charming.
I highly recommend this place for a moment!

This rustic chic café recently opened in Victoria Park village in Hackney, is my new favourite for hot chocolate & marshmallows on cold, wintery days. Warm and inviting, the café is fairly minimalist, with wood flooring & furniture and the big windows bring in lots of light from outside. The owner is an interior designer and apparently has experience in collecting and selling antique furniture which is apparent in this cosy café.
Not exactly cheap, a slice of carrot cake came at a fairly pricey £2.50, and the small hot chocolate brought it up to a fiver, but I guess that’s standard for London.