{"id":5269,"date":"2019-01-13T04:30:22","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T04:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/the-caffeine-chronicles-le-cafe-alain-ducasse-coal-drops-yard\/"},"modified":"2019-01-13T04:30:22","modified_gmt":"2019-01-13T04:30:22","slug":"the-caffeine-chronicles-le-cafe-alain-ducasse-coal-drops-yard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/the-caffeine-chronicles-le-cafe-alain-ducasse-coal-drops-yard\/","title":{"rendered":"The Caffeine Chronicles: Le Caf\u00e9 Alain Ducasse, Coal Drops Yard"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first started working in King’s Cross, nine years ago, I used to have to walk 20 minutes at lunchtime for a good cup of speciality coffee (The Espresso Room was my usual port of call<\/a>). I’ve often written<\/a> about the rise and rise of the neighbourhood as a speciality coffee hub<\/a>, and the latest coffee spot to open up in the area is really quite special.<\/p>\n

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Le Caf\u00e9 Alain Ducasse<\/a> \u2014 and the neighbouring chocolate shop Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse<\/a> \u2014 has hopped over from Paris, a short ride on the Eurostar, whose terminus is nearby. The coffee is roasted in the Bastille area of Paris, in the 11th arrondissement, but the Gallic influences don’t end there.<\/p>\n

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Most of the slender shop is occupied by the sleek counter reminiscent of many of the ubiquitous comptoirs<\/i> en zinc<\/i> you’ll find in France. The espresso machine sits at the end closest to the French windows that look out onto the shiny Coal Drops Yard development<\/a>. At the other end is the brew bar, where pourovers are very much the order of the day. In front of the counter, there is a row of leather-seated stools \u2014 these are the best spots for maximum interactions with your barista, but there are a few more seats against the other wall, and a couple of tables outside too.<\/p>\n

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An impressive range of single-origin coffees is on offer, including a coffee from France \u2014 the island of La R\u00e9union, in case you were wondering \u2014 and a beautiful coffee from Yemen, which goes for \u00a315 as a filter coffee. On my first visit, that’s exactly what I try, encouraged by the charming baristas, whose passion for coffee is as evident as their attention to detail and customer service. The tasting notes describe the coffee as delicate and sophisticated, and indeed, it is a subtle drink, whose flavours come out beautifully as it cools. I wait until I’ve finished my coffee before enjoying the Alain Ducasse praline I’ve been given, to avoid ruining the flavours.<\/p>\n

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I return twice more in the first week of the year, sampling a super-smooth Ethiopian espresso with strawberry and white chocolate notes and a noisette <\/i>(the French for macchiato or piccolo, depending on your point of view) with their signature coffee, a Kenyan that tastes lovely with a little milk. Each time, the service and presentation are excellent and the coffee tastes great. And the baristas are always just as keen to welcome and to share their caffeinated delights with speciality coffee novices as with those, like me, who have long since fallen down the rabbit hole. I’m so pleased to have a coffee bar like Le Caf\u00e9 so close to my office. On y arrive<\/i>, King’s Cross.<\/p>\n

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Le Caf\u00e9 Alain Ducasse<\/b>. Unit 16, Bagley Walk Arches, Coal Drops Yard, London, N1C 4DH (Tube: King’s Cross).Website<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For 100+ more of my favourite coffee shops in London, please check out my speciality coffee guide<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I first started working in King’s Cross, nine years ago, I used to have to walk 20 minutes at lunchtime for a good cup of speciality coffee (The Espresso Room was my usual port of call). I’ve often written … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pizza"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5269\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}