Brickwood Coffee and Bread

The days I spend with my mother, the other half of livelifelovecake, are precious now that I live in London. Although, our distance is probably for the best as whenever we are together all we do is indulge in our favourite food and drink, after all, we need to taste good food in order to share it with you! I invited my mum up one Friday for a girls day out or in our case, a food day out. After a glorious meal at The Dairy the previous evening we were up early to make the most of our day with the first stop being Brickwood Coffee and Bread in Clapham, not far from The Dairy. Like The Dairy, Brickwood is on my list of “must visits”.

I stumbled upon Brickwood on a recent visit to Venn Street market as it looked like my kind of place; a rustic coffee house with an array of cakes on display. To my delight I found out Brickwood is owned by previous Aussie residents, my favourite kind of people! Not only that, I spotted a TimTam Muffin, my all time favourite biscuit, which led me to believe this place was something of a dream. This was going to be my new work place where I planned to work long hours on the blog whilst drinking coffee and eating cake (except my visit was before they had installed wifi so I was forced to take residency in Starbucks).

Brickwood Coffee and Bread is a small coffee house with quirky decor and a welcoming feel. There’s a large outside seating area perfect for summer and high stools along the window for those stopping for a quick coffee. Brickwood boasts a good choice of breakfast including the usual eggs and cereal options and the not so usual corn fritters, roasted veg and halloumi – yum! As we had a whole day of eating planned we decided to share some toast and a slice of grilled banana bread which seems to be becoming increasingly popular among the London food scene with many cafés adding it to their brunch menu. The toast came as two large slices of white sourdough which was incredibly fresh, if a little hard – this was one to eat carefully! We could help ourselves to butter and spreads including jams, honey and marmite. Personally I would have preferred salted butter but mum loved the unsalted butter as it reminded her of breakfasts in France. Mum suggested I try honey on my toast which I had never had before, apart from in a banana sandwich and I have to say, honey on toast is very tasty.

Our portion of grilled banana bread with espresso butter was a winner. Served hot, the espresso butter easily melted into the bread leaving it lovely and moist with a buttery taste of coffee which was subtle enough not to overpower the flavour of the banana and pieces of nut. We “oooo’d” and “ahhhh’d” our way through the lot and I now understand why this item has become a new addition to many menus. We drank creamy flat whites with beans roasted by Caravan, one of my favourites in London. Not too rich, but enough kick to enjoy any time of day.

As well as breakfast, Brickwood serve a selection of sandwiches and wraps including a fantastic looking BBQ pulled pork ciabatta. On my next visit I must pick up a TimTam muffin as it’s the only one I’ve come across, even when in Australia. The staff are chatty and friendly and the place has a community feel which makes you feel relaxed. Brickwood is a great addition to the area and I can’t wait to return.

Loving life, loving cake – and Clapham!

H x