04 September 2018

The Caffeine Chronicles: Lomond Coffee

Living in Bermondsey, I'm no stranger to railway arches that house bars, eateries and independent stores. Located just off Deptford High Street, next to the station, Deptford Market Yard consists of a dozen or so small businesses from sneakers to street food, each occupying a railway arch along a broad, pedestrianised boulevard.


On a sunny Sunday afternoon, there is a chilled-out atmosphere — enough people to give it a nice buzz, but not so many that you can't nab a coveted outdoor seat in the sunshine. I first stop for brunch at Dirty Apron, where my bubble and squeak with crispy bacon is well worth the wait (the tiny kitchen means orders can take a few minutes to arrive, even if there isn't a queue). They serve coffee from Alchemy but I have other caffeinated plans for the afternoon.


Two arches down from Dirty Apron is Lomond Coffee, a tiny coffee roastery and café run by Linzi and Hayley. The sisters have made good use of the diminutive space, with pendant lights and a soft grey concrete coffee bar accentuating the fully exposed brickwork of the arch. It feels cosy, even on an unexpectedly sunny day and in winter, it must take some willpower to abandon a seat at one of the high tables and to venture back outside. There are only seats for about ten people inside, but the seating in the yard more than doubles this when the weather behaves.



I have seen the baristas taking several great-looking espresso-based drinks out to customers, but I am pleased to find a V60 filter coffee on the menu too. I order one, as well as one of the chocolate peanut butter bars that are tempting me from the counter. It is at least 15 minutes since I finished my brunch, after all. The peanut butter proves the perfect foil for the rich, gooey dark chocolate and the sweet treat has disappeared by the time my coffee arrives.


As for the coffee, it is roasted daily in small batches in the roaster that sits behind the counter. The coffee du jour is a single-origin Costa Rican honey processed coffee, with orange, raspberry and caramel notes. It tasted very good indeed and I enjoyed drinking it while watching the friendly female baristas serve up coffee, brunch and genuine, friendly service in equal measures. I will have to return to sample the brunch — in particular, the kimchi pancakes with fried eggs, which sell out during my visit.



Caffeinated and happy, I stroll back down the Yard, popping into lifestyle store Win and Ruby and lovely plant store Forest on my way back to the high street. On Saturdays, Deptford Market Yard is even busier, with the Deptford Bites market bringing even more street food and crafts. Is it as good as my local Maltby Street Market? Well, it's much newer, of course, but perhaps one day they will become arch rivals.



Lomond Coffee. Arch 7, 4 Deptford Market Yard, Deptford, London, SE8 4BX (Deptford rail). Website. Twitter. Instagram. Deptford Market Yard website.

For 100+ more of my favourite coffee shops in London, please check out my speciality coffee guide.

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