If The Phoenician Scheme left you longing for more Wes Anderson, you might like to pay a visit to West London's Foreign Exchange News. The beautifully designed coffee shop would fit right in to Anderson's universe and — just as importantly — the coffee is great and there really is a working bureau de change inside!
I've visited Foreign Exchange News several times in the past couple of months, while researching my upcoming guide to Notting Hill. Its location on Leinster Terrace is technically in Bayswater but it's a stone's throw from Kensington Gardens and a short and pleasant stroll from Notting Hill.
There are a fair few bureaux de change in the area and Foreign Exchange News still has the original sign with the latest currency rates outside (UK readers will read 'em and weep). The shopfront itself is rather more modern and inside, the coffee shop is beautifully designed, with wood panelling, marble countertop, a long bench accented with pistachio green.
The coffee shop is long and slim, with a long, curved counter taking up most of the space through the centre. You can order from here — the espresso machine is on the right-hand side — and also browse the selection of pastries and incredible range of magazines.
At the back is the bureau de change itself, whose daily rates only made me long for the days when £1 was worth over $2. Alas!
There are a few seats inside — on the aforementioned bench, or perched on stools at the window and next to the bureau de change. You can also sit outside if the weather is playing ball — or walk two blocks down to Kensington Gardens, where there's plenty more seating.
The Foreign Exchange News menu features espresso-based drinks, as well as tea, chai and hot chocolate. Try to remember to bring your own reusable cup as the drinks are served in disposable cups. The house coffee is from 15grams, a Greenwich-based roaster I know and love. They also have some great guest roasters — coffees from Edinburgh-based Obadiah were on the retail shelf during my most recent visit.
I've now had three piccolos brewed with the Church Street espresso — a blend from Brazil and Uganda whose dark chocolate and cherry flavours come through nicely with a little milk. My coffees have all been very well brewed by the super-friendly baristas.
Want a souvenir of your visit? As well as bags of retail coffee, they have a nice merch range, including caps, tote bags and even old-school lighters for those with nostalgia for decades past. And with its great coffee, splendid design and welcoming team, Foreign Exchange News has quickly become one of my favourite spots in this corner of West London.
Foreign Exchange News. 22 Leinster Terrace, London, W2 3ET (Tube: Bayswater, Queensway or Lancaster Gate). Instagram.
For 150+ more of my favourite coffee shops in London, check out my London specialty coffee guide.
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