LONDON: Ginger & White

Moist red velvet cupcake, oreo cupcake and cappuccino 

Photo taken by Jun (with my iphone)

Cliché as it sounds, it's a fantasy of mine to set up a pleasant, quiet little cafe amidst a smattering of quaint bookstores and alfresco eateries. The cafe I've dreamed up is a meld of the rustic nature of Le Pain Quotidien and the happy ease of Ginger & White. I did mention the latter in my first post, but I didn't do it justice so here's an entire post dedicated to it. Nestled within Hampstead High Street, Ginger & White is along the street right next to La Crêperie De Hampstead (see two posts down). What makes a cafe isn't just the cakes or its walkable distance from where you live, it's the atmosphere - the kind that makes you want to stay and sip coffee and read for a good few hours. Ginger & White wouldn't be Ginger & White without its azure blue plates, attentive staff (that somehow seem so innately content) and window seats bathed in sunshine. 


Unfortunately, I'd decided against bringing my dslr because of its weight so these pictures were taken with my iphone - though for a camera phone, I honestly think they're not too shabby. Afternoon tea with Jun today was a combination of decadently iced cupcakes, chilli-infused hot chocolate, light reading and good conversation. 


My chilli hot chocolate was a refreshing, albeit strange, change from the usual kind. Though the chilli's spiciness somewhat disguised the chocolatey taste, it wasn't at all unpleasant. Ginger & White is one of my favourite haunts and as a direct result, I know to come on weekdays, order the carrot cake when in doubt, avoid the mocha and go straight for the hot chocolate. The carrot cake is so good, in fact, that by the time we got there at 3pm it'd been sold out for an hour. For those of you in Singapore though, don't worry, Cedele's carrot cake is just as delicious and it comes with a walnut-encrusted side.