Symmetry

at Allpress, Redchurch Street. Antipodean cafes continue to spring up around London like the Neighbours cast at panto season. And thank goodness. The Dark Ages of watery coffee from faceless chains, before the Aussie and Kiwi Enlightenment of Lantana, Flat White, Nude Espresso and co, don't bear thinking about.
The latest Kiwi kid on the block is Allpress Espresso in Shoreditch. According to my Kiwi chum A, Allpress is a big deal in New Zealand. It started as a small group of cafes in Auckland, and now its Costa Rican espresso beans are one of New Zealand's best-loved coffee brands, with outlets in Australia to boot.

So A was understandably excited to discover Allpress had landed in London. The first thing you notice arriving at this new cafe on Redchurch Street is the hulking coffee roaster taking up half of the cafe, resembling a contraption from Dr Who. Allpress Espresso is one-part cafe and one-part roastery selling beans to the trade and the public.

This has the slight disadvantage of cannabalising the floor space and making the cafe area, all cream-coloured bare brick walls and wooden tables, rather crowded. Allpress was heaving on the Sunday afternoon we visited, with punters huddled by the door or standing around the communal tables waiting for a seat to open up. The word is definitely out.

(review from the Internet)