On reading the title of this post, you could be confused as to whether you jumped onto a site advertising a flower shop or some sort of botanical gardens in the city, BUT, all is forgiven, because this unique coffee shop marries the cafe owner’s love for flowers and of course, coffee. – I present you Urban Botanica Coffee Shop. Recommend by my daughter as a way to get me to satisfy my coffee craving near her home, I was in for a pleasant surprise.
Upon entering, you will be greeted with lots of pot plants, especially on your left and you may be wondering, “am I in a flower shop?”. However, after a few steps in, you will notice that the brew bar has been designed to kind of blend in with the happy plant space, as there’s lots of pink, including the eclectic and super espresso machine, the Kees Van der Westen Spirit – custom made with pink undertones – a machine for serious coffee nerds, no doubt.
Owned by Stephen, formerly of Horsham Coffee roasters, Stephen literally fell in love with his espresso machine, which he owned before even opening his coffee shop – sounds like something I’d do. After a few months of looking, he finally found this spot in Kennington, south east London. If I recall, the pot plants and flowers are in collaboration with a local florist and they have decorated the shop profoundly.
As you walk through the narrow shop, there’s more seating on the right hand-side, just before you enter the garden. With London enjoying the hottest September on record, we naturally sat outside and waited to be served.
When Stephen finally moved with his machine, he naturally went for Horsham Coffee as his choice of roaster. With a range of coffees, I opted for a Colombian coffee as a Flat White. As he made our coffees, I asked him few questions not to interrupt his flow – you could see the passion in his eyes and in the way he prepared our coffees. I filmed him as he made mine and I was already excited to taste it.
Delightfully made, I could sip the love of the coffee, which was one of the best I had during this trip. My wife and daughter and other friends had milk based coffees and a HarioV60 with a Rwandan coffee.
Before I left, I bought Brazilian coffee beans to make home to Dubai for my espresso cravings.
To be honest, Kennighton is not really a place you will visit in London for any famous sites, as it is quite a neighbourly place, but it is not very far on the Underground northern line from the city nor Charing Cross (full of tourist attractions). So if you are nearby, I encourage you to hop on the tube and stop by here for a delightful coffee experience.
Urban Bontanica is located at 30 Windmill Road, off Kennington Road.
