The London Review Cake Shop

ITS ALL ABOUT BOOKS THIS WEEK, OH AND CAKE

Instagram ability: 4/10
Due to the lack of space and seating, instagramming was fairly limited.
Edginess: 5/10
Filled with Pride and Prejudice fans, The London Review is definitely quite mainstream.
Good For:
Chocolate and Guinness cake, it was seriously good.
Most Likely to Meet:
English Literature Graduates who are trying to look intellectual (me).
Affordability: 2/10
Maybe steer clear of the loose-leaf tea if you’re on a tight budget.

As much as I’d love to claim I chose The London Review Cake Shop because I’ve studied English/Comparative Lit for the last three years and therefore books are my life blah blah blah, I’d definitely be lying – I’d heard the cakes were pretty good, it’s walking distance from UCL and I thought I’d look more intellectual drinking coffee and eating cake surrounded by my BFFs Dickens, Austen and Tolstoy. For my third post, I recruited two of my housemates from Exeter – who both have actual jobs in London whilst I bum around writing blogs about cake – Naomi, a drama grad and PR hotshot, and Beth, a fellow English grad and High Speed 2 editorial pro.

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Located within The London Review Bookshop, as its name would suggest, The London Review Cake Shop is a book-lover’s dream. A haven for budding writers/book-worms/academics/publishers, its attentive table service, extensive tea list and selection of unusual cakes make for a memorable, albeit slightly pricey, experience.

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I’ve always been slightly impressed by the whole idea of loose-leaf tea, especially when I consider making normal tea with a standard tea bag effort enough and the fact that I feel extremely sophisticated and British whilst drinking it. Although the London Review’s loose-leaf Darjeeling was pretty great and Naomi’s ‘white tea’ (the de-caffeinated, healthier version of mine) looked really unusual, at £3.35 each I couldn’t help but feel it was a little steep. On the other hand, the cakes were absolutely incredible – my rose and pistachio cake was light, fluffy and an excellent combination of flavours, and Beth’s Chocolate and Guinness cake (I was initially dubious about the addition of Guinness) was surprisingly delicious.

Although the London Review is relatively small inside which meant I was practically sat on my neighbour’s lap, the pros definitely outweigh the cons: it’s cute, charming and quirky with tasty cakes, sophisticated tea and a geeky atmosphere.