Full Stop Bar, 202 Brick Lane, E1 6SA London

Twitter @fullstopbar if you're that way inclined.

So while the husband and I are exploring the lifestyle of the unemployed - waking at noon, breakfast at lunch, and going out at rush hour (6pm), having lunch at dinner, you know the drill - we've also been diligently trying to get through our London List. This is the list of things we should have done perhaps four years ago when we first moved to London, but because of the lack of time, energy and commitment, somehow they've just gone off the radar.

Not anymore, though. The list is now back in action and we're working our way through it.

After forcing ourselves out of the flat around 1pm, we decided to make our way towards Brick Lane.

A bit of background here, if you may. My husband used to go to Pete's cafe everyday while it was located at Church Street Market near Marylebone (when it was called Indie Coffee). This is the same husband who, until about 5 months ago, hated coffee like I hate commuter crowds. He didn't like the smell of the beans, the taste of the liquid, and pretty much hated anything to do with coffee. Then, succumbing perhaps to some peer pressure (busy people having busy coffee), he decided to try a bit of the wonderful stuff. It wasn't love at first gulp, and after a few persistent months of Flat Whites, he got hooked.

He began to like coffee, and most of all, grew to enjoy the little chats he had with the guy who ran the stall. So, it was without question that when this guy then opened up his new coffee shop in Brick Lane, that we'd go check it out before we left London.

Full Stop Bar is the shop in question - located on Brick Lane, handily opposite the road from the famous Brick Lane Beigel Bake (a place which would've made me very fat had I worked / lived / commuted past it on a daily basis).

The outside of the shop still says Antiques on the board, so you could easily walk past it thinking the chairs and tables by the window were for sale. They're probably not. What they were, though, however, were very comfy places for us to perch our bums on while we had our excellent coffee and more than excellent brownie (more on that later).

I ordered a White Americano as I just couldn't justify having that much milk so early on in the day (my daily Starbucks Soy Latte was calling for me). While it was smooth and definitely one of the best Americanos I've had, it was no match for the ...

... Flat White.

This is by far one of the nicest Flat Whites in London. We've been to quite a few coffee places in London, but this stands out from the rest. Guess it helps that we like the guy who makes it, too, but that aside, Full Stop Bar actually has comfy chairs for us to sit in. The other places we've been to in London have usually been the type of crowded, small and cramped places where you'd have to scoot by in a certain sideway fashion to get to your seat, while then balancing your cuppa on the WiFi-enabled laptop that came as an accessory.

Helps too that their brownies are softchewilicious. Crumbawumba. Chockawocka. Get your hands off it.

Flat White, 17 Berwick St, Soho, London W1F 0PT

Despite having more hours' sleep than usual, and having quite a relaxed night watching American dramas the night before, the husband and I both had a bit of a headache the following day. Puzzled, we guzzled some water but when that didn't make it better, the only conclusion was this:

"We are coffee addicts"

Now that's not really surprising for me as I've been having coffee on a daily basis for the last 6 or 7 years. I am usually OK on weekends without it. However, the husband did not have coffee for 28 years, as he hated the taste of instant coffee and it never occurred to him that good coffee can actually be, well, quite good.

However, peer pressure at the office finally brought him to a small, independent coffee stall near Marylebone where he tried a flat white, and has been speaking lovingly of the coffee man and beans ever since.

To get rid of the headache, we decided to get some mean beans from Flat White on Berwick Street in Soho. The husband had heard rave reviews of the place from a few friends, and having previously been there once for a quick takeaway cuppa, we decided to try it out again.

The interior of the cafe is befitting of the trendy Soho area at which it is located. Although rather dim inside (a pet peeve of mine due to my rubbish photography skills), the decor is chic and quirky (I am assuming this is what the owners wanted to achieve - otherwise I apologise for using these stereotypical words for describing your cafe).

The walls are decorated with photos of cameras from all decades (and are for sale too), while the seats are comfortable and cosy, even if they are situated quite close to one another. It is quite a small cafe though, so that's understandable.

They do serve food, but we've never tried the food here since we only ever get here around 4pm, but I've seen people eating and the stuff looks good. There's something about staring unashamedly in a hungry sort of way at someone who's eating that makes them eat that little bit quicker.

The waiting staff are always very, very happy so if you need proof that coffee makes a person happy, just spend some time here. They chat, they laugh, they make coffee. What more do you want?

We were there around 4pm (again) and the place was nearly full of very chic-looking people drinking their coffee in a very cool, relaxed way. Sticking out like a cocoa bean among coffee beans, we proceeded to find a comfy booth to park our bums.

The husband brought back a lovely little flat white, complete with milky swirly decoration, much to my delight. Bubble tea was pushed aside (well, it was finished anyway) and we both ooh-ed and aah-ed at it for a bit. It was lovely. Very smooth, velvety and we finished it all too quickly.



So we ordered another coffee, preferring to have something cold instead. The iced coffee was nice, and just as smooth as the Flat White, but with less milk. Overall, I prefer the Flat White as it just felt ... fuller.

We like this place very much, and it's definitely one of those places we'd go out of our way for to get to. Compared to other cafes, this one serves superior coffee, with great service, and comfy seats, right in the middle of Soho so it definitely gets our vote.

Phone number: 020 7734 0370
Website: www.flatwhite.com

P/S: Would like to wish a very Happy B'day to Chocky Wocky (@speroine) - may good food always come your way!