Borough Market

The Globe Theater, which I passed on today's journey along the Thames' south bank.

Despite the fact my first Living/Accommodation payment was due today and the school has yet to hand over my money, leaving me penniless and unable to pay my bills (off on the right foot, and all), I would feel confident calling today a glowing success. In fact, it was so successful I am dividing it into two parts so I can write about each separately.

A beautiful day to be in London!

Marking both the start of October and the beginning of the second full week of classes, today was also, approximately, the 30^th-ish consecutive day of warm, sunny weather. I think we've had a single day of rain since I've been in England and that much evidence is enough for me to dismiss completely the “terrible, awful, no good, very bad weather” reputation this country has and exchange that stereotype for a sunnier one.

The Tate Modern

There was no way I was going to spend a day like that on campus so, again, I ventured into the city. I'd done a bit of Googling the night before, just in case, and was able to find plenty of great Free Things To Do in London. One that stood out was “photomonth”, an international photography festival of both established and emerging artists in over 100 galleries and venues across London. One such display happens to be at the Tate Modern Art Museum, 5 floors of contemporary art free to the public. The Tate is easily accessible, right on the Thames and close to plenty of Tube stations. It also happens to be close to the London Bridge (not to be confused with Tower Bridge, often mistaken as the London Bridge for its iconic towers). Underneath London Bridge lies hidden one of London's best food markets. It is this area that I will focus on for Blog #1 today. The second installment, Blog #2, will detail the part of my day spent within the museum, for there's much to say, in particular, on that front.

Imagine, if you will, all of London, the whole city and everything in it. Now, narrow that wide-lens view to focus on a single coffee roaster's house, looking for the single best stop in all of London. Impossible, you might say. But in fact there is one, and it's found in the Borough Market underneath London Bridge. Monmouth Coffee Company is one I visited the last time I was in London because, though it was a bit out of the way, it came so highly recommended by reviewers from all over the world, as well as by local patrons, that I couldn't pass it up. Being the coffee snob I was (and am) I had to try what was reputed to be the best coffee in all London. I wasn't disappointed. The tube ride, those two years ago, and the roundabout way I took to get there, was completely worth the confused hassle I made it out to be. Monmouth Coffee was just as fabulous as everyone had said.

So this time around, two years later, I promised myself I would make the journey back to Monmouth in Borough Market at some point. It just so happened to be conveniently close to the Tate Modern so before heading to the museum I made an intentional detour toward Monmouth.

I took the Tube from Putney to the London Bridge station, Monument/Bank, and alighted to street level pleasantly surprised to recognize my surroundings, despite the fact I had only been at this location once before and that was two years ago. Heading west down a curving side street you'll notice the first market shops on your immediate right, soon followed by more on your left hand side. The first of these on the left was a cacao grower and chocolatier called Rabot Estate. Up ahead I could see my coffee destination but I stopped into Rabot for a peek, anyway. And oh goodness, what a chocolate heaven:

Along the back wall, as you can see, were all their separately wrapped specialty chocolates, any delicacy you could possibly want or imagine. So I splurged and bough a a six-piece praline selection with orange, caramel and cashew nuts. The cashier bagged them up prettily and I decided I'd try them alongside my perfect coffee.

Next to Rabot Estate, Monmouth is in the upper right corner.

Monmouth is on the corner of Park Street and Stoney Street and in nice weather the entire storefront is open:

Their coffees are roasted and delivered fresh every day from their roasting site in Bermondsey. They have communal wooden tables with fresh bakery bread and jams to share where there's always a good gathering of business people in smart suits, reading newspapers and chatting happily. It's fun just watching everyone interact, almost like a giant family at a happy, shared meal. The quality of the espresso drinks, the artistry in the pour and swirl, the quality of the drip brewed coffee, all of it makes Monmouth the only place to start your day on the South Bank of the Thames. It is an experience, above all else, and one not to miss.

My orange chocolate square

I always choose a latte when ordering a drink I plan on savoring slowly. And here it is worth the extra cost. And the, often, long queue. But today I didn't have to wait long and at 1PM there are plenty of seats available and lots of sun a fresh air drifting in through the open door. 

I chose a window seat and sipped a bit of the foamy milk off the top. This is the kind of coffee that's so delicious you don't need to add anything to it; it's already perfect. Rich and creamy and full of flavor. After the first savory sips, I decided to open my chocolates. According to their website, Rabot Estates' “...chcolate shop is in one of the largest food markets in the world, and is regarded by some as one of the highest quality markets in the United Kingdom.” I would certainly not disagree. My praline selection was a sampling of the best chocolates I have ever had, two of each flavor. The first was an orange infused square with just the subtlest fruitiness, nothing overpowering. Just melty goodness. The second was a chocolate-coated cream caramel with a dot of crystallized sugar on top. The last pair were cashew-filled chocolates, silky enough to melt in your mouth.

And from there, in my lovely, cozy window seat, I cupped my white ceramic mug and watched the Londoners come and go, flipped through a magazine, and savored my chocolates. 

When at last I was refreshed and re-energized I headed west, again, along the Thames until I reached the Tate Modern. My next blog entry will continue from here.