Pips Bistro - Tunbridge Wells

Near Christmas as we are, its freezing and what we all really need is a warm place to go for a cup of cheer…I mean tea. I stumbled upon Pips on my way to the Pantiles and it looked warm and inviting, I had to stop for a cup of tea and a slice of cake! I was not disappointed by the lovely tea and home-made Victoria Sponge that greeted me which will both have me going back for more with friends!

Lit by the glow of two red lamps over the counter, the place has a lovely warm, cosy feel to it which is perfect for this time of year you could almost imagine the red light was a Christmassy fireside glow (the sort by which you might conspire or over which you might roast chestnuts!). The room is full mismatched wooden furniture and fun knick-knacks like the deer head on the wall, currently covered in festive lights (also red) and the random fascinator on the wall below it.

One of the things that really caught my eye however, was the slanted ceiling above the counter that backs the stairs and has a door marked private in it! I can’t help but wonder if it actually opens and what is behind it…

A quirky and pleasant place to relax and have breakfast, lunch or just a snack with a great menu served till nine and a warm homely feel, I really recommend Pips for a pit stop any time of day!

Twitter: @PipsBistro

Address: 18 Chapel Place, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1YQ

Basil - Tunbridge Wells

“You haven’t been to Basil?! It’s the best café in Tunbridge Wells!” a co-worker gawped at me last week. I had heard of Basil, the health food café, bringing healthy, good food to the people of Tunbridge Wells from not one but two locations in and near the town center. However I had never been and had no idea where it was but after such high praise, I had to find it. So today, after work I ventured out into Tunbridge Wells, with directions from my co-worker in search of a snack and a cup of tea. Turns out it was actually very easy to find and I’m just unobservant…

Before I even reach the counter the staff are smiling and talking to me and there are lots of them, which was a little alarming at first but very good service and they are friendly and accommodating through the whole time we are there which makes a customer feel cared about and is very nice to have. If I was ever to rate cafes or god forbid grade them in any way, number of staff would be one of my criteria because some places just don’t seem to have enough. Some places don’t need the numbers, if they are smaller or less busy but lots of smiling helpful staff just makes a customer feel more comfortable and likely to come again! At least it does for me anyway!

The bright main room is, like most cafes seem to be now, all wood but the light wood of the floor and the light paint on the walls makes a beautiful contrast to the dark wood of the tables and chairs, giving the whole place a beautiful, natural look that a place with a name like ‘Basil Wholefoods’ really deserves. Straight in front of me as I enter is a counter laid out with all manner of interesting looking healthy cakes and pastries and above them, behind the counter a great choice of hot and cold drinks. There is no end of choice here to please even the fussiest or not-quite-hungriest of eaters just like me. However I am a sucker for a nice crisp croissant so when I saw a plate of them I had to have one and a cup of gorgeous, fair trade tea, both of which were lovely.

A really pleasant and friendly place to eat and a great variety of food for even really fussy eaters, I really recommend Basil for a lunch date!


Twitter: @basilwholefoods
Facebook: facebook.com/basilwholefoods
Website: http://www.basil-online.co.uk/
Address: 1-3 Lime Hill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1LJ

#TeaTotal - Tunbridge Wells

Another new addition to Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells is #TeaTotal (yes that’s the name of the café), a fresh look at tea and coffee for the local tea time lovers! (Fun Fact: This very blog was almost named Tea Total because it perfectly describes me!)

The inside of the café instantly grabs your attention, half in corrugated sheet metal and half in wood, its different from any of the cafés I have seen so far. The owner tells me that its made to look like a coffee ‘shack’ that you might find on holiday. The ever-popular black boards on the wall display teas and coffees in multi-coloured chalk brightening the look of the dark walls. The breakfast tea I chose comes from a company called ‘Cosy’, one I have never heard of but is delicious, especially along with a gorgeous Byron Bay cookie!

A few things a loved about this (apart from the cookies!) are the lights over the counter which are made out of teapots and the curtains to the kitchen, which are made from brown coffee-style sacking. 

A really lovely place that is open late and staffed by some really friendly people. Perfect for the after work pick-me-up, an escape to the holiday coffee shack highly recommended!

Fuggles Beer Cafe - Tunbridge Wells

I’ve been on my café journey for almost a year now and though I’ve been to some awesome themed cafes and some slightly odd ones too I haven’t yet been to one quite like this! I’ve swapped my usual four o’clock tea and cake for eight o’clock and a soft drink at Fuggles, the ‘beer café’ (what?! It has ‘café’ in the title!) This is so different from anywhere I’ve been so far and I love it! Though, of course, tea is my preferred drink I do like to go to the pub with some friends and when I spotted Fuggles I knew I had to try it out!

Inside the single room is kitted out like a swanky bistro with a wooden floor and tables and low lighting, I especially love the beer taps on the wall behind the bar, offering far more options than I have ever seen in a pub. Lots of small, changeable blackboards above these taps list the many beers for sale as well as the wines and also some great looking food. Above it all the ceiling is covered with bare beams and large silver ducts and these, coupled with the tin adverts on the walls, create a wonderful warm, retro feel to the whole place. Down the back of the bar, where my friends and I are sat are comfy (really comfy) sofas and lower tables if you feel like being a bit more relaxed.

In the evening the atmosphere is that of any trendy pub, food is served till half past ten and the crowds are heaving, if you see a spare table, you have to run quick! I think there is music too but its really hard to tell under all the din of the entire place talking at once! The thing I really like about Fuggles is the friendly atmosphere, all the staff are lovely and the customers seem to be having a good time too. Highly recommended!

Facebook: facebook.com/fugglesbeercafe

Twitter: @fugglesbeercafe

Website: fugglesbeercafe.co.uk

Address: 28 Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 2AP 

ParTEA!

Are you a café owner/worker in Tunbridge Wells or perhaps your just interested to discover new cafes and tea and coffee houses in the area? Then read on!

Yesterday I sent a message out on Twitter asking if Tunbridge Wells’ café owners (the ones I have on Twitter) were interested in meeting other local café owners and some prospective customers too. The message got a great positive response and so I’m setting up a parTEA! It will be a chance for you to meet like-minded people, have some tea, coffee and snacks and maybe even learn something.  I’d even like to get a couple of demonstrations and/or going as well so contact me if you would like to give a demonstration or a talk or know someone who might.

I will have a sign-up sheet out on the day so that people can give their e-mail addresses to any cafes present, if you have an offer for prospective customers let me know and they will be told about it on the day as well.

Feel free to bring friends and maybe even a tasty treat or two!

The date for your diaries is:

Sunday 19^th October 2014 3pm-8pm

The address is:

4 Calverley Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 2NE

P.S. I will also be bringing posters around the cafes to make sure I got all of you and so you can put them up for your customers too!

Colonnade Cafe - Tunbridge Wells

Hemmed in from all directions by the most beautiful flowers and plants, across the room from my favorite flowers (orchids), the smell is divine and the colours even better at the Colonnade Café.

The new thing seems to be what I call ‘café plus’ (or ‘plus café’ I suppose, depending on which came first). There’s Tunbridge Wells’ ‘Comic Cafe’, a comic book shop plus café, ‘Scallywag café’ which is also an antiques shop, ‘The Sevenoaks Bookshop’ (self-explanatory) and now the flower shop ‘Flowers @ Colonnade’ have created ‘Colonnade Café’.

The staff are so friendly to customers from both sides of their business whether they be buying a wedding bouquet or staying for tea. The crockery that all the food comes in/on is gorgeous, lovely flowing shapes and little heart shaped bowls for jam and cream for the scones this mixed with the gorgeous smell of the flowers and back and forth of the customers ordering flowers makes for an interesting and enjoyable tea time. The only problem with the two businesses is that one can distract the staff from the other when they are rushing to do everything at once which means that, unfortunately (and I’m sure, infrequently) things get forgotten (like my sandwich!) However, the tea was super and after a lovely message from the lady who forgot my sandwich when she saw a picture of one on my Twitter, I returned the next day for another great cuppa and had one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had!

A beautiful café, full of light and the smell of flowers, perfect for time to stop and think (or stop and smell the roses!)

Twitter: @ColonnadeTW

Facebook: facebook.com/flowersatcolonnade?fref=ts

Website: http://www.colonnadeflorist.co.uk/

Address: 10 Monson Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1ND

Stefania's - Tunbridge Wells

It is the small café capital of Kent here in Tunbridge Wells, with this one being the latest of twenty three that I have reviewed here in this town alone (there are more to come too!) Sat underneath a gorgeous chandelier with amber coloured stones and metal ivy and flowers all over it, sipping a huge cuppa and nibbling a heavenly slice of tiffin, I am in Stefania’s  

All bare wood and sweet repeat-pattern wallpaper, this café is the perfect place for tea with an old friend or a special day with a relative. Beautiful and bright with smiling staff and sugary treats! Looking at the sign on the wall that reads “I love chocolate” and all the chocolatey, cakey goodness on the counter and I know I belong here. The menu, while a little limited, all looks amazing, promising som3 real British food such as a ‘full english’ or ‘proper bacon/sausage sandwich’ and my favorite, ‘hot buttered cinnamon and raisin bagel with jam’! All these sound amazing but as the kitchen is closed I went for some gorgeous tiffin which, though busy (full of raisins and oats and things) is very nice and I accompanied this, as usual, with a lovely cup of breakfast tea (which is huge!)

Being on the top end of Camden Road, Stefania’s is really close to The Black Dog, Lo-Gi, Gusta and further away The Bicycle Café, Comic Café and soon The Tree of Hope Centre too! I have no doubt that Stefania’s will go far and stand out as it is entirely different from any of them, next time I will be sitting in the comfy armchairs in the window though!

Twitter: @StefaniasTW

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Stefanias-Cafe-Patisserie

Website: stefanias.co.uk

Address: 11 Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 2PS