Soho Coffee Co. St Paul's

In a light-filled, somewhat utilitarian space – but with a neat view of the cathedral – sits the St Paul’s branch of Soho Coffee Co, one of the lesser-known of London’s chain caffeine dispensaries.

In the chiller, you’ll find a large selection of wraps, sandwiches, salads and soups, but there are also made-to-order hot items. A warming jacket potato with ancho chilli was a winner: cut in a hassleback style (that is, sliced like a concertina, or perhaps a toast rack), then baked until soft and steamy, the starchy potato was the perfect foil for the beefy chilli, topped with incendiary red peppers. Compared to the comforting, full-flavoured bites of potato, an Asian duck salad seemed tired and flat.

The Mumbai train chai, humming with star anise and black pepper, was the star of the hot drinks list. If you are still in the market for some calories after that lot, the salted caramel brownie was worth every sweet, gooey bite.