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In lieu of a lobby, Paddington’s design-forward Pilgrm Hotel has a neighbourhood coffee shop with vaguely mid-century modern vibes and refurbed period features. As with the decor, the café’s fodder is highly curated and highly on-trend. But it’s also minimal AF: the marble countertop flaunting a chic Italian Faema coffee machine and little else.
The bare-bones menu reads like a current who’s who of the British artisan food movement. The savoury pastries (all three of them) were from Bread Ahead; the divine flake of the croissant an ideal vessel for the tang of the red pepper and crumbly feta cheese filling, complimented by a few fronds of peppery rocket. The equally short supply of doughnuts was from Crosstown: on my visit there were just two sea salt caramel banana and two vanilla glazed (utter sticky perfection) on offer.
The impressive provenance continued with the drinks. The smooth, deep taste of the coffee came care of ethical local brand CRU Kafe, and the premium tea was by Zigzag. In need of something sweeter? There were also candy-coloured bottles of cutesy sodas by Hackney-based small-batch pop purveyors Square Root in flavours like cinchona tonic.
If you need a little something else to nosh (and you will if you’re swinging by for lunch), the café also serves luscious pouches of Pump Street chocolate. Bottom line? What’s here is delicious – there’s just not much of it.