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Please note, this coffee shop, formerly known as Milk Teeth, is now called Juliets Quality Food. Time Out Food editors, MARCH 2020.
Fans of Balham’s cult brunch hangout M1lk were chuffed to hear that a spin-off was opening just down the Northern Line. M1lk Teeth is on a scrappy but evolving stretch of Mitcham Road and is, cliché or not, a jewel in the rough. A calmer, more grown-up take on the original, it’s the kind of place that plays gangster rap, but not at a volume that says ‘kids can fuck right off’. In fact, there were several families with tiny humans in tow, while in another corner, a handful of headphones-in-laptops-on hipsters sat sipping flat whites around a communal table. The breezy young Aussie staff gave everyone an equally warm welcome.
It’s a high-ceilinged space, with lots of light and a look that’s deliciously retro-cool. Dark exposed bricks may be a bit obvious, but there are also beige tiles, faux-marble tables and a ceiling that’s either half-finished or half-started.
Everyone comes for brunch. The Young Betty was essentially a trendy eggs benedict, with terrific sourdough (thick, chewy, crusty) instead of the traditional English muffin. You can have it with a couple of slices of dry-cure bacon, smoked salmon, or – and here’s where it gets interesting – with buttery-soft, smoked eel. Just brilliant.
Smoothies, juices and cakes were also great. Try the Polly, a mango smoothie thick with the scent of fragrant lemon verbena, or a slice of the moist, fluffy banana bread, which came with a crunch-edged, wattleseed-studded butter. M1lk Teeth may be the baby of the family, but it’s already proving it can hold its own with the big boys.