# The Milk Bar, London



## chrisweaver_barista

Well to get this topic started, here is my humble opinions of Flat White 2, or as its formally known, The Milk Bar.

it's located off Frith Street, in Soho, London. As I've come to expect after seeing Flat White, and hearing everyones opinions, it does not suprise me how understated it is. I couldn't see the phrase 'The Milk Bar' once, except in very small letters on the menu. However, anyone who's eyes weren't immediately drawn to the matte black La Marzocco FB80 on the counter can not be human.

We straight away ordered a flat white and a ristretto between us, and got chatting with the girls behind the counter, the experience was definitly present, and in showed in the quality of the drinks. Aside from the stunning latte art, the blend was fantastic, very balanced, and acidic enough to really cut through the milk, considering how new the place is, I would love to be able to claim quality like this with the amount of time they've had to dial it all in.

The place itself is reasonably small, stylishly decorated and with the ubiquitous bench running the length of the wall, it has the Flat White feel that you'd certainly hope for.

All in all a great coffee bar, and I hope it gets the same respect and aura as Flat White has worked hard to obtain!

Chris Weaver


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## TimStyles

Just quickly, Milk Bar are rocking a *gloss black* FB80.

The only matte black ones I've seen are at Ninth Street Espresso's Chelsea Market store.


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## Glenn

Tim!, great to see you on here

I've been such a slacker and haven't yet been able to make it in to Milk Bar, but am planning a trip in August.

I've heard great things (chinese whispers) so far so am sure it is exceeding expectations.


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## chrisweaver_barista

you are indeed right! My mistake! Now styles am i right in thinking you too have a coffee tattoo?


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## TimStyles

Coffee tattoo?

Nope.

Dr Pepper tattoo?

Yes.

Cadillac tattoo?

Yes.

"Flying Thud '08" tattoo?

Of course....


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## Glenn

6 shots of Espresso in 1 hour - all Square Mile, at Milk Bar and Flat White...

I took the opportunity to visit Milk Bar today with my wife who is a huge fan of Flat White (the cafe) as she is passionate about Flat White's in general (the way the coffee is prepared) and used to drink them all the time in New Zealand, so can spot a bad pour a mile away.

We arrived just after 2pm and managed to get a table in the corner so could view everything from our cracking vantage point.

The cafe was pretty full when we arrived but we were still greeted with a smile and recognised by one of the Flat White crew now working at Milk Bar (if you're reading this... sorry dude, I've forgotten your name)

The food menu differs from Flat White but the quality is just as good.

Realistically priced food, prepared promptly and presented immaculately.

The Milk Bar layout is pretty much a mirror image of Flat White although just a little shorter with capacity of 20-25 people (based on 10 tables).

The bench seat (padded) runs down the right hand side of the shop and around the back of the prep/serving area in an L-shape.

As you walk in to Milk Bar your eyes are immediately drawn to the lovely Gloss Black La Marzocco FB80, sourced personally by Cam, the owner of Flat White, from a visit to Italy.

The staff are passionate about the machine and uber pleased to be using Square Mile roasted beans, just 3 days into using them and still getting to know their traits.

That said, the coffee was great, exactly as anticipated, with a great milk texture and proportions for the signature drink, the Flat White.

There was a certain sweetness that was very very pleasing and a nice long after-taste.

For comparison I had a short macchiato as I had previously tasted Square Mile's espresso blend. This did not disappoint.

The cafe decor is similar but different, with more conventional artwork and different sounds to Flat White.

Menu-wise there are some new additions;

Affogato

Milkshakes (the usual flavours plus espresso)

Breakfast menu items (Avocado on toast etc)

Should we be judging Milk Bar on Flat White?

As they are part of the Flat White Network it makes sense to do so, as lessons learned from starting and successfully building Flat White into a recognised brand have been transferred to this new cafe.

Location-wise there is quite a lot of competition but the average punter would still struggle to find a cafe within 200m radius that has the same level of quality as Milk Bar

I wish the team all the success in the world

With continual monitoring of quality and staff training it will be hard to keep Milk Bar from winning cafe awards in the future...

Coffee - 8/10

Service - 8/10

Cost - 8/10 (in-line with other London prices - but quality exceeds other similarly priced establishments)


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## pierreFrench

I thought for a moment you might have been suggesting the rather grand idea of a coffee tattoo, in this sense of the word...


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## Glenn

I've now been in more times than I can remember and my wife has a Flat White every morning on her way to work.

The staff are creating some great drinks behind the bar as well as serving a delicious selection of food items.

Milk Bar is starting to get a good following from regulars and there are some great relationships forming.

They have been featured in the Top Cafes in Time Out too, an achievement having only been open for a few months.


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## Southpaw

Had a morning flat white here a few weeks ago. Very nice and balanced but don't feel I'm yet versed enough to go into the level of detail above.


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## MikeHag

3.5 years... great bump


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## Southpaw

I'll try harder next time


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## lookseehear

I regularly go to milk bar after going to nandos in Soho - lovely flat whites.


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## garydyke1

Sounds great. Ill be needing some tips on good places to visit - laura and I are popping into London one day for the Olympics gymnastics....coffee is a must!


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## jimbow

Depending upon what part of London you are in I would definitely recommend Speakeasy near Carnaby Street.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


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## Earlepap

Happy to make some recommendations. There's not much around the Olympic village unfortunately, but a short train ride can get you to some quality brews.


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## dsc

Milk Bar - best Flat Whites in London / UK hands down. Not sure who was manning the machine last week, but damn that was the perfect drink, perfect ratio, great milk, perfect temperature, pure creamlike texture. Guess the oldies can still show the new guns how it's done. Shame I had a take away and didn't taste it until I was pretty far away from the place, I would've tipped them and gave the barista a pat on the back.

Regards,

T.


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