The Herne Hill Frothies
A round-up of some of Herne Hill’s finest cafes. I seem to find myself in these quite often these days and I thought it might be good to do a little comparison.
No, I’m not talking about an obscure prog rock band who used to play at the Half Moon in its heyday. What’s this all about then? Well, I’ve taken one for the team, visited various cafes in Herne Hill and now I’m going to tell you about my (son’s) top five places for frothies. It’s been tough, eating all that cake and drinking all that hot chocolate (well, I had to have something too, right?). “What on earth is a frothy”, I hear you ask? Apparently it’s what Australians call a babyccino. In other words, a drink for kids that’s made of frothy hot milk with a dusting of cocoa on the top.
There comes a point, when you have children, that you want to meet your mates in a cafe, to feel sane again, rather than endlessly trail around the park holding the scooter. This inevitably involves having to get something for your small person as well. Cough *bribery* cough. It turns out that babyccinos are the must have accessory for a two year old in South London. I cringe every time I ask for one for my son, as I feel it sounds just that bit too pretentious. I’d love to boldly ask for a frothy but then I think I’d just get quizzical looks. So I shall continue to cringe. For the purposes of this blog however, I’m renouncing the babyccino in favour of the frothy. (Apparently, they’re called Steamers in North America, and Fluffies in New Zealand, who knew?).
Anyway, onwards to The Purveyors of The Froth.
The Roome
This cafe is relatively new to me. I don’t know why on earth I didn’t start going there sooner, because I’m gluten intolerant and they have some cool snack options for the likes of me, courtesy of the amazing Cakesmiths, not just your run of the mill chocolate brownie. It’s cosy, friendly, has really helpful staff, lights made of teacups, and a fantastic window for watching the world go by (a must for my 2 and a half year old; if he can’t watch out for trains/neenaw vans/minibuses/diggers/trucks/tractors etc then he gets bored pretty quickly). And they have loads of hot chocolate options, from standard sugary stuff to real chocolate melted into milk (I went for the super dark option, very tasty indeed). They also give you a 10% discount if you have a South London Club card. But never mind all that, onwards to THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. THE FROTHY.
Let’s be honest, a frothy is just a cup of hot milk. But as I’ve discovered, it’s all in the presentation. I love it when it comes in a cup and saucer. And this one came with a tiiiiny spoon. Perfect. My son loved it.
So all in all, it was a winner. Except when my son fell off the bar stool at the window seat and got an ouchy on his lip. But hey, that wasn’t The Roome’s fault! #parentingfail
The Parlour
I have a real soft spot for The Parlour, it’s just great for kids. They have a selection of toys and books and they have a HUGE window for watching the aforementioned neenaw vans, with a low window bench that the small people inevitably gravitate towards. They do sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free cakes, the hot chocolate is great, they have themed evenings (last Thursday it was curry night), they also give you a 10% discount if you have a South London Club card…there isn’t much more to say really! And the cafe has a lovely vibe, it’s bright, airy and dog friendly too.
The Lido Cafe
This is such a cool cafe, as you probably know. Light, bright, and it has an amazing view of people swimming away whilst you feast on tasty things. It’s great for a bit of weather-watching.
Now, the thing that made me sad about this frothy is the fact that it came in a disposable cup. Sad times, in terms of sustainability. It was big though, and had a straw so my son was again happy… And the hot chocolate was as tasty as ever. Plus they have a little crate of toys, which my son is very familiar with now! They’re also no stranger to accommodating my pesky gluten intolerance; they usually have a couple of cake options, and even have gluten free bread available.
Cafe Provencal
Cafe Prov is also one of my favourites these days. If we get the right table (the one at the back on the right, by the window), my son is in heaven. Nee-naw vans aplenty. And trains of course, as it’s right by the railway bridge. What’s not to like. It’s cosy, especially since they shrank it back to its original size recently (the other half is now Wild+Lees). The staff are friendly, and good with kids. No toys but they do have crayons, for a cheeky spot of drawing. The frothy was a good size, and again came in a cup and saucer with a spoon. I love the fact that the hot chocolate came in a Herne Hill mug! When we visited, they had a gluten free banoffee pie on the menu, I didn’t try it but it’s always good to see these things are available.
Blackbird Bakery
This is the smallest of all the cafes; unless you’re outside there’s not much of a view for a small person to appreciate, and no toys. However, the staff are lovely and they have a large range of breads, cakes and savoury things, including two gluten free sweet options, plus an amazing vegan chocolate cake. The frothy is free, but alas when we visited it was a bit on the small side, and also in a disposable cup, a shame I think. What I love about their hot chocolate option though, is that it’s real cocoa and they always say, “it’s real cocoa, would you like it sweetened?” As I’m trying to cut down on the dreaded sugar, I love the fact that I can say “no thanks” and then feel mega smug that I’ve gone without. (Er…then of course I ruin it by eating something sugary…woops).
There you have it. Five great places for small snacks and babyccinos in Herne Hill. I think it’s brilliant that we have so many local independent options available to us, serving up seriously tasty food and drink. If we don’t support local, we lose out in the long run. With the uncertainty surrounding the businesses taking over the soon-to-be-refurbed railway arches, it may soon be the case that we need to support local options even more.
Right, I’m off for a long walk in the park with my son, it’s time to work off some of those hot chocolates! Feel free to check me out on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, for more Herne Hill insights.
