Click. Click… Click?
Ah, the sweet sound of another power cut. Whenever this happens, and I get interweb withdrawal shakes, I head over to Roman Road market and to Chicchi internet cafe. I’m not sure exactly what their internet policy is now - it used to be if you bought anything over £1 then you could use the internet free for an hour. But when I was there last weekend I had been online for a good hour and a half before I noticed I’d overrun and nobody came to pester me.
This easygoing approach to internet time is just one thing among many that I love about Chicchi (pronounced ‘kikki’ apparently, the Italian for ‘beans’) As well as excellent, tasty and reasonably priced pasta and salads, you can buy intriguing teas with exciting names. Clear favourites in the name stakes are Gunpowder Qing and China White Jade Butterfly. Who wouldn’t want a cup of tea that sounds like part of a kickass crime-fighting team?
Chicchi also takes milkshakes to a whole new level. Strawberry, chocolate, banana? Sure, they’re there, for your casual milkshake drinker. For the ever-so-slightly-more-adventurous there is delicious coconut or dashing hazelnut. But the milkshake drinking pro you can wet their whistle with peach & vanilla, pistachio & hazelnut, or chocolate & cinnamon. Even sick milkshake obsessives are catered for with a strange mutant creation: chocolate & strawberry. That’s right. In the SAME GLASS.
If you think that sounds exciting, you should see their waffle menu. Take a moment to let that sink in. Waffle. Menu. I’m just going to link right to it.
The lovely Chicchi people (and they are lovely - smiley and friendly) take a similar approach to their coffee. It is damn fine coffee, needless to say, but I like strange flavours in mine. And rather than pedestrian hazelnut, cinnamon, vanilla etc… I can walk right into this little cafe and order a banana latte, without shame, without needing to explain myself, or meet the confused and pitying gaze of some hapless barista. Not here. It’s up on the board, on their list of syrups, as is coconut.
Is there a greater joy than feeling accepted, and loved like this?
Also a brief little shoutout to AMT Coffee (they have a stand in Liverpool Street station, so it counts as east endy) I heart you! You make similar strange concoctions such as banana lattes, hot apple with cinnamon, cherry flavoured yogushakes and the adorable froffee. And, at the request of your customers, you went completely fairtrade years ago, way before it was cool. If there is one thing that would improve Chicchi for me it would be fairtrade coffee.
Happy fairtrade fortnight!
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