Live from ... Leyas.

Just around the corner of Mornington Crescent Station and less than 10min away from Camden Town Station, Leyas is a lovely little coffee shop that I discovered yesterday thanks to my friend Julie. Here're my thoughts!

The place: Leyas.
The address : 20, Camden High Street, NW1 0JH









Interior: Leyas has a split-level design. On the top floor, you'll find the counter, made of antique fruits crates. There, you can choose amongst sandwiches, quiches, salads, cakes, soups... to fill your hunger. Some slate platters to present the food in an artisan yet sophisticated way. There's also shelves on the wall where you can find drinks and loose leaf tea bags to bring home.




Near the entrance door, there's a small area with two tables and a few seatings. Then, in the lower ground floor seating area, you'll find a relaxed and cosy ambiance. More vintage tables and chairs that bring you back at school. Chesterfield sofas add a certain touch to the place. Some portraits are hung on the wall. I liked the exposed brick work which color echoes to the red shades of the leather sofas. And the indirect lightning with desk lamps is nicely thought too. 





Last picture is from www.leylas.co.uk



Original Soundtrack: I listened to different things through the afternoon. Soul but also some french variety. The volume was high enough to create an ambience but not too loud so that you can still you hear your own thoughts (that is not always the case in some places that I visited recently).

Menu : Here you'll find artisan food and good coffee/tea. Sandwiches, salads, quiches and cakes are homemade. They are nicely presented on slate and wooden boards and everyone will find something to eat. The choice is generous, with vegetarian options. You can also find one of my favourite : the ham & cheese croissant. Thirsty? Then try a Chegworth Valley juice! My preference goes to the Apple and Elderflower one. Fancy a coffee? Then you're in good place! The Leyas Team works with an artisan coffee roaster to give you a blend of beans coming from Indonesia, East Africa and Latin America. I tried it and loved it! You can also drink one of their very own loose leaf tea. I saw someone tweeting about their Chaï Latte : might give this one a try next time!

The + : Situated next to Mornington Crescent Station and not far away from Camden Town Station, I think Leyas is a good spot for a tasty lunch and/or a studious afternoon. They also propose a catering service (I'm sure companies in the neighborhood enjoy their sandwiches and cakes platters very much) and the place is available to hire for private fonctions.


Reception: great service from lovely waiter/waitresses, big smile when I ordered and they seemed pretty happy to see me coming back for more on the very same afternoon.

Wifi : yes!
Network: oups, forgot to look for it because I was using 3G. But free Wifi is available.
Password : you'll need to ask the guys upstairs, sorry!


I tried for you : a Parma Ham Salad (£4.95), an Apple Elderflower juice from Chegworth Valley, a Latte, a Moka and a Mixed Berries Muffin. Yes, I know, it's quite a lot. But I was there for lunch and then I decided to stay the whole afternoon to work (yes, I worked!). The muffin was really really good and reminded me that it's something I don't really bake often. #unexplored terrritory

The bill: around £14.






One more place to add on your "to visit" list. I think I'll come back again soon to lunch with Julie and work on Petit Gâteau's future website. Might be the occasion to try that Chaï Latte.


Open a year ago, this coffee shop deserves to be known. Or not. Sometimes it's good to keep some places a bit more secret.

The website: www.leyas.co.uk
Twitter : @LeylasCoffee


(French version here)



3 commentaires:

  1. Looks like a nice place. Not so many of them around Camden Town (or maybe well hidden !), as I was surprised to find out last time I was in the neighbourhood.

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