Teatro Lounge, Clevedon

Welcome back to the Coffee in Clevedon blog for the first post since January. If you thought we were done and dusted, we're weren't. We've been waiting for the chance to review some new coffee in town.

The chance came with the opening of the Teatro Lounge, part of the Loungers group. You might be surprised to learn that Teatro is Italian for Theatre and is not pronounced Tea-tro as in a good place to get a cup of tea! 

I can't comment on the tea because I haven't tried it but I can comment on the coffee and that's what I'm here for, so let's go..

I simply asked for a "black coffee" and an Americano was brought to my table:

You may not be able to tell from the photo but this cup of coffee is BIG. Big at the expense of strength and flavour. Also hot, too hot to drink for a while.

Teatro Lounge are serving Clifton Coffee beans, like some other establishments in Clevedon (See Tiffin and Limehouse). In this case the coffee has a good flavour and aftertaste with light character and  sweetness, all diminished by dilution.

This may suit other palates as it is a good mild fresh coffee. I prefer a shorter, stronger brew. The espresso might be worth trying.

On a different note, this is a good place for lunch and the food is good but is noisy for a relaxing coffee. It was lunchtime when I went in and there were a lot of customers, noise and loud music.

Black Americano  6/10

Poppies, Old St, Clevedon

 

Poppies used to be a Spanish-style cafe which was re-badged, but it still has the feel of a Spanish-style cafe (there is Paella on the menu).  It's not a venue in which I felt particularly relaxed.  No real comforts are afforded in the form of nice seating and music so unless the coffee is any good, it's not somewhere I'll rush back to.

Small black Americano ordered.  It looked like instant coffee to be honest.  The taste was very bland with no interesting flavour at all.  It's hard to perform a comprehensive review of something that has so little character to comment on.  All I can say in it's defence is that it was better than the coffee I had a Corrister & White.... I rest my case your honour.

Jim's Americano - 3/10

On to the espresso; first thing that was apparent, it was big for an espresso (though not as big as the perspective in the photo makes it look!). This isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, depending on the flavour but is unusual. Crema looked good but looks are not made the most of because of it being served in a normal sized coffee cup. This espresso was executed well and tasted fresh. Flavour wise it lacked character and was one dimensional. I would say this is due to the beans, supplied by Miles, being an old fashioned bean, dark roasted until interesting flavours are lost.

Nigel's espresso - 5/10

Limehouse, Hill Rd, Clevedon

Tepid news in Clevedon as a new establishment opens up a stones throw from your host's workplace.  Limehouse has the look of a trendy bar from it's fascia but inside it is a characterful and diverse mix of shabby chic and shabby shabby.  But we loved how it looked.  We sat in some comfy armchairs next to an ashes urn on an occasional table and placed our orders.

 

I ordered my usual black Americano.  Delivered in a rather nice green stoneware cup with saucer, white interior (most important), it looked a little sad.  Dressed up in a lovely exterior, the actual content looked rather ordinary and nasty looking.  I have to say, however, that was where the negatives ended.  The taste of the coffee itself was great. 
Very fresh tasting with an acidic edge, but not overly so.  It was quite different to the generic Starbucks/Costa taste.  So, poor execution of what could have been a fantastic coffee.  I'm knocking off two marks for the execution so I will be back to see if they can improve on this and scale the dizzy heights of a 9 or 10.

Nigel here.. so Jim was a little disappointed with the quality of his brew. I'm pleased to say my  experience was different. A lovely looking espresso in my eye in a fetching little cup. The crema was not too thick. A rich complex aroma led to the first sip. It was delicious, smooth with a bright start, flavour of hazelnut and the taste lingering for ages. I agree with Jim that this is on the acidic side and I found the acidity building during the cup, bordering on sour but it never became too much. Limehouse are serving Clifton Coffee and they are doing a good job of the espresso. I'll be back to try it again. 9 out of 10.

M: The coffee came in a lovely looking cup, I was however disappointed with the foam, there were just two clumps of white foam which was certainly not micro foam.

These clumps disappeared quite quickly, the coffee taste was for me was too acidic, however other people may like.

Jim's Americano  -  7/10
Nigel's Espresso - 9/10 
M's Flat White - 4/10

I re-visited Limehouse today with m'colleague Nigel and i'm please to say that they nailed the execution of my Americano on this visit.  We both really like this place for atmosphere and now I can match the rating of Nigel's espresso.

Jim's 2nd Americano - 9/10