Parents at Kings Cross are now able to enjoy Vienna Style coffee and tart at the most unsuspecting of all locations: On Coram Fields Children Play Grounds. The old small cafeteria which was wasting away over the last few years with old chairs and rubbish, has been transformed into a coffee take away with style and yet at incredibly reasonable prices. The place is called Kipferl which is a small cookie bake with powder sugar, and available for trial with your other orders. The Vienna Style Coffee House atmosphere
e is perhaps not fully recreated due to the fact that it is still a cafeteria, but there is at least something of the Kaffeehaus in the atmosphere. In Vienna and other Austrian locations the Kaffeehaus is one that strikes with pure elegance, waiters in Black and White serve you and ask you if you wish to digest the the morning paper with your Kaffee (can I have a shot of dae syrup in it please) and sweet delights. These places were the origin of a high newspaper culture of elegant musical Vienna around the 1900s. At Coram Fields you will find designer chairs and best coffee and optional cream (Sahne) plus a lovely range of fabulous cakes served by Austrian members of staff.
Now for everyone who knows Coram Fileds, it is no adult admitted with out being accompanied by a child (a double reason to go there now… both to have fun with the kids and with the coffee…), so childless persons have to do some volunteer child minding to get in, but all is not lost.
Since Coram Fileds is strictly speaking in the ward of Bloomsbury (yet 3 minutes walk from the South Western border of Kings Cross) I may be able to refer you to another local delight. Brunswick Centre has recently seen the opening entourage of the baker's masters of Pâtisserie Valérie (originally Soho).
Kipferl also has a second shop further away in 70 Long Lane EC1 and their website is www.kipferl.co.uk
The delightful news goes together with some other German speaking more bitter news from Kings Cross proper. Berlin Snack, the original German hot sausage "imbiss" on Kings Cross Road capitulated after only being open for about six months. The Germans suffered from a custmer flow from the start, and were forced midway to revert to breakfast making for some of the local tourists. Still it wasn't enough to survive it seems. According to the co owner Tony the rent for the small unit in which they were placed, was more expensive than the recently also closed down pub Britannia. You can still read about them here on Kings Cross Local Environment: Vorsprung Durch Wurst, and on Daniels Counter Blog Berlin snack: New at East Kings Cross, what are now a historical records of their short existence.