The London Particular

It’s days like these that make me so happy to: A. Be a Londoner and most importantly, B. A Unilocaler.
My partner and I have just moved to the Deptford/​New Cross area and we wanted to celebrate by having a lovely lunch and a walk around the area SO what did I do? Unilocaled it of course! Within minutes I’d discovered this place and couldn’t wait to try it out. It’s a 8 minute work from our flat and WOW, what a find!
We were greeted by a lovely American waitress and the chef (the kitchen is in the café), they asked how we were and to take a seat. We grabbed a bar stool and then the waitress came over with water, the menus and also pointed out the specials board. I was in heaven — baked eggs were on the menu!
So I ordered the baked eggs with a side of mushrooms and Alex ordered the bad veggy sandwich (bacon, salad and halloumi on sour dough) with mushrooms instead of tomato — he also ordered a latte. We got in just in time as the place was starting to fill up!
Alex’s latte came quickly and he said it was absolutely delicious! Now to the main event — THE FOOD. My gosh, I had a bite of Alex’s sandwich (which came first) and it was to die for. The bacon was crispy and perfectly cooked, the halloumi salty and thick and the mushrooms garlicky and buttery, it truly was a taste sensation! And it wasn’t even my meal!
Now to my baked eggs. They were cooked with sweet onion, asparagus, panchetta, feta and wild garlic. I don’t think I can describe how amazing this tasted. Every mouthful had something new — whether it was the creaminess of the feta, the crunch of the asparagus, the meatiness of the pancetta OR the gooeyness of the yolks — A-​M-​A-​ZING! And served with lovely flat bread for dipping! The dish is very filling for sure but I loved every mouthful and will be back very soon to give something else a try! NOM.
A true find, thanks to Unilocal once again!

We came here for brunch on a weekend, I got the veggie brunch bowl and it was amazing. Great baked beans, although being a tourist, I might not be trusted for rating British food.
Place has a chill atmosphere with friendly staff (when I say friendly I mean friendly, which was not what I could always expect in this city). They sang along to the music while prepping the meal, which was a great addition to the whole chillness of this place.

Named by The Guardian as South London’s Best Budget Eats, this small but memorable café has become known amongst the New Cross locals as the place to go for great, fresh food served by welcoming smiles. Located at 399 New Cross Road, The London Particular is a stone’s throw away from the station. An excellent location and yet, there were no queues of hungry mouths on a Sunday lunch time for brunch. This isn’t always a bad thing though as it meant my friend and I had no problems getting a seat. It is indeed very small but not cramped. The venue seats a total of around 15 people.
We started off with a hot drink which was offered to us as soon as we walked in, a great idea I thought as this gave us time to look at the menu, have a bit of a natter and then order the food with our drink. The cappuccino was remarkably good. It was very smooth, not bitter and was served with chocolate on top, just how I like it.
The London Particular offers a brunch and lunch menu on the weekends which combine all of your guilty pleasures like halloumi cheese, bacon, sourdough bread (ugh, yes my favourite things) with really fresh, seasonal produce so that you’re not left feeling stuffed. I couldn’t resist ordering the biggest option on the menu, the ‘Particular Brunch Bowl’ priced at a very reasonable £8.00. This consisted of Merguez sausages, house baked beans, garlic roast mushrooms, spinach. It was really satisfying with lots of taste, flavour, the right temperature and was also very comforting on a chilly day late November. I also loved the way the café offered alternative options for vegetarians and vegans. Almost every item gave this alternative. My friend ordered the ‘Bad Vegetarian Sandwich’ which I almost ordered. This naughty sandwich contained Bacon, halloumi, tomatoes, mayo & rocket with house salad for £5.50. What a super name too.
One aspect that really stood out to me about The London Particular was the friendliness of the staff. They were really down to earth, welcoming and very attentive. This was my first visit to New Cross and coming from the usual North East and Central cafés that are constantly featured on social media this was a really nice breath of fresh air.
The interior of the café resembled old school furniture such as rickety stools and etched into work tables. I loved the relaxed feel of the place; it’s not trying to imitate all of the other small, trendy independent cafés that are going strong in the North East. The staff also make an effort to chat to the guests and get to know the locals. The atmosphere was relaxed and the music upbeat, lively, old-​school classics to complement the old-​school feel of the furniture.
In addition, all of the food is made on site at the front of the café in a mini, open kitchen. They also point out on the menu that it may take a bit longer for the food to arrive because they make everything from scratch. We didn’t have to wait very long though and I prefer waiting a bit longer for something that is fresh. It’s an intimate experience seeing someone preparing the food in front of you and makes you feel as though you are included in the process from the preparation to the execution. This is a café that is powerful in its modest size. It was voted as one of the best restaurants in the Time Out London Awards 2015 in New Cross and I hope they continue to receive more recognition and praise.

I stumbled upon this place last Saturday while out and about. It’s quite tiny with an open kitchen and small counter space. That being said, the staff was super friendly and I chatted with one waiter/​kitchen staff member about NY while I waited for my takeaway sammy and side salad. It took a while for the meal, which I would usually be annoyed at, but considering there’s only one woman doing all the cooking, I was more forgiving. I got the beetroot hummus, olive tapenade, cashel blue and watercress on sourdough (all warmed in the oven) with a nice-​sized portion of grilled veggies including squash in a separate box. Fantastic sammy flavours: savoury and salty, with the cheese adding to the rich creamy texture. The side was a bit oily but still yummy.
And oh yeah, the chocolate truffle is AMAZING. A small slice of soft, rich dark chocolate biscuit-​like dessert that bit off into smooth crumbles.
I wish this place was closer to home!

Very good food. Staff are friendly. Atmosphere is cool but laid back. Highly recommended.
I had the house frittata with salad for lunch on a week day. The frittata was filling and the salads were super tasty. All of this was very reasonably priced and just what I was looking for in a laid back lunch, good food in a relaxed atmosphere.
The music gave the place a decent buzz and the open kitchen provides a great atmosphere, not to mention the brilliant smells.
Only thing that wasn’t ideal is that there is limited space. It’s part of the cosy atmosphere though, so that’s OK.

I had a good soy flat white from here but the service left a little to be desired. I wanted to pick up some V60 filter papers for home use + the response I got in return when I asked if they had any for sale was «we don’t sell filter coffee, so what use would we have for selling them?!». Wow. Maybe he was just having a bad day? The response was rude but interesting considering The London Particular had coffee beans for home use for sale… Tip guys: manners cost nothing. A first time visit made to be my last.

The London Particular is a lovely café, with an interesting selection of fresh food prepared right in front of you in an open kitchen. Great for weekend brunch, or a late afternoon snack. Check out their wine selection!

Today was the second time I stumbled upon this place. I am a big fan of coffee and when I came here the first time on the morning of my Birthday, I was shocked. The coffee they served me was the in my top 3 coffees I’ve had in 2014! I thought that this might have been a coincidence.
But then today I grabbed a cappuccino and it was again, amazing. The best coffee I had this year! By the way, there was an issue with food, a customer was not happy about something, I couldn’t work out what, but I definitely liked the way, the guy dealt with it. He was apologetic, respectful and tried to resolve the situation.
Thumbs up from me!

The food taste much better than it looks, food is fresh and flavor is very nice. I had merinated mushroom with English muffin and soft boiled egg. They drizzled sea salt on it, and the mushroom taste fantastic. The English muffin is soaked in butter outside crispy. Love it

Due to lucky circumstance, my partner and I took over a friend’s tenancy here in New Cross. Let’s just say reading about this place got us pretty excited, knowing there was a place with good coffee and food. I finally made it and I have to say, this flat white is damn good, and I have become a pretty discriminating coffee drinker since moving to London. In terms of the food, well I’ve only had the House Baked Beans. I guess the best way to describe it is like an update of the English Breakfast. You get a large bowl of tastefully presented spinach, garlic roasted mushrooms, and a generous slice of sourdough bread along with the beans, and you can add a soft boiled egg for a pound. I highly recommend the egg. You can get meaty or veggie beans, and sausage or Halloumi. When I ordered the meaty beans with Halloumi, the server reminded me that the beans were meaty, so I guess usually vegetarians order Halloumi here at LP but damn, I recommend it here because it was crazy tasty. The server just smiled and told the kitchen, «I guess he likes to mix it up once in a while.» This is the same response I get when I try to order an egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich from anywhere, which I find hilarious because this is the standard breakfast sandwich in the States and, having just spent three weeks there, it is vastly superior to three sorry slices of bacon on a cold roll. But I digress, you would never get that at the LP because the food is fantastic.
A couple that walked in was immediately blown away by my plate and proceeded to order the same, but they got just the one plate to share. Too bad for them, they’re gonna be sad they didn’t get one each because it is a truly tasty dish. I had long discounted beans for breakfast because it reminds me of some sad fry-​ups I’ve had over the past three years in London but this has restored my faith in English breakfast. Thank you, LP. Can’t wait to try the LP bar. Maddy’s was pretty good, too, for fish and chips.
I read in Time Out that New Cross is the next Shoreditch due to places like the LP. I really hope that isn’t the case because Shoreditch has lost its East End character and I hope New Cross doesn’t follow suit. But I’m very glad the LP exists, at least now that I am off on a weekday. I’ll see how it is on a Saturday…

We’ve obviously been storing up some great places to go to after having bubs no. 2, as this place is awesome. Great strong coffee. I had the house salad with sausage & halloumi. So much flavour packed into one dish (beetroot, sweet potato, quinoa… so much goodness). Will definitely be going back (btw, not really made for taking the kids but we did… not a lot of room for buggies, no high chairs, etc)

I had breakfast here yesterday and I can say that it went quite well. I caught up with my mate Josh, we had some coffee and toast and there was really nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was good but maybe the place needs a little more imagination because it feels kind of empty and simple inside.

Based on the fact I could only afford a coffee from here, I’m going to say I’m a fan.
It is probably the first time I got one of those milk leafs branding my latte, which probably says more about where I go for my caffeine fix than anything, but still impressed. It is refreshing to see a Barista that expertly makes your beverages with skill and flair.
I didn’t want to like this place. I’m not normally a fan of miss-​matched furniture and wood everywhere. It’s like the people who’s hair looks like they’ve just woken up and really they’ve spent an hour making it look that way, however the London Particular is adorable. Even as busy as it was at lunchtime it had a really relaxed atmosphere with minimal effort. No rubbish mood music, just a place to go, sit, drink and eat.

Delicious, organic food and lovely staff. You leave feeling very good about yourself! Only thing is that portions can be a bit small for the price that you pay for. However, this is generally to be expected from home-​made, independent eateries/​cafes like this.

I don’t make enough money to eat here, but I make enough money to drink here!
London Particular offers my favorite lattes in all of London. I don’t know what it is about it, but their brew is incredibly good, strong; and goes well with soya and their lattes are delicious. It looks like an amazing coffee shop but is more of an eating place. The ambience is incredibly nice. If they could bulldoze the fish and chips shop next door, they should. They’ve got one huge communal table in the middle, with two or three tinier high tables that seat two, barely any seating. There is outside seating, which is nice in the afternoons when the sun comes in. Granted their wifi is free but it isn’t really a place to write an epic novel in, as it gets busy fast. It’s a good place to sit for 30 minutes. I’ve often bypassed coming here because of how busy it was, but I’d certainly come more often stay here longer if it had more seating!

Homemade British food and quite possibly the best coffee in New Cross.
Why would you want to go to New Cross, you might ask?
Well. Goldsmith’s. Cheapish accommodation with access to the hipster express. Um. Not sure what else, really, but still.
A really nice place, and they could clean up in some other bit of town, but they’re happy to sit in their happy place and be generally lovely.
Sit outside and drink an excellent Americano and listen to the thrum of lorries heading towards the Channel Tunnel and/​or Dover.

I fortuitously found London Particular when I was walking to Sainsburys. I adore the intimate feel and the friendly staff. After ordering one of the daily specials I took a seat at the only available table and enjoyed my latte as I drooled over all of the food the other patrons were recieving.
I ate a lovely Sunday lunch of braised ribs with balsamic glaze on a base of bashed and roasted potatos. On the top was a fringe of toasted greens (can greens be toasted? i dont know but they were great). Overall I dig independent places like this and I am excited that I live within walking distance. The only real downside is that the place is very small, so I recomend not coming with a large group and keeping your fingers crossed that no one else does either!

The London Particular beautifully captures the Zeitgeist of the London restaurant/​café scene in the year 2011: home-​made food, prepared in a tiny show-​kitchen; an interior that is in line with Bobo ideas; a funky-​sounding menu, which is of course written on a chalk-​board; stripped wooden floor boards, and the all-​so-​popular big communal table… sounds familiar?
Granted, I might have just come across as a little snarky, whereas I really liked my visit to the London Particular. In fact, I stumbled upon this lovely place purely by accident, as I had to change trains at New Cross. When I walked in, I was immediately «turned on» by the smell of the frittata that was still baking in the oven and I decided to stay for lunch. The frittata emerged from the oven about 15 minutes later and it was served alongside two generous portions of salad… the taste of it all was very good — I especially liked that the frittata had a sweet taste to it!
Also from a customer-​service point of view, they got it right here at the London Particular: friendly staff and free wifi and a clean bathroom… very nice!

The promise of good coffee and cakes just around the corner from home was too much to resist. Happily, The London Particular came up to expectations: lunch, one of their bowl specials, was delicious. More elegant than the name suggests, it was full of fresh flavours and delicious textures. I look forward to trying some of the other meals, having taken ages to choose between them. The menu is a mixture of regulars, including sandwiches and a delicious-​sounding variation of beans on toast, and weekly specials including a hot bowl meal and a house salad. Many of the ingredients, including beans, sauces and jams, are made by London Particular themselves.
Coffee is their own blend, and was pretty good. I didn’t actually have a cake — something for next visit — but they looked absolutely delicious. Service was very pleasant and friendly; the atmosphere is relaxed. An unexpectedly good addition to this stretch of the New Cross Road!

Only tried this place today as it has only just opened for business. Good and fairly priced coffee and cakes with a cool and contemporary décor to match with super friendly staff.
Set along the busy A2, better know as New Cross Road, The London Particular feels fairly mature and established for such a young, new business.
Super nice looking façade on an otherwise dull row of shops, this is yet again another positively strong signal of where the New Cross/​Peckham/​Deptford area is heading. Will definitely be going back to this place again and trying more stuff, maybe then it shall get a 5 star rating?