SOUL Cafe Twickenham — Restaurant in London

Nice quaint cafe, a great find on a spontaneous day out to Twickenham.

Arrived late afternoon just before 4pm, it was virtually empty, having missed the earlier brunch and lunch crowd. None the less, Saba, the owner, was welcoming and super friendly.

I had a genourously sized oat milk ginger latte served in a large decorative tea cup. Very pronounced ginger spice notes, alongside an intetesting subtle warming blend of Cardamom, Coriander, Clove, Pepper, and Cinnamon.

I had the Mexican Open Toast Benedict, which came nicely presented, 2 perfectly poached eggs, plenty of hollandaise, avocado, and tomato salsa. The Greek yoghurt helped to dampen the punch from the green chilies. The small, lightly dressed side salad with scattering of toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds was also a refreshing accomplishment. A lot of flavours bouncing around my palate (incl. The spiced latte), but overall, a pleasant flavorsome dish.

Interesting talking with Saba afterwards about the origins of the variety of organic coffees and teas avaiable and sold online (Lifetone) Equally interesting hearing about the ethical and social initiatives that support the communities who he works with to harvest and produce these products. I will be looking online to purchase some Lifetone products.

I purchased a vegan cinnamon bun to go. Made with coconut treacle and extra sprinkle of cinnamon on top, it wasn't overly sweet and had a nice texture. I was also given a complimentary chocolate croissant 😀

I will pass by again when I next head to Twickenham & Richmond. Hope to get there early enough next time to try one of the delicious sounding smoothies and a fresh slice of cake....

I’m afraid I have no photos to post of the food - that’s a bad sign. I always post photos and videos of food in my reviews because they are normally worthwhile posting!

Problems:

Service was atrocious. Menus weren’t given to us. Orders weren’t taken until we nudged staff (after a long time). Drinks didn’t come for at least 30 minutes. These were simple drinks. A latte. And an americano. The food took at least 45 minutes. French toast. Porridge. And a full English. Ridiculous that French toast and porridge takes this long. food was nothing to write home about. Can you excuse a long wait if the food is amazing. Yes I think you can. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. The food wasn’t terrible. But it was not worth the awful service. atmosphere: the place is tiny and the tables are incredibly small we had a table that arguable was for 2 people for 3 of us. There was no attempt to seat different size of groups on suitable tables. The entry to the kitchen was also close to our table - very uncomfortable with lots of noise.

We definitely won’t be coming back here despite living in the area.

This place seriously needs to professionalise its service - train its people up, develop muscle memory for service, and set some minimum standards checklist - seat customers, provide menus, take orders, deliver drinks within 5 minutes or slightly longer for complex drinks, aim to Send food out...

Had a fantastic breakfast here to celebrate my son's 16th birthday. I'd tried to book another venue only contactable by email/X. Messaged them and got no response, so chose this place as wanted to ensure we got seating. There was an option to add a note, so put it was my son's birthday and could they leave a birthday message on the table. We were running late for the booking, so I called to advise and was asked if there was anything else we'd like for our arrival? The breakfast prepared in advance to be ready for example? Arrived and there was a printed message on the table. We were seated, placed our order and they played birthday music, then two staff members came to the table carrying a small cake with a candle and both singing "Happy Birthday". I hadn't asked for this so it was such a wonderful surprise for both my son and I. ☺️ Breakfast was excellent: son had the Full English, I had the Eggs Royale. Everything tasted delicious and fresh. I had an oat milk latte which was honestly, the best one I've ever had. There was a steady stream of customers, some were regulars. Please note: the drinks are listed on the boards in the café, not on the menu. Cash tips only. You can buy bread, pastries and rolls to take away. Would highly recommend this establishment for enjoyable and relaxing...