Coffee Break: Cafés of Little Chelsea
By Geoff Fielder
We all love a good coffee shop, right? We can get out, people-watch, catch up with friends, or take a break from the office.
Little Chelsea in Eastbourne, found in and around Grove Road and South Street, is home to a broad range of cafés and independent shops. At Chalk, it’s one of our most-loved parts of town.
We set out to make a compilation of all the yummy places to eat and drink here. It wasn’t easy. There’s only so much caffeine one can consume in a day. So we’re growing this article gradually… check back regularly for new additions!
Beanzz
Or, to use its full title, Beanzz Coffee and Kitchen.
Beanzz’s website states that they’re an independent café/coffee shop on Grove Road in Little Chelsea. Well, yes, they do sell coffee, sandwiches and cakes, which meets the “Cafe/coffee” moniker. But they also serve hot food, brought to table no less! So I think that makes Beanzz a Bistro, which, according to Wikipedia, is “a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting”. Perfect. As well as decent coffee and tea, smoothies, baguettes and lusciously tempting cakes, Beanzz offers a modern hot food vista, catering for vegetarian, vegan and traditional diners. On my last visit, I went for the Wild Mushroom and Asparagus sauteed with garlic and vegan butter, on sourdough toast with beetroot hummus. It was gorgeous. Though I’m not vegan (or even fully vegetarian), I do often go for these kinds of dishes when I eat out, because they are so tasty, different and nutritious. And I love beetroot.
The furnishing has clearly been thought about carefully, to present a charming sort of shabby-retro down-to-earth feel. The seating and tables consist mainly of surplus congregational chairs (still with their book holders on the back!) and old school desks with hinged lids, providing a convenient place to pop your notebooks, pencil case and 12” vinyl. The main counter is faced with a couple of sheets of corrugated iron, lit from above by chunky lamps within beautiful old-fashioned fringed shades, which probably at one time adorned Victorian standard lamps.
On the tabletops, sugar is presented in old Tate & Lyle golden syrup and treacle tins and milk comes in mini churn-shaped bottles. A colleague thought this somewhat naff, but I liked it. Beanzz’ drinks menu is pretty extensive, and includes eleven coffee choices, including Cortado (an espresso with an equal amount of steamed but not frothy milk, popularised in Spain) and Dirty Chai. The teas are equally interesting, ranging from English Breakfast, through Ginger, to Strawberry Lemonade and Blueberry & Peach. There’s also a small selection of beers, including draught Cruzcampo from Spain, a couple of Mexican ones, Suffolk Cyder, Bloody Mary and Prosecco, not to mention a cornucopia of hot chocolate, superfood lattes, iced drinks, soft drinks, smoothies and shakes!
As for food, again, Beanzz boasts an excellent selection of “breakfast” type dishes, such as full “Monty”, rarebit, smashed avocado, sourdough or focaccia with sausage or bacon, pancakes, waffles, crumpets and toast. For lunch, you could go for one of the five burger options, a sandwich or Eggs Benedict. The service at Beanzz is quick too, despite what is quite a large menu, so all praise to the kitchen staff for an excellent job. My dish arrived before I’d even finished carving a heart on my desk, abandoned at just “I luv“. For the under 10’s, there’s a selection of kids’ favourites, including a vegan option and pancakes with fresh fruit and yogurt, though in my opinion, this part of the menu could offer a few more choices, such as fish fingers and cheese on toast.
Definitely one of my faves, do give Beanzz a try - it’s a worthy member of the Little Chelsea community.
It’s mid-morning and beginning to rain. I’m halfway down the south side of South Street, without an umbrella. I’m wearing a porous leather jacket and it’s ten minutes walk to the car. So I slip into the next entrance porch, where I find myself sheltering at the door of Cafe 32, roughly opposite the ‘Dewdrop Inn’.
It looks rather attractive inside - bright, with white chairs, natural wood tables and a very nice window display comprising a small chest of drawers with a giant “32”, a book, champagne bottles, fairy lights and a table lamp, together with a further couple of tables bearing flowers and a selection of very tempting cakes. It’s not often you get a window display in a cafe. It makes a pleasant change from the minimalism more often seen these days.
With the darkening sky, the rain becomes heavier and louder. Time for a pot of English Breakfast and a scone, methinks. I go inside. The quirkiness doesn’t end at the window display, for all the way along the far wall is an impressive arrangement of hats. Why? I needed to know! But first, I must find a table. It’s very busy, with two large groups and several couples enjoying coffee, cordial and cake, with an empty table at the far end. I place my order, take my seat and put the big question to the very nice proprietor. “No particular reason”, she replies, but then goes on to explain that she had a spare hat and decided to display it on the cafe wall. That turned out to be the first of many items of headgear of various styles and colours to be gradually added to what I’m calling The Hat Wall.
The interior ambience is completed with a kind of wattle ceiling covering, hung with large flower heads, and there are little blackboards announcing the variety of available treats. After a short wait, my tea arrives in a smart white china pot with matching milk jug and a traditional floral cup and side plate, sporting a generously sized fruit scone, which I guess is oven-warmed (hence the wait), not microwaved (hence toughened). Lovely tea, strong but not bitter, just how I like it, and a jolly good scone with a nice little china pot of jam.
After about ten minutes, as if sensing some kind of imminent disaster, all of the other customers process out in an orderly fashion, leaving me as the lone patron. Have I behaved badly? It’s uncanny. Then I realise: the rain’s stopped. It’s my chance. I finish my second cup, thank the ladies and go on my way. I will return.
But, for now, I need a decent hat to go with my jacket.
It’s well into June and, at long last, we’re due a heat-wave. Thirty-one degrees. Strolling through Little Chelsea, my mind drifts back to the lazy, hazy daze of summer ‘76. Bob Marley vinyl on balmy evenings, cool beer, spicy curry. Why is reggae synonymous with summer? They just go so well together, it feels and sounds like a Jamaican holiday. I imagine a sparkling azure sea tickling the iridescent sand as I enjoy my breakfast of iced coffee and sweet plantain puffs.
Back to reality, I’m standing outside Roots cafe. The menu offers exclusively Marley coffee. Surely not Bob’s? Not quite, but his son Rohan’s. In 2007, Rohan Marley bought land in Jamaica and, to honour his father’s legacy, established the Marley Coffee company, which he sold on to an American corporation in 2016. Cynical, some might say, but anyway, Marley Coffee is rated as a very strong coffee and my Roots Americano certainly had a healthy kick to it. The menu also includes an attractive selection of teas and savoury dishes, freshly prepared. I went for a double poached egg on a nice thick piece of sourdough toast with a side salad. Perfectly cooked eggs, with firm whites but yolk just on the runny side.
Apart from their standard typical menu offerings, several of the Little Chelsea cafes include an extra dimension and, in the case of Roots, as well as Marley coffee by the bag, there’s a good selection of fresh local fruit and vegetables, fresh bread and eggs, plus a range of tempting pickles and sauces. Lacking plantain, jackfruit and custard apple, it’s rather more Eastbourne than Kingston, but nevertheless enough, if you stir it up, to cook a jerk curry that’ll satisfy your soul.
Fresh from a haircut at Richard Haven’s barbers, I thought I’d slip along a few doors to the DOC cafe for a quick refresh. I step inside. What’s up? It’s my first visit here and I’m struck by its quiet simplicity, underpinned with a low-key industrial canteen sort of vibe. There’s a high bench with bar-stools along the window, affording a view across to the library, the Underground Theatre and the very elegant old building which was, until a while ago, the Meads School of English, attended by visiting foreign students. It’s a shame that the view is spoilt by a pelican crossing and its attendant clutter of signage and railings. Perhaps some might say the view is further spoiled by the library itself. Looking at old pictures of Eastbourne and the beautiful Technical Institute and Public Library that once stood there, it would be hard to disagree. But there we are.
Inside, to the left, we have a large metal bookcase with a selection of heavyweight books on photography, fashion, architecture and history, amongst other subjects, leading on to a seating area with bench seat, mirrors and large ceiling lamps. It strikes me that I’ve never actually seen a customer, here or anywhere, pick out a book to peruse whilst supping their brew. I resolve to do so myself next time, to at least show some appreciation of their efforts. Around the remaining grey-themed area, there are wooden-topped tables with simple metal chairs in black and plum, helping it all to feel understated and relaxing.
Being only mid-morning, with lunch dishes probably not yet ready, I choose a piece of Bakewell tart to go with my English Breakfast tea, tempted by its thin pastry and jam layers, topped with a crisp white sugar coating.
The tea follows in a minute or two, in a nice metal pot with an internal filter and very nice large-leaf tea. Delicious. It sounds silly, but I rather liked the teaspoon, with its elegant little decorated stem. I’ve also heard good things about DOC’s coffee, so I’ll be going back soon to try that.
PS
I went back. The coffee was rich and punchy, with lovely nutty chocolate notes. They sell the beans too. I bought some. My Aeropress approves.
Where should we visit next? Drop us an email!
