A Brew & A Stew at The GRAND HOWL

Late this morning, I plonked a weary me & my heavy backpack on the number 425 to Well Street where I hibernated from the soggy Monday for hours on end in The GRAND HOWL. Nestled in a corner of the snazzy meeting ground between London Fields & Well Street Common, this little vegan~veggie café was murmuring with hubbub as the rest of Hackney sleepily plodded on. I was looking for a place to get my head down with uni reading & a little breakfast bar seat was waving at me so I went inside, off-loaded my books & The GRAND HOWL turned out to be perfect!

I ordered myself peppermint tea to warm my cockles & was very pleased that it was loose leaf. But the Forlife teapot put a bigger smile on my face ~ my mum loves the little stumps! The 4 or 5 doggos that trotted in reminded me of home too. All the tables & chairs were such beautiful wood, I really liked the simplistic but not-overly-minimalist feel. Also, the natural sunlight welcomed by jumbo corner windows really helped with my reading ~ & woke me up! I find myself becoming so lazy & a bit moody when I try & work in dark spaces with artificial light (like the uni library or a couple of the cafés up the road) ... plus I often sink into daydreams & love a good nosy at London's energy. Anyhow, all the airy air & fab, relaxed old tunes made me feel right at home ... everybody else seemed super upbeat too & there was a lovely, low rumble of conversations between friends old & young. I felt free & welcome to do my own thing at my own pace.

As you can see, I moved house & went to sit at the long table next to the door so I could fit my laptop on! & soak up even more light. I really like benches & especially when I'm on my own ... there's something so pleasant about having a few neighbours. I was there for quite a long while so watched people come & go ~ tapping away on their laptops or having a coffee break & catch up with friends. I so really, really regret not trying their coffee though ~ they roast it all in front of you in a gleaming silver roaster (I think you can just about spot it in the back of this picture!). Plus I saw cartons of Oatly Barista mylk peeking behind the counter ... my absolute favourite! Ahhhh, I really wish I hadn't gulped 2 big mugs of boring instant coffee at 7am ~ oh well, I'll soon be back to taste their bean juice.

I'm a student so dosh is always a big player in. Drinks wise, I don't think there was any coffee for below £2 but that's fair enough ~ they're an independent coffee roasters & it doesn't get much fresher than HOWL. My herbal tea was £2 which is fab for loose leaf & the very smiley barista topped my pot up with hot water as I was reading. I was also very tempted by the turmeric latte but stopped myself ... I'm trying to save for summer! They did have a stainless steel jug of tap water on the side which I always value ~ I drink SO much H20 & especially when beavering away. Okay. Now I'll get to what we've all being longing for ... the vegan foodies!

HOWL is veggie & vegan so there was so. much. choice. But I was particularly impressed with the amount of plantbased sweet treats they offered ~ look at that fluffy berries sponge cake, mmmm I was tempted! The menu is all brunch ~ comfort food style (which suits me head to toe) & priced from £7.50-£8.50 (apart from porridge, the creamy vegan oats were a bargain!). Breakfast burritos ~ scramble ~ homemade gnocchi ~ beans on toast ~ toasties ~ big cobbler sarnies ~ avo on toast. But I punted for the black bean & winter greens stew with toasted sourdough. & wow was it hearty. Like a big, mid-afternoon hug in a beautiful earthenware bowl. Soft broc & potatoes that melted in my mouth ... spinach ~ kale ~ chilli ~ toms ~ spring onion ~ vegan yog with all the textures & flavours swirling in every spoon. As I was slurping my spicy, plentiful bowl & dunking the freshly baked wholewheat sourdough, a city fox friend trotted beside the window & slipped past a neighbouring charity shop. Sorry to say that I left no crumbs for the little fella!

Well, I spent another hour or so reading & jotting down notes with a soul full to the brim of wholesome, healthful warmth. I'm grateful for HOWL welcoming me with smiles & allowing me to spend my day in their easy atmosphere. A truly lovely Hackney find ~ wonderful for studying or socialising. & thank you for the free WiFi (I recommend going just to find out their witty password).

Dosh (for a student!) ~ ££/£££ ... not too cheap, not too spenny
Vegan variety ~ 4/5 ... wonderful for a small menu (lots of sweet treats!)
Help-yourself H20 ~ 4/5 ... oh yeah & stainless steel too
Mood ~ 5/5 ... free to plod along at your own pace ... so very friendly
Space ~ 5/5 ... great for uni work with tables also reserved for non-laptop folks!
WiFi ~ 5/5 ... so free & so speedy (password on the chalkboard)
Tunes ~ 5/5 ... old time mellow songs to hum along to
Food hygiene ~ 5/5 ... spotless tables also