Cockneyrebel...I know where you're coming from but just let em get on with it. Same with the 'ooh, look at my house price, let's gentrify everything and make them all eat pesto and ciabatta' crew. The whole lot of you whingeing about gastropubs/greasy spoons/crap pubs/pound shops/'coffee shops'... sit back and think for a minute. We're not a big town. If we were chances are we'd end up with an identikit town centre with the same old crap chains you'd find in every other town centre. And you'd STILL be whining about it for some reason or other... i.e., too many chain stores, lack of gastropubs/greasy spoons/crap pubs/pound shops/'coffee shops'.
We've got a lot of stuff in the high street that you wouldn't find in big town centres - just live and let live. If a business is out of place it won't survive, simple as that. If you don't like a place for whatever reason, don't whinge about it, just DON'T go there.
End of rant.
Blue Mountain Cafe coming to Cobbs Corner!!!
I'm loving our new cafe
When I first was shown the new cafe on the highstreet that my partner had been telling me I would like.. I felt like crying I have a thing for cafe's, coming from one of the capitals of cafe culture in Sweden -Uppsala. I have numerous time lamented with other mum friends etc. about how Sydenham needs a cafe worth its name like on Westow Hill there is a Nero or similar, and Domali. Even in Penge you can get a decent latte in Hardedge Cafe.
So when finally this Dulwich establishment opened their small branch in our little town I was overjoyed and I have been going there regularly for my lunch and over priced but oohh so lovely Goats cheese and roasted pepper sandwich and marvelously latte's (with the right temperature). Whether this is due to "gentrifcation" like people say, I don't mind instead I cannot believe it has not been done before when judging from how busy it is, the great demand there is for places like this and the Dolphine pub for example. What I find funny is that people just kind of pretend it so completely normal that we all of a sudden have these kind of deli/cafe/restaurant/flower shop (which I feel is a bit waste of space, but its pretty) after struggling for years with no more then "Napoli" and "Hill top cafe" on offer. I just would like to see some sort of recognition the wonder that this is all taking place in Sydenham, we are not Dulwich or Crystal Palace. My only complaints would be that they should have more sandwiches to go and I was told they don't do sandwiches to order when the cafe is full on a weekday lunch, and its not baby friendly the buggys don't fit and its a bit to cold for the outside yet, but as soon as the weather allows I will bring all my latte drinking mums...
So when finally this Dulwich establishment opened their small branch in our little town I was overjoyed and I have been going there regularly for my lunch and over priced but oohh so lovely Goats cheese and roasted pepper sandwich and marvelously latte's (with the right temperature). Whether this is due to "gentrifcation" like people say, I don't mind instead I cannot believe it has not been done before when judging from how busy it is, the great demand there is for places like this and the Dolphine pub for example. What I find funny is that people just kind of pretend it so completely normal that we all of a sudden have these kind of deli/cafe/restaurant/flower shop (which I feel is a bit waste of space, but its pretty) after struggling for years with no more then "Napoli" and "Hill top cafe" on offer. I just would like to see some sort of recognition the wonder that this is all taking place in Sydenham, we are not Dulwich or Crystal Palace. My only complaints would be that they should have more sandwiches to go and I was told they don't do sandwiches to order when the cafe is full on a weekday lunch, and its not baby friendly the buggys don't fit and its a bit to cold for the outside yet, but as soon as the weather allows I will bring all my latte drinking mums...
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DigitalFX
BM review
Hi,
Just to give you my thoughts on the Blue Mountain as I visited today with a friend just to see what all the fuss was about.
Very very disappointed from all of the hype that has been going around. The service was great no fault there and the place was clean, however the prices you pay for what you actually get is crazy. I have no problem paying a high price if the goods stand up.
It seems to me that th BM attracts a certain type of cliental as viewed by myself since it opened, not sure if middle or upper class is the right word to use. As for myself a bold Skinhead you can imagine the looks as heads turned around as if a bad smell had walked in the door.
We all have a choice of course of where we prefer to eat and drink, however for me I will not be returning to the BM. I do wish them well in their business, however I beleive that Sydenahm was not the best places to house this.
Sorry.....but just my thoughts...
Gaz
Just to give you my thoughts on the Blue Mountain as I visited today with a friend just to see what all the fuss was about.
Very very disappointed from all of the hype that has been going around. The service was great no fault there and the place was clean, however the prices you pay for what you actually get is crazy. I have no problem paying a high price if the goods stand up.
It seems to me that th BM attracts a certain type of cliental as viewed by myself since it opened, not sure if middle or upper class is the right word to use. As for myself a bold Skinhead you can imagine the looks as heads turned around as if a bad smell had walked in the door.
We all have a choice of course of where we prefer to eat and drink, however for me I will not be returning to the BM. I do wish them well in their business, however I beleive that Sydenahm was not the best places to house this.
Sorry.....but just my thoughts...
Gaz
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DigitalFX
BM
Hi Poppy,
As I mentioned these are my thoughts only as I am sharing with you as many people have done about what I think of the BM. I waited until I had visited the BM so I could give you my personal views which was only fair.
I agree that it alwasy seems busy, no arument there, however I go back to original statment about the cliental it pulles in, again that's just my view. I have had many friends, family and sydenahm residents who I know and all say the same thing. We are all entitled to a veiw, and this is mine.
I am sure that the people that do use it, love it and think it's value for money hence when they are busy, but for me it just didn't work.
Gaz
As I mentioned these are my thoughts only as I am sharing with you as many people have done about what I think of the BM. I waited until I had visited the BM so I could give you my personal views which was only fair.
I agree that it alwasy seems busy, no arument there, however I go back to original statment about the cliental it pulles in, again that's just my view. I have had many friends, family and sydenahm residents who I know and all say the same thing. We are all entitled to a veiw, and this is mine.
I am sure that the people that do use it, love it and think it's value for money hence when they are busy, but for me it just didn't work.
Gaz
Blue Mountain
DigitalFX I was commenting directly on your statement: "I don't think Sydenham was the best place to house this." All I said was I couldn't see your point, because if it is busy most of the time there are obviously a lot of people who live in Sydenham who are prepared to go there and pay those prices because they like it, so it was obviously the "right place" for some people.
Could I just put in a word for the new/updated Sugahill cafe which sadly has not been getting much publicity due to opening slightly after the BM. Also would like to confirm that I have nothing to do with the ownership (despite being new on STF).
I recently went there with family in tow and found the staff very helpful, very child-friendly, the coffee and cakes good, and interesting meze and other food on offer which i have not tried. The BM is very welcome and in a prime spot but has some drawbacks in that it is often cramped, the refectory style seating isn't always that convenient and the windows are always covered with condensation in winter.
On the other hand Sugahill is lacking custom despite people sitting outside the BM in the freezing cold just 2 mins walk away. The seating is more comfortable and spacious and the service more personal.
Supporting a more positive environment and succesful businesses we all want to see requires everyone to diversify a bit. BM is doing fine and two coffee bars is better than one.
I recently went there with family in tow and found the staff very helpful, very child-friendly, the coffee and cakes good, and interesting meze and other food on offer which i have not tried. The BM is very welcome and in a prime spot but has some drawbacks in that it is often cramped, the refectory style seating isn't always that convenient and the windows are always covered with condensation in winter.
On the other hand Sugahill is lacking custom despite people sitting outside the BM in the freezing cold just 2 mins walk away. The seating is more comfortable and spacious and the service more personal.
Supporting a more positive environment and succesful businesses we all want to see requires everyone to diversify a bit. BM is doing fine and two coffee bars is better than one.
Video
Check this out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3NlJgA6gpcQ
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nork1
- Posts: 287
- Joined: 9 Jul 2006 12:49
- Location: Banned myself - can't be bothered with the Greg/Ulysses show anymore
I'm one of 'these people' as you so condescendingly put it. I'm not bothered with 'yummy' cakes and I don't like coffee. I like a decent fry up and a mug of black tea and I don't want to pay a tenner or whatever it was for the privilege so I don't go to coffee shops, I go to greasy spoons. Is that ok with you?Crystal wrote:Who are these people who never want to move on past the greasy cafe era??
Blue Mountain
There has been a lot of talk about Sugarhill and home made cakes, does anyone know if BM make their own cakes? I have had apple strudels from there which are identical to ones I've had in Cafe Giardino (sp?) in Bromley and I think I have seen those small Portugese custard tarts in there that I have also had in lots of places.
I got to greasy spoons and I go to the blue mountain cafe and i have been to sugahill.
I like them all. If I could afford it id go to the BMC more. But I can't.
I only wish the Greasy spoons looked nicer in the same way the pie and mash shop (now gone) in Greenwich and the one in Deptford were cheap but looked great.
I like them all. If I could afford it id go to the BMC more. But I can't.
I only wish the Greasy spoons looked nicer in the same way the pie and mash shop (now gone) in Greenwich and the one in Deptford were cheap but looked great.
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Greg Whitehead
- Posts: 474
- Joined: 11 Apr 2005 15:44
- Location: SE26 5RL
Although I'm incredibly (well over a year) late to the party I'd like to give a big thumbs-up to the Blue Mountain. I'm in there almost every weekend and would recommend it whole-heartedly. I've (luckily) yet to experience any of the bad service or food reported here. I love it and am so glad it opened. The fry-up is wonderful and worth every penny. I'm with nork1 though in the sense that if you've had a really heavy night-out and just need a cup of builders and lashings of grease to bring you back to normality then Sema's takes some beating. One of the best Bubble’n’Squeak in all of London is served in Sema’s (IMHO)
As with The Dolphin though it's just so pleasing to have somewhere like the Blue Mountain to take friends and family when they come to visit instead of walking them over to Beckenham or Dulwich Village.
Just my opinion, experience tells me there'll be people that won't like it but I do so love the Blue Mountain. Very busy also which is a huge surprise given that there's no demand in Sydenham for somewhere like it...
As with The Dolphin though it's just so pleasing to have somewhere like the Blue Mountain to take friends and family when they come to visit instead of walking them over to Beckenham or Dulwich Village.
Just my opinion, experience tells me there'll be people that won't like it but I do so love the Blue Mountain. Very busy also which is a huge surprise given that there's no demand in Sydenham for somewhere like it...