Orient Espresso

In this recessionary climate, businesses have to think smart and try to cater to as many customers as possible. I believe this was the thinking behind Orient Espresso half internet café, half milkshake bar.
Well, mostly internet café really. The milkshake thing seems to be a recent addition to pull in more punters. It worked on me anyway… briefly.
With a huge milkshake menu on the wall, and the offer that you can buy your own sandwich (perhaps from nearby Borough Market) and eat it there, I thought it was worth a try. They promise to do a huge variety and combination of shakes; mint, peanut butter, m&ms, incorporating fruit, flavourings and various chocolate bars.
The reality was a bland chocolate milkshake made from chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup. I drank it in under a minute = waste of calories and £2.50.
Bless them for trying really, but either go the whole hog with a fancy diner style milkshake parlour or don’t. Enjoying a milkshake in typical internet café surroundings is not my idea of treating myself.
But they did have air conditioning — whoop!

I used to pop in to this no-​frills café regularly when I worked in the area, and though it’s usually pretty busy it never seemed to be a problem when I made my cup of tea last a while. It’s fun to sit in the window and watch the crowds of people go by on their way to and from nearby London Bridge station, and with cheap and tasty sandwiches, bagels, coffee and cake on offer it’s easy to settle in for the afternoon by accident.
I don’t know what their wifi situation is these days but when I used to go they only had coin operated PCs for internet use, which wasn’t exactly cheap. How quaint the days before my N82 came along!
I had no idea there was a hostel upstairs but now I come to think of it there is a worldy traveller sort of feel to the place. And I do enjoy a good pun in a shop name.