TAB X TAB

This area of Westbourne Grove just North of Queensway finally has a great coffeeshop. TAB X TAB is unique and well matched to its locale. It’s well worth a trip to this part of London to visit and a must if you’re in the area. A great deal of thought from owners Mathew and Charmaine Tabatabai has gone into every aspect of design and function – they really care. The couple spent 18 months visiting hundreds of cafes fine tuning their ideas. One of their best decisions was to bring in Luke as head barista whose experience and knowledge adds greatly to what TAB X TAB offer.

Luke ensures that coffee and tea served are of high quality. The profiles of the Bocca filter and espresso coffee and Ozone espresso are equally approachable and tasty. The relationship with Bocca is interesting. Mathew and Charmaine discovered Bocca in Amsterdam and persuaded the Dutch roasters to supply their café and are the only British café to serve or sell their beans. It’s refreshing indeed to see a coffeeshop take tea as seriously as coffee and TAB X TAB certainly do. They offer a selection of small batch teas from premium tea providers Lalani & Co and these are prepared with care and precision.

So many coffeeshops serve drinks in the same cups and TAB X TAB wanted to use unique crockery using coffee cups commissioned by Kana London and teaware by Linda Bloomfield. There are many touches that set TAB X TAB apart, whether the crockery, the small retail selection, the tea service or the food from the onsite kitchen but the main factor setting it apart is the care lavished on the café by its owners. As Mathew puts it, “I find nothing more pleasing than seeing people who we otherwise haven't met before walk in, love the space and see them coming back over and over…”