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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

 

Another coup for Kevin and Cafe Moka, it seems! Just weeks after notching up its alcohol licence, Kevin's Harringay Cafe attracted the attention of TV home show star Sarah Beeny and her crew.

Some of the Beeny team stopped by at Moka a few weeks back on their way to making a programme in Crouch End for Beeny's new series. (In the new show, Double Your House for Half the Money, Beeny sets out to prove that following her rules people can double their space for half the cost of trading up to that big new house beyond their means).

So impressed were the two crew members, it seems, that they rang Kevin the next day and booked a lunch for thirteen, including Beeny herself. Kevin said. "I had no idea that Sarah Beeny was coming. I recognised her straight away, but it took me a moment to place her!"

Apparently lunch went well. The TV star was so taken with Moka and what Kevin has created out of a long vacant shop, that she decided to change the script and include Moka in the programme rather than the planned Crouch End cafe.

The couple at the centre of the Crouch End episode were at Moka with Beeny and crew on Tuesday and commented, "We love this place. We've lived round here for years and never knew it was here. There's just nowhere like this in Crouch End".

Congratulations, Kevin. But you're in danger of becoming an untrammelled entrepreneurial success story. Could we have a bit of colour please - maybe just a soupçon of screw-up or a dash of PR disaster?

 

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Yes I have to agree with Michael, and lest we forget that the Turkish businesses around here are the bedrock of Haringey, Antepliler need to be quoted as a business that

About three years ago In a foolish gush of goodwill towards the Café Melon (I think that's what it's called) I tentatively suggested on here that tea might be served in a pot to discerning customers. I added something to the effect that the all-day breakfast array could be improved by the addition of another alternative including real sausages, of the Baldwin variety. I was rather firmly put in my ungrateful peasant's place by the proprietor. It was as if I had cussed his granny back to the seventh line of ancestry. Since when I have not darkened the Melon's door, though my informants have apprised me of the fact that teabags donked in milky liquid are still the standard beverage unless you're what's known as a 'Mighty Leaf' person.

On the other hand, Kevin serves tea in a small pot and I drink my coffee at home. Never mind the coffee quality, guys - feel the wifi width.

Why am being charged with hypocrisy  I do not remember speaking badly of any Turkish restaurants, or Kurdish restaurants, for that matter, but if I have then I apologise. Might I add that many of the “Turkish” restaurants on on GL are in fact Kurdish. I guess I am guilty of not following every thread on this site so might have missed something about "Turkish" restaurants.

The last time I got into a conversation about restaurants is here, and I had the same sentiments.Sadly that restaurant has now closed down.

I do admit to once writing a post about the state of the high chairs in certain restaurant  The owner responded and was very humble about what I said. He mentioned , quite rightly, that I should have spoken to him first. I felt pretty bad and decided to delete the tread.

I am certain Moka will go on from strength to strength with or without my custom.  Kevin is good man with a real entrepreneurial spirit , the staff are friendly and accommodating, the food is excellent as are the beverages. As for the pastries? They are quite fantastic and better than anything one can get on GL (although La Ruche does a damn good job too).

I take my son to Moka every afternoon after nursery. He insists on it. I have coffee either an Americano or a Cappuccino. Both are fantastic. My son has an apple juice and croissant. The staff remember that my son likes to have bendy straw too.

But what's best is the pastries are half price after 4pm as Kevin only sells fresh ones so will not keep them for the next day. I tend to stock with about for or 4 and have one for breakfast in the morning and give the rest out to my colleagues who absolutely adore them

It really saddens me that Hugh posted a discussion about Moka that was positive, but rather than discuss that,  people chose to criticise the place.

Negative feedback is important but it needn't be given so publicly. I doubt any of you would have liked it if had posted negative feed back about the way you work on very public website.

So a waitress forgot your croissant. Was the experience really  so bad that you had to let 5000 people know? You don't like the coffee? ask for less milk in future or for it to be a bit stronger. I am sure they will accommodate you.

First off lest you get bored with reading further,Tunbridge, I happen to think there was a gap in the market for Moka and for the most part it has done a brilliant job of filling it and I hope they get even better. I'm sorry you think it's off of me to be public my problems with it.  I don't know if I agree - the internet is what it is - but you've given me something to think about and whilst I think airing my grievances to Kevin in person would be absurd, I could write to him or something.  I have considered doing so. So maybe I should have.  Anyway.  You weren't personally being accused of hypocrisy - if I read things correctly - just that generally people are a bit more quick to mock somewhere like Devran in all it's charming kitschness, and there is less of a counter attack from the kind of people who've decided to embrace Kevin and Moka, when they need it no more or less than anyone else.  I am systematically made to wait every time I order a filled croissant and it's never that a waitress has forgotten me because they're uniformly attentive, it's just taken a long time to make.  Period.  I like my coffee black, on its own, and I think it's fair enough to expect it to be drinkable.  These are basic things and easily remedied.  As I keep saying. They are small but really important.  I end up walking with my kid to Peche Mignon for a brew and they don't even have a toilet, which, for the record, I may write to them about.

I've had perfect scrambled eggs on tasty wholemeal toast a few times at Cafe Moka. Wholeheartedly recommend. Coffee? I make better coffee at home, true, but I'd say it was decent. No complaints.

I disagree. I think it would be politer and show more integrity to make your criticisms in person. I think we tend to be far too backward about asserting our wishes as customers in this country. If you have expectations surely it is best just to make them clear to the only person who has the power to fulfill them.

I love, love, love the coffee at Moka. I walk there from a distance to avoid other coffee and have theirs instead. I also love the croissants. Bar getting on the Eurostar and buying a dawn pastry in central Paris I'd rather have theirs than anyone else's. 

Hi to all,

First of all we do want to apologies to anyone who has had a bad experience with the coffees and pastries at Moka.

We are a new and growing business and after a year of using the same coffee we are currently in the process of changing our supplier and coffee bean.  In fact we had a new company in last Friday with samples and training our staff. (So on that front we shall keep you posted!)  

We are always open to feedback which anyone has for us, especially from the neighboring community as we do pride ourselves on being a local café.  We greatly appreciate your comments as it helps us grow the business and move forward in the right direction.

A word on the pastries: we have had to regularly (3/4 times in the past year) change our bakery supplier with the aim of getting the best possible produce available for our customers, believe us it’s not as easy as you may imagine to get the consistency you would expect, and we regularly send back produce we are not entirely satisfied with, as all of the suppliers we have used have let us down to varying degrees in the past.  We have recently changed again since re opening in September, so let us know what you think?  But please rest assured that they are made offsite and delivered fresh every morning, and at around 4pm each day we mark them down to half price as we know they can become stale.

Again we can only apologies to any unsatisfied customers and we hope to see you again soon.

 

All the best

The team at Moka

I tried to add something earlier, so if I repeat myself then I apologize!  Just to say well done Kevin and watch out all you naysayers!  I have seen Moka evolve, which is one of the nice things about living so close, and being able to watch it so closely.  The omelette is the best I've ever tasted, the scrambled eggs are inspired and who knew I'd ever say that about such a humble foodstuff, the brownies are lovely and the hot chocolate is seriously good.  Though it is great for kids - my son loves it as there are toys to play with and a garden to run amok in - it is not excessively or self-consciously child friendly in the way that some places are: come on parents, we need to please ourselves as well as the kids at the end of the day.  And a couple of months ago had somebody asked me what one thing would improve the place, then I would have instantly said "BOOZE"!  So thank you for reading my mind Kevin.  IF I had the run of the place then there are a couple of things that I'd change, but since Kevin can read my mind I'm sure this will happen soon.  A note on the staff: they're completely lovely, and Kevin's missus - as I assume it is she - is the best maitre d' you could wish for.  GOOD WORK GUYS.

Dear Cafe Moka,

I think your cafe is great, in terms of bakery supplies... there is a lovely lady that sells amazing portuguese custard tarts at Harringay Market on Sundays.. she does not make them herself she has a supplier.. apparently its a secret recipe ... it would be great if you could stock a few of them, a perfect snack on route to the train station.

I wish they'd stock Organic milk and butter and things that they use that they could sell on. I keep asking him but he looks at me like I'm mad. there is no where to buy organic products other than the big supermarkets. Perhaps if others agreed we could all ask him. I'd love to pick up some organic milk on my way home from work etc. 

I like your idea and would definitely nip down to Moka even just to pick up organic groceries so yeah I'm in!

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