An extraordinary thing is happening tomorrow on Stroudley Walk, a new cafe is opening! We've had fried chicken for a while and a juice bar gave it a go after lockdown, but this is the first time there's been a sitdowner with macchiatos, croissants, hash browns and lasagne. It's called Minnie's Coffee and Food and it made me double-take.
It lurks underneath Zellie Emerson House, one of four new housing blocks hereabouts, in a small unit I'd assumed would stay uneconomically empty. Instead our local social housing company have hired out the space as part of their HARCA Café Collective, "an initiative making quality food and drink accessible and affordable to residents and visitors across Bow and Poplar". It's not clear whether Minnie is the owner's name or a reference to Minnie Lansbury the East End suffragette, but given the estate's history and thematic rebrand I'd assume the latter.
Apart from the obvious hot drinks the menu also includes breakfast options (until 11am), snacks and a limited range of lunches. I can't remember the last time anywhere round here did a genuine cooked breakfast, and OK there's no bacon but £8 is a pretty good deal. As for lunches each day of the week brings a single meat or vegetarian choice (Mondays curried, Tuesdays stir-fried, Wednesdays filo royale, Thursdays lasagne and Fridays crispy with potato wedges), also soup, also foccacia-based sandwiches, also six quid salads. And yes I know you've probably had this round your way for ages but this is Stroudley Walk for heaven's sake, a culinary dead end since time immemorial.
Like most modern food outlets they've not bothered with a website just an Instagram account nobody would ever think to search for. Unnervingly the first post said "Almost ready to serve you!" and that was in June. Also their tagline is "More than just coffee, we’re a community" which I reckon is wilfully unproven given they haven't opened yet. But opening day is Monday at 7.30am and to celebrate they've got a special offer of 50% OFF ALL HOT DRINKS UNTIL MIDDAY. I live nearby and have a kettle so not even Builders Tea for 75p is going to tempt me in, but I wish Minnie well as gentrification finally sparks to life in Stroudley Walk. It's what the incomers who've paid half a million to live in the tower nextdoor have been waiting for, indeed long expected.
