Rapha CC

You wait ages for a cycle-centric cafe to open in London, then two come along at once, a stone's throw from one another.

At 49 Old St is Look Mum No Hands, to do the place justice I'll cover it another time but suffice to say the staff are great, the food is lovely and you can watch the Giro on a big screen (although it suffers in sunlight).

For now, the focus is on the Rapha Cycle Club

Based at 146-148 Clerkenwell Rd, it's a temporary cafe/gallery/retail space, taking the european model and adding the familiar Rapha sheen. Rapha seems to engender strong opinions but personally I love it - I doubt I will buy a cycling cap for a one-er but I do like their approach and there's no denying the quality. Anyway, if you have a passing interest in cycling I strongly recommend a visit here. The Coppi exhibition is great, especially the replica bikes and the coffee is good too. I also found the staff super friendly, contrary what some might have you believe.

A few pics below.