Alain Ducasse opens coffee boutique in London's King's Cross
Three-Michelin-starred French chef Alain Ducasse has opened his first permanent coffee boutique in London at a new development in King's Cross.
Le Café is a boutique coffee retail store and coffee bar located adjacent to Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse in Coal Drops Yard, the Heatherwick Studio-designed shopping and restaurant district.
Serving a range of blends and single-origin coffees roasted at the newly opened La Manufacture de Café Alain Ducasse in Paris, the launch in King's Cross marks a UK debut for the brand.
The 11-seat boutique features a model of La Marzocco Strada espresso machine custom designed for Le Café, while Paris-based agency Cigüe is responsible for the interiors, which features a pewter coffee bar.
Le Café head roaster Veda Viraswami, who was placed third in the 2018 World Coffee Roasting Championship and twice French Coffee Roasting Champion, has roasted in Paris a unique range of coffees. They include two signature blends made of beans from Brazil, Laos and Ethiopia for espresso or Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia for filter coffee; three single-origin coffees each from Kenya, Costa Rica and Ethiopia; and three ‘cru d'exception' coffees sourced in limited supply from Yemen, Panama and La Réunion.
Ducasse commented: "With Le Café, our ambition is to build a chain of excellence in which every link counts, from the tree to the cup. I am delighted to bring this new experience to London, and as a chef, to give this craft a uniquely personal outlook."
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