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.

The coffee also offers cappuccinos, cold-brew coffee on tap served draught like beer, alongside an infused cascara drink made from the dried skins of the coffee cherry, served as iced tea, hot tea, or ‘whisky style'. Fresh madeleines baked on-site and chocolates from Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse will also be available.

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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