#Review: Palm Vaults, Dalston
There are only so many Instagram posts of pretty pink lattes that a girl can take, so I decided to visit Palm Vaults in Dalston, to find out what all the fuss was about.
Palm Vaults first caught my eye when the BF and I were on our way to popular vegan haunt, Black Cat Cafe in Hackney. First, it was the mother of pearl signage that had me intrigued, while inside, a generous array of coffee, tea and more innovative beverage options had me trying to persuade the BF to ditch the Black Cat. But no, he wanted his full English. Cue several weeks of social media stalking, mostly on the cafe's pink-themed Instagram, until finally, today, we went for breakfast.
If you're a Scarface fan you are going to feel just like Elvira (but maybe the morning after a coke-binge when she's in dire need of carbs and coffee). The Miami-Influenced decor is a blend of leather and velvet, all in the palest pink, with leafy green plants dotted around, and some great, decadent gold details. The (friendly and informative) staff all wear very cool retro Ts that work with the chilled vibe.
First up, we ordered the Velvet Latte - something that has become a bit of an urban legend, but thankfully, it lived up to its perceived magic. A vibrant pink, the base of the Velvet Latte is the humble beetroot, which is lately much-loved for its pre-workout energy-boosting properties, as well as its ability to boost blood circulation and oxygen. A great bonus to PV is that it offers soya, almond, oat and cashew milk - a real hallelujah moment for any London cafe - so you will most likely be asked which milk you prefer. We went for the almond milk and the result was pretty interesting, in a very good way. Yes, you can taste beetroot (duh), but it has an additional creaminess to it and the slightest touch of sweetness, perhaps from agave, but I could be wrong.
Velvet and Golden...
We moved on to the Golden Latte - straight up, our fave. Aside from its glorious golden colour, this is the perfect pick-me-up for those who might want to ditch their coffee but still need a warm boost in the morning. We tried making our own golden latte last week at home (almond milk, turmeric, maple syrup, black pepper and fresh ginger) but we opted for the cold version. Although it tasted almost identical to what we had at PV (they use agave rather than maple syrup), the fact that it was warm, and more than likely made with steamed almond milk, was kinda life-changing.
Before moving onto solid food, we also tried the creamy Avocado Coffee Frappe. Greedy, but hey, it was worth it.
While waiting for my avo toast with halloumi and the BF's Green Dream Sandwich, we shared a beautifully made raw lemon and coconut tart - the light lemon filling was just amazing - definitely one for those who want to try something vegan but just aren't convinced, yet. Oh, and we also had a piece of avocado bread - basically madeira cake made with avo. Bloody good, non-vegan cake.
My avo toast was just as good as a homemade version and the BF's sarni of turmeric-tinged sauerkraut, vegan mayo, salad and avocado went down well.
If the food I've already mentioned hasn't got you hooked yet, hang on, I'll be going back very shortly to try the avocado chocolate cake, and the white hot chocolate. And apparently there's a secret cocktail bar downstairs too...
Find Palm Vaults at 411 Mare Street, London, E8 1HY and on Instagram @palmvaults here