Tombo | Windmill St, W1T

It was a drizzly Saturday, and I found myself accompanied by my gorgeous gal pal, Nish, as our addiction to Reformer Pilates (aren’t we basic?!) has blossomed into quite the glorious Saturday morning ritual. And what better way to nurse our exercise-induced-smug on a grey January day than with a hot bev. But not just any hot bev. Matcha, son.

Those who know me will be aware that coffee turns me into a dry-mouthed, shaky, crampy puddle. My friend Tam was the first to turn me onto the green stuff and I loved it. Since then, I have perfected my home-made matcha technique.**

Just so we have a little bit of background, matcha is essentially a powder made of green tea leaves, which are rich in antioxidants called polyphenols which have been known to protect against heart disease and cancer. The tea is meant to be more nutrient dense compared to other teas as you are consuming the whole tea leaf - though I feel like any health benefits null and void when consuming it with the amount of sugar I did on this occasion. Le Pain Quotidien used to make a banging matcha latte, but then they changed their almond milk supplier and the taste was completely different – making my ability to tolerate the staff at the High Street Ken store virtually non-existent.

The need to belatedly exchange Christmas presents before Nish got her hair chopped off gave me the perfect opportunity to steer us towards Tombo on Windmill Street in Fitzrovia. It is a ‘Poké and Matcha bar’, but no Poke was needed on this occasion.

I ordered the Vanilla Matcha Latte while Nish got the Turmeric Matcha Latte, both with almond milk. My Vanilla Matcha Latte was delicious and sweet, and only a little bitter, such is the nature of matcha. For me, adding a little something sweet is essential, especially if the milk being used is not sweetened (I always go for a nut milk…blah blah, I am so virtuous). A very nice Vanilla Matcha, which I would happily order again. Now to Nish’s Turmeric Matcha – I see what they did there, combining two en vogue superfoods. I love a bit of turmeric, though in this instance, it’s citrusy-gingery-ness was overpowering and you couldn’t taste the matcha at all. Definitely needed a bit of honey to mellow it out.  

I felt the need to order one of their dessert items – for the purposes of writing a well-rounded article, naturally. We chose the Matcha White Chocolate Tart, mostly because they didn’t have any Matcha Crosstown Donuts in, which, as you can imagine, was heartbreaking. The taste was interesting – sharp (that’ll be matcha), sweet (white chocolate) and creamy with a dense texture. The bottom of the pastry was a bit soggy so that biting into it, what should have been crisp, becoming one pasty consistency. Not unpleasant though I think I would try something else if I were to return.

Would I come back? For a matcha latte, anytime, and to try the Crosstown Matcha Donuts of course!

The damage: £13.25

 

No, Thank You!

Tombo

4 Windmill St, 

Fitzrovia,

London W1T 2HZ

**

Method

• Put 1tsp into a cup and pour in a drop of hot water, turning the powder into a paste.
• Heat your milk – I put mine into one of those nifty Nescafe milk frothers. 
• Pour a little into the cup with the matcha paste and combine bit by bit. Top with foam and drizzle a little honey to taste.