I’m always on the lookout for great new cafes in London and one of my favourite recent discoveries is the brilliant Benk + Bo.
Opened at the beginning of the year, this friendly neighbourhood spot is many things all rolled successfully into one – a cafe, bakery, yoga studio and co-working space. It’s surprisingly big but with an intimate feel, set across three storeys of a Brutalist building in a rapidly-developing part of Aldgate and just a short walk from Spitalfields, Brick Lane and Liverpool Street.
Owners Antony Burger and Mariell Lind Hansen (from fashion and architectural photography backgrounds respectively) established Benk + Bo to bring together creatives from all disciplines and provide a peaceful place to collaborate and share ideas. Indeed, its memorable name means ‘workbench’ and ‘a place to live’ in Norwegian.
The concept is influenced by the DIY community spirit of the rural Norwegian island where Mariell grew up and has naturally evolved since opening. As such, the style is Scandinavian-meets-London with well-chosen, homely touches such as woven tapestries, cosy armchairs, mood lamps and 1950s wood furniture that they lovingly restored by hand.
The members-only lower floor is like a secret garden of flourishing plants and you can watch the chefs at work in the kitchen. Meanwhile, the upstairs features a spacious, beautifully-renovated yoga studio, a tranquil piano practice room and a shower room modelled on an original mid-century Barbican bathroom.
The heart of Benk + Bo is its bijou cafe (open to non-members) and grocery store selling gourmet products from artisan producers, many of them London-based. However, what makes it really stand out from the London crowd is the in-house bakery, helmed by Head Baker Julien Valmier, formerly of The Savoy hotel, Le Cordon Bleu, Peyton & Byrne and Pain Blanc in Nagoya, Japan.
While produced in small batches, the selection of patisserie is truly impressive – I spotted a tempting Tarte Tropézienne, Paris-Brest in a variety of flavours, loaf cakes, Danish pastries, cookies and slightly more virtuous energy balls. Many of the pastries are vegan and Benk + Bo supply them to other cafes across London, including my favourite I Will Kill Again in Hackney.
I enjoyed the most delicious Pistachio Paris-Brest with exquisitely light choux pastry and velvety crème pâtissière. For an even greener treat, I paired it with an Iced matcha latte with oat milk – the best I’ve ever had!
I was also excited to see that Benk + Bo uses beans from east London roastery Dark Arts Coffee as standard and couldn’t resist buying a box of their ‘Weightless Again’ Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffee to take home.
So far, Benk + Bo has hosted art exhibitions, book launches and supper clubs by the likes of Farmdrop, 26 Grains and The Caspian Kitchen, and it’s exciting to see what they will come up with next.
Benk + Bo is such a soulful place that leaves you feeling uplifted and part of it all. Many independent cafes lack the friendliness that makes you want to return, but Mariell, Antony and their team are so hands-on and really care about welcoming everyone who steps through the door. I can’t wait to go back and try some of their new brunch dishes and work my way through the pâtisserie.
Membership begins from £110 per month and access to fibre optic broadband, unlimited yoga classes, cafe discounts, free booking of meeting room and piano studio and a private locker. For more information, visit: www.benkandbo.com
All photos by Chérie City
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