I love  stealing some me-time at a quiet cafe’ and am always on the look out for ones that call out to me . I am quite a fan of ”Euphorium” at Angel,London but its quite far and I become very lazy in winter , so travelling far away is ruled out.Interestingly enough for the past few months on my way to Tooting Broadway where I go and buy my Indian groceries every week I have been noticing the Tartine Artisanal Cafe and silently promising myself that after am done with the shopping I will treat myself to a cuppa, but then with heavy shopping bags for company all I want to is take the next bus home…sigh…

Finally last week when I met my friend for a dosa lunch at ”Dosa and Chutney” which has somehow become our new lunch haunt , we decided to go and have a relaxed cuppa at the Tartine.

As soon as you enter through the doors the whole manic high street outside seems to disappear , you wouldn’t know after a while whether you are actually in Tooting …I love when that happens , an added impetus to dream away …

Its the kind of place where you loose track of time…

Where you can sit for hours and watch the world go by …or even lose yourself in the infinite reflections of the beautiful .soft cafe’ lights onto the street outside.

Everything about the decor is just so right – the brick wall at the counter, the fireplace, the plush brown sofa that you can sink into, the chairs with street names in a nice font, the cushions mimicking jute bags in which coffee is packed, the coffee cake placed on the cake stand with a glass dome ( I so want one for myself but simply have no place to keep it, another reason to move real soon)

My favourite bit is this wall behind the plush sofa , it has a beautiful wallpaper etched into the brick wall ,it is the kind of wall that can help one start imagining stories.Simply amazing.

I love ordering a pot of tea and since am trying hard to cut down on both salt and sugar , a  Chamomile leaf tea which is fast becoming a real favourite with me was apt. But my defenses broke down at the sight of the coffee cake – we just had to share one piece 😉

I plan to come here alone one afternoon with a good book and myself for company multiple tea pots of Chamomile or maybe even one of the tempting Lunch offering from their menu sound good …I am currently in love with grilled cherry tomatoes and root vegetables…they are so good especially in the winter.

Sometimes I think I get my best ideas when I am totally relaxed ,warm and cosy in such a cafe , a part of the world , yet away from all the madness, watching the world go by from the glass windows…the window somehow managing to slow down all of that as well….at such times…time seems to stop and I can move from one plane to the other , countries even, walk through the rooms in my memory palace , savour memories of times spent laughing with an old friend ,in a simpler phase of life perhaps…

Oh and yes they have a branch in Balham too..goody !