a greenhouse cafe - reading and matcha amongst plants

Harvest & Co is a very well-known cafe, nothing secretive about it. Though I do pride myself in searching and locating quaint lesser-known cafes. 

This cafe is located within one of the bigger plant shops in Dubai, off Sheikh Zayed Road. As you enter the shop, rows of plants greet you. Rubber plants. Fiddle Figs. Birds of Paradise. And as you try not to get distracted, you have to stop once in a while to admire a plant. Healthy, glossy. They look happy.

The cafe, at first glance, look ordinary. But as you finally step toward the back, you realize you are inside a glass house, surrounded by plants on all sides. In a city like Dubai, this is a privilege.

I sat in a corner, ordered a matcha and a cheese and leek toastie. I had my book. I had my sketch pad.

I read and drew, both. I´m still not able to not be distracted easily. But my attention span has improved so much over the months.

I lost track of time. I sat in the cafe for a good 2-3 hours. I would place my book down once in a while and just look around. Couples. Vloggers. Friends. Families.

The staff was very nice, service was good, food seemed fresh. When I walked in, I liked that there were others reading books.

A lovely place to spend a few good hours.

Have you been to Harvest & Co? Will you go back?

some matcha - a live post

I had matcha for the first time in 2025. Until then, it was either an expensive idea or a healthy version of coffee, both unappealing.

I never was much of a coffee or tea person. As a kid, cold coffee was a treat, and tea did not taste that good (I am talking about the masala chai). I do recall a very early memory where my mum and I munched on some marie biscuits dipped in coffee, and those were delicious.

Anyhow, I would have coffee only to stay up at night, never really enjoying the flavor and texture. That habit continued well into adult hood. 

Last year, my sister visited me and she is a connoisseur of matcha. She demanded to be taken to good cafes with good matcha, and when I looked at her helplessly, she took matters into her hands. She took me to Cafe Kitsune - which has its original cafe in Paris, and where she had already tried it before.

Sipping my very first matcha was unimpressive, I barely liked it. My sister sipped hers slowly, maintaining a poker face. 

I then did not have another matcha until early 2026 when I started visiting a local cafe called Brew and Chew. And slowly, my love affair with matcha started. I give my instructions, no sugar, oat milk, strong. 

Over the last 8 months, I've consumed so much matcha, spent copious amounts, chased a better matcha, never content with a good matcha, and I'm yet to find one that makes me think, there can't be a better one.

This post is for me to remember how I felt, the texture, the staff, the ambience, the quality of the tea leaves!

London, UK

1. Jenki - One of the best matcha I´ve had, was quite bitter, the way I like it. The texture was smooth, the matcha leaves seemed fresh.
2. Flying Horse Coffee - Not exceptional, great ambience though!
3. Kiss the hippo - Will happily recommend! Went back so many times. I had to request for a stronger dose.
4. Blank Street - Considering how commercial and mainstream this cafe is, I was pleasantly surprised at the high quality of their matcha.
5. Caffe Nero - NOPE for their matcha, their food is great though!
6. Black Sheep Coffee - They do a decent Matcha, though less strong than what I prefer. Great texture though!
7. Gail’s - If I don´t see any other cafe around, I will not mind having a matcha from here.
8. Leon - Not a fan. Well, if there isn´t cafe for miles, maybe.
9. M&S food/coffee - Only if I´m craving a matcha and I am unwilling to walk to the next cafe
10. Sacred Garden - Quite liked the matcha. Had to specify the strength. The ambience was definitely amazing, a quiet green oasis in busy London!
11. Cha Fe - Great matcha, they knew what they were doing. Also, they served a great hojicha latte, probably one of the best!

Brighton, UK

1. Olea Specialty Coffee and Matcha - A small hole in the wall cafe, great matcha, great hojicha latte, very nice people running the cafe.

Seaford, UK

1. The Grumpy Chef - If you ever visit this small town, I can happily recommend the matcha here. The barista knew what she was doing!

Amsterdam, Netherlands

1. Matsu Cha - I visited their booth during the London Coffee Festival. And was instantly drawn to the premium quality matcha offered. The owner explained each variant, whisking passionately, calm and poised. The matcha was unsurprisingly good.

Abu Dhabi, UAE

1. Anko Japanese Patisserie - Very good matcha, great ambience, overlooking the water. Did seem a little commercial but can´t fault the texture or the green of the coffee.

Dubai, UAE

I do currently live in Dubai, so this list will be long.

1. Brew and Chew - One of my spots, apart from making the matcha exactly how I specify, the cafe has great staff!
2. 21 grams - Not the first spot I will think of for serving a great matcha, but their matcha was quite decent. Better Balkan food than matcha though.
3. Ferment - A quaint, beautiful and minimal cafe, was a pretty decent matcha as well.
4. Oma - This is less for a true matcha connoisseur and more for a social media user who would like a picture-perfect post/story. Their matchas are very pretty, but very sweet, I didn´t enjoy them. Their desserts on the other hand!
5. Maisan 15 - A small cafe with great food. They serve a decent matcha, however, it is not as strong as I would like. Their hibiscus tea is very good.
6. Harvest & Co - Cafe - 10/10, the ambience is cozy, reminds you of a quiet English countryside inn. The matcha was quite nice and was quite strong upon request. Good texture too.
7. Lime Tree Cafe - I will not recommend the matcha here, their food on the other hand is great!
8. To be updated!

This is a live post and as and when I discover a great matcha, or not a great one, I will add here.

PS. I have not added Starbucks, but they do have an ok matcha! Costa, on the other hand, I couldn´t get behind their matcha.

PPS. At times, I try a branch or a few branches, and maybe not all branches before adding it here. It is certainly possible that one branch has amazing matcha and another branch just fails. I presume that if a brand is competent, they would have consistent quality across all branches.

I would love for you to comment, tear down or praise this list, give me your opinion, your suggestions, even if it´s in Peru or Slovenia. Even if not matcha, some other unique tea you had that left a lasting memory.

Updated: 17Aug 2026

in and around london, cafes, matcha and some banana bread

Let me first clarify the banana bread. I bought a banana bread from Paris Baguette at the Canary Wharf station. I was in a rush, did not think much. That banana bread turned out to be a very good decision. It was freshly made, soft, moist, the perfect amount of sweetness, the perfect amount of choco-chips added.

I went back a few times; I never quite found the same one again. It was never fresh, always a day late. Or I had made such a big deal about it in my head, I was never satisfied again.

Matcha, on the other hand, I did find some great spots. Some photos to show my appreciation.

I also visited the London Coffee Festival with a friend. Suffices to say that I did not sleep that night. I must've tried coffee from around the world, at least 30 different types of beans.

I went back quite a few times to Kiss the Hippo. This photo was taken as it was pouring in London. I think I was at the Spitalfields store.

My first time at a coffee festival. I had way too much.

When in Cotswolds, you have to sit by the water like a local (tourist?) and have some matcha.

Never ate another banana bread that satiated me,

London is full of small cafes with quaint gardens and old buildings.

By the last few days in London, I realized I had had too much matcha.

Cafes in every corner.

Literally every corner.

I think this was my last matcha overlooking Hampstead Heath 

Some time ago, I had a moment. I came back home to Dubai and craved sitting in Kiss the Hippo, in the rain and drinking matcha. Only one of those 3 is easily possible in Dubai. I do miss it.