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Maria’s is a fantastic place in what looks like an old bank where Burdett Road meets Commercial Road. It’s never going to win a preservation order but it’s a splendidly functional cafe with a graphic sensibility all of its own. And they serve a very decent cup of tea.

Textbook condiment display - high quality sauces and classic dispensers.

Great use of colour - that blue, that yellow. This’ll wake you up and get you ready for work.

But this is the icing on the splendid cake. These inspired freelance graphics. Someone’s just got splendidly mad with a paintbrush and an imagination.

Look at the teeth on that hungry ‘e’

Fantastic newish place in Soho. Lots of good breakfasty stuff as you’d think. Free wifi. Or computer/internet access. Their website is here. The Plaze is here.

A splendid cup of tea. In a perfect optimistic teapot.

The interior has a very relaxed feel that you might have to call ’shabby chic’. Old stuff and new stuff.

Scrambled is a lovely new place on Cleveland Street, in the shadow of the BT tower.

Lovely cup of tea. Brown and warm and caring. This is a friendly place with a mix of traditional cafe and hippy vibe. There’s the odd tassled cushion and Yes/Roger Dean t-shirts have been glimpsed on the owner. Which makes it very charming.

Minimal but effective condiments. Neutral rather than minimal.

There’s always a decent pile of newspapers and magazines to be read. An essential quality, I think.

Busy, busy, busy. I always like these open plan cafes; where you can see all sorts of stuff going on. It always makes you feel better about just sitting around doing nothing - knowing that you’re injecting valuable capital into the cafe economy, funding all this activity.