Yumchaa, Camden, London

I love this branch of Yumchaa - the first and the best in my opinion.
I was working back up in Camden for a week in my old office and was taken right back to the heady days of summer 2007 as soon as I walked through Yumchaa's door. They give £1 coffees for traders or local businesses - bargain, but even for full-price I think it's great value coffee.
The chocolate cake is rich, fudgey and decadent, better than the brownies which can be slightly dry. The sandwiches are fab doorstops of goodness.
It is a smaller and therefore more friendly branch, oh, and they let me take plates of cake back to the office until I've scoffed them and return their crockery later. Bliss.

Don't be fooled by Yumchaa saying they are a tea house, they do serve coffee as well which is not too bad. The selection of cakes is pretty much what you would expect - brownie, lemon cake, etc. I tried the brownie which was nice, not too dry and not too heavy or oily either. There is also a selection of sandwiches.

The interior is like Camden itself I suppose - a hodgepodge of random stuff thrown together. It works though and with the big ceiling to floor windows in the front and the skylight in the back it feels airy and light.

The place seems really understaffed though which lessens my impression of the place.

Overall a good place to sit down a while if in the Camden area and you got time to wait for the staff to serve you.

This is the first time I have tried Yumchaa, on my many visits to Camden. I had a latte which was nice and not too strong and my son ordered a bagel. Unfortunately he had to enquire which fillings they had, as there was no menu visible displaying prices and choices etc., but afterwards we noticed a small A4 size menu by the till. We sat down, and I liked the 'Shabby Chic' surroundings which suited the style of premises. We had to wait over 20 minutes for the bagel to arrive, and that was only because I had to go and ask if it was ready. I can appreciate they were quite busy and there were only 2 members of staff, but by the time the bagel had arrived we had finished our drinks and it was too hot to eat straight away where they had put it under the griddle and had obviously forgot about it. I was a bit dissapointed with the Tea Shop as I had expected more from such a quaint place in Camden.

This establishment seems totally out of place in Soho. You expect edge, shadows, excess, naughtiness and gloss in this part of London, rather than light, cakes, teas and wholesome goodness.

Maybe it's the place where the bad boys and girls head to feel good?

We have been here twice now and it was great both times. The tea and cakes are great (especially the brownies). It is quite small inside so there can be a wait for a seat but it is nice to sit outside if you wrap up warm.

A lovely little place to rest your feet.

We sat outside when we came, it’s in a nice location where you can see the canal boats and the many food stalls beneath. The staff were friendly and polite, even when we took ages digging out all our change.

Good classic rock plays inside, you can hear it enough for it to be a nice background noise outside but not so much that it gets in the way of conversation. We had plain old regular tea and coffee so can’t really comment on the exotic ones on display, but i can say they smelt quite nice. The cakes were also nice.

Exactly what’s been missing in Camden is a quirky, no-frills tea shop just outside the Lock Market shops. They really only do tea, but they do tea really well. They keep all their blends in cups at the counter, so the best way to choose is to follow your nose. And the staff know their stuff, too, and can not only list all of the ingredients of each tea but can recommend something to suit your mood. They also serve cakes and sandwiches.

The decor’s nice and simple, white-washed brick, tile-topped tables and pastel upholstery. They had rock tunes playing just loud enough to be identified but not so loud that you can’t have a conversation. If they get free wi-fi, I’ll never leave.

I first came across Yumchaa after meeting them at a stall in Partridges Market on the Kings Road. After taking their tea home with me to try, I thought I would visit their cafe in Camden, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed!

If you like tea, this is the place for you. They do the obvious ranges of black and green teas for the less adventurous, but their range of red and fruit teas are amazing. They are beautiful to look at too, and very aromatic, with lovely flowers and chips of odd little things put in to add flavour.

I loved the ambience and decor, it seemed to fit right in with Camden’s “vibe” and the cakes are a welcome surprise. If you are heading to the market, make this a stopping point, as it is well worth it.

What a lovely place. I like the decor with one wall beautifully wallpapered, while the rest is left with bricks roughly painted white.
Yumchaa is situated on the first floow gallery that overlooks the mooring place for the canal boats and offers a nice alternative to the more obvious coffee place downstairs right by the entrance.
As Yumchaa is all about tea, we sniffed the cups with samples of leaves and didn’t take long to choose our favourites. They have a good selection of black, green and herbal (mainly rooibos) teas, all brewed in pretty china pots that sit on their cups.
A very civilised haven within the madness of Camden.
It’s a shame though that all the pastries, muffins and cakes are so obviously mass-produced - home-made cookies would be much better suited.