Espresso Bar at The British Library

How any supposed coffee amateur can have come up with the preposterous idea of combining supposedly high-end speciality coffee with the heavy smell of frying oil used for preparing churros is a total mystery to me. Perhaps the owner of Espresso Bar grew up on instant coffee served in greasy spoon type joints and the smell of bad coffee combined with oil and grease brings up happy childhood memories. For me, as a coffee amateur and home coffee roaster, this place has been a total disappointment. The coffee is roasted to death so as to erase any taste other than carbon and bitterness, and any self-respecting coffee geek should steer well away from it or add lots of sugar and milk. This place is 10-15 minutes walk away from such highlights of London's coffee scene as the Espresso Room, Monmouth, the Milk Bar, or Fernandez & Wells, so there is absolutely no reason for anyone to torture their senses with bad coffee when there is excellent coffee to be had around the corner. On a positive note (you have to give it to them), the staff are very friendly and the churros are excellent (not that I am by any means a churros expert.)