Ask For Janice

The problem with London Unilocal is that the small number of reviews skews the average. AFJ doesn’t deserve 3.5 stars (what is was before I posted this) because it’s good. Not amazing. But good.
The décor is pretty standard for a new hipstery (but obviously not really because it’s Smithfield and lawyers and millionaires live here while the market/​Crossrail workers eat at the Smithfield Café) joint. Lots of mismatched wood and metal, probably some from schools.
The food is good but again, nothing new. Oh, smashed avocado on toast? Wow. The beer and cocktail list is good and the service is excellent.
This place is needed in the neighbourhood. It’s more innocent and less bland than Smiths. And it’s more polished than the pubs nearby and places like Beppe’s. It’s a solid 4.

Popped in here tonight for a drink and found it to be kind of overly stark and uncomfortable. Tres hipster. The seating was mostly like wooden and metal stools from primary school.
We were greeted at the door by a soft spoken guy who seemed sweet, but frazzled. We asked for a cocktail menu and he said, «We can make you what you want.» and we asked again and he said they didn’t have one (but they did, we found one later on).
We set uncomfortably (seriously, there’s nothing cozy or lingering about this place, it’s more of a coffee shop-​cum-​cocktail bar, but the cocktail bar seemed like an afterthought) and awaited our food and drink order. My cocktail was the AFJ 45, which was just alright. Kind of flat for something containing Prosecco. We also tried the Wild River Ale, which was pretty good.
Sadly, we waited half an hour and never received the burger and fries we ordered (which in fairness looked and smelled delicious, which is why we ordered it) and were told the order never got placed, so we asked for that money back and left to find dinner elsewhere.
I’d go back, I suppose, but maybe not for cocktails.

All-​day place where you can get breakfast or takeaway coffee in the morning or drinks and dinner at night. Nice décor, nice and light with huge windows. Good gin menu and the presentation is really nice. A good respite from the other spots on Long Lane, which are mostly completely standard and boring pubs.

Ask For Janice is part craft beer joint, part quality coffee spot, all bona fide hipster hangout. I laud its attempts to cover both the quality beer and coffee markets, which makes it unusual in London even if these niches seem a natural fit. It’s one of the best attempts I’ve seen so far in London, even if it can’t compete with the best specialist places for either.
The interior and atmosphere is classic hipster. The rough brick walls are messily painted white, the tables and chairs a mix of styles and though the windows seem quite modern, the glass doors could easily have been transported from a 1970s-​era pre-​fab car showroom. The staff are young and friendly and the music indie (think Little Dragon, Broken Bells).
Their beer is their strength, with a decent range from London breweries such as the Kernel, Redchurch brewery, Camden and and By the Horns. Not super exotic. but decent. Their coffee is espresso-​based, apparently from a small supplier. Maybe, but preparation is a little slapdash — no foaming or heating of milk for instance — and the latte I had was rather ordinary. Prices seem to be the market ones for this area– £2.20 for a single espresso, £2.40 for a double, £2.70 for an Americano.
They also serve food, are open late (apparently closing at midnight mid-​week) and supposedly have wifi, though I couldn’t connect to it. They were showing the World Cup football on a large projector screen, so quite possibly they’ll be showing other events too.
East London seems to be overrun with specialist cafes, so diversifying into craft beer is a good idea for a new business like Ask For Janice (and again, I reckon many of the customers are likely to be the same). I’d like to see them improve their coffee preparation (and expand into filter coffee ideally) but they’re off to a good start as things stand.